HAMMOND  – Beginning late last season, the Northwestern State women's basketball team has enjoyed quite a run of success in Southland Conference play.
 
A seven-game conference win streak, which included a three-game sweep of the SLC Tournament, has turned into a span of 14 wins in 16 games against conference foes and has helped NSU share the conference lead at the midway point of Southland Confrence play.
 
The Lady Demons (12-8, 7-2 Southland) will try to keep that run going as the second half of SLC play begins Saturday when Northwestern State faces Southeastern Louisiana (6-12, 2-5 Southland) in a 4:30 p.m. matchup at the University Center. The game is the opener of a Southland Conference doubleheader in which the nightcap features the NSU and SLU men's teams.
 
The game will be broadcast on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 KZBL in Natchitoches and including Sports Talk 100.7 FM and SuperTalk 1340 AM KRMD in Shreveport, and KWLA 103.1 FM in Anacoco. Free audio is available at NSUDemons.com and SuperTalk1340.com. Tony Taglavore will deliver the play-by-play.
 
Northwestern State  enters the second half of conference play tied for the league lead with Lamar. Preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin sits a half-game behind the co-leaders.
 
Southeastern Louisiana sits in 10^th place, one game off the pace for a berth in the conference tournament in March.
 
"Southeastern is a very talented team," third-year co-head coach Brooke Stoehr said. "They have the ability to score inside with Nanna Pool and on the perimeter as well. Their depth has been affected by injuries, but coach (Yolanda) Moore has them playing very hard and competing well. We will have to be very solid defensively and tough to compete on the road."
 
Prior to Wednesday's loss at Central Arkansas, Northwestern State had won five straight conference road games and eight straight SLC games away from Prather Coliseum.
 
Janelle Perez again led the Lady Demons offensively, scoring 19 points, and will match up with Elizabeth Styles, the Southland Conference's leader in assists per game (6.1).
 
Styles combines with Pool, a preseason second-team All-Southland selection, to form an inside-outside combo that averages 22.9 points per game. That pairing has become more important, as SLU's leading scorer Symone Miller (13.7 points per game) has not played since Dec. 29 because of a knee injury.
 
Pool is averaging nearly a double-double, grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game to go along with her 11.8 points per game scoring average.
 
"(Pool) is a very active player on the boards and in and around the paint," Stoehr said. "She has the ability to score, and we have to account for her every possession."
Much like NSU's last opponent, the Lady Lions are a much different team at home than on the road.
 
SLU is 6-3 inside the University Center and has yet to win a road game this season. Playing at "The Jungle" will pose another challenge for an NSU team that is 3-1 in conference road games this season.
 
"Everyone has a comfort level of playing at home and in a supportive environment," Stoehr said. "We will have to be very focused and committed to our scouting report to have some success in Hammond."
 
After a January that saw them play 10 games, the Lady Demons return home for a pair of games a week apart. NSU opens its two-game homestand by hosting rival Stephen F. Austin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Prather Coliseum.