NATCHITOCHES – McNeese answered a career-best scoring game by Northwestern State's Beatrice Attura with a balanced effort.
 
Attura poured in a career-high 34 points, but the visiting Cowgirls scored 13 of the game's final 16 points to grab a 68-63 victory in the Southland Conference women's basketball opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Prather Coliseum.
 
Attura set career highs in points, field goals (13), field goal attempts (26), 3-pointers (6) and 3-point attempts (12), but the Cowgirls (6-6, 1-0) limited the Lady Demons (6-6, 0-1) two one field goal in the final 7:11 of the game. Her 34 points are tied for the 10^th-most in Prather Coliseum history and marked the first 30-point game by a Lady Demon since Janelle Perez tallied 30 against Sam Houston State in the 2016 Southland Conference Tournament semifinals.
 
"I was really just trying to help our team get a win," said Attura, whose previous career high of 27 points came against LSU-Alexandria on Nov. 21, 2015. "I really don't care about the career highs. It's a really tough loss, because we go on the road and face a really tough Central Arkansas team, who are the defending (Southland) tournament champions and we have two more road games after that. I just wish it had ended in a win."
 
After a Shahd Abboud pullup put NSU ahead 60-55, the Cowgirls scored the next six points before Libba Gilliam regained the lead for the Lady Demons with an inside bucket with 2:27 to play.
 
Frederica Haywood answered with a tough inside basket for McNeese on the Cowgirls' next possession, and McNeese never trailed again.
 
The Cowgirls took advantage of their offensive rebounding to extend possessions and seal the victory.
 
"They started taking (Attura) out of the play late in the game," first-year head coach Jordan Dupuy said. "We've got to have other girls who are mentally tough enough to step up and make plays. It's all about mental and physical toughness, especially in the fourth quarter."
 
Attura bounced back from her lowest scoring output of the season – four at Mississippi State on Wednesday – with a 19-point first half that surpassed her season average (16.9).
 
The Lady Demons needed every bit of Attura's scoring after a sluggish start put them in an early 16-7 hole. Thanks to Attura's personal 5-0 run, NSU closed the gap to 16-12 after the first quarter.
 
Attura continued her strong play in the second half but was the only Lady Demon to reach double figures. Gilliam added eight points for NSU.
 
McNeese put three players in double figures, led by Hannah Cupit's 19 points off the bench. Haywood added 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Caitlin Davis added 17 points for the Cowgirls.
 
Northwestern State returns to action Monday when it faces Central Arkansas in its first Southland Conference road game of the season. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Farris Center.