Lady Demon Basketball | 11/14/2017 1:58:00 PM

NATCHITOCHES – Sleepless nights before home games are becoming commonplace for second-year Northwestern State women's basketball coach Jordan Dupuy.
 
The reasons for Dupuy's lack of rest are diametrically opposite.
 
As the Lady Demons enter their second home game of the season at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against LSU-Shreveport, it is what the Pilots (6-0) bring to the table that has kept Dupuy awake.
 
Unlike in their home opener against LeTourneau on Sunday, the Lady Demons (1-1) know what kind of body of work Wednesday's opponent presents.
 
"We had no film on LeTourneau, and they had 13 new players and a new coaching staff," Dupuy said. "That was something with a young, inexperienced team that I was worried about. I didn't sleep well because we didn't have anything on LeTourneau.
 
"(LSUS) is 6-0. They played at Jackson State (an 86-85 exhibition win on Monday). They're confident. They've played seven games in about (13) days. They're seasoned. They're deep. They're athletic. We're going to have to have good days of preparation. Our preparation has to be the same if it's LSUS or if it's Oklahoma State."
 
In addition to LSUS' win against Jackson State, the Pilots knocked off the NAIA's No. 1 team, Oklahoma City, 70-58, on Nov. 10.
 
While the Pilots have played seven games since tipping off their season on Nov. 2, the Lady Demons will play for the third time in six days. For the second straight game, Northwestern State is the higher-division team, facing its second straight non-Division I foe.
 
Despite playing the first two games without four injured players – two of whom will miss the 2017-18 season – the Lady Demons have found several players who have heeded Dupuy's next player up call. The most prominent has been junior forward Libba Gilliam, who established a career high with 21 points against LeTourneau on Sunday.
 
Gilliam's performance came two days after she matched her previous career high with 14 points at Ole Miss. After averaging 17.5 points per game in NSU's first two games, Gilliam was named the Southland Conference Player of the Week by www.collegesportsmadness.com.
 
After hitting two of three 3-pointers at Ole Miss, Gilliam did all of her work inside the arc against LeTourneau, connecting on nine of 11 shots.
 
"All great teams have players go down and the next player has to step up," Dupuy said. "Libba has taken that role. At her postseason interview, we told her people were going to key on Cheyenne (Brown), and we needed her to become that second scorer. We needed her to not only score down low, but we needed her to play away from the basket.
 
"She's made the adjustments. Her teammates are finding her. She shot over 80 percent (13-for-16, 81.3 percent) from the field. She's in rhythm. We're going to need her for this stretch without Cheyenne and for the rest of the season."
 
Wednesday's game can be heard on 97.5 FM KDBH in the Natchitoches area and worldwide on www.NSUDemons.com. Tony Taglavore, in his 10^th season, will handle the play-by-play call of the game.