Lady Demon Basketball | 12/16/2017 1:22:00 PM

FORT WORTH, Texas – It has been five years since the Northwestern State women's basketball team last played consecutive Power Five conference opponents.
 
That stretch ends Sunday at 2 p.m. when the Lady Demons face Big 12 member TCU. The matchup with the Horned Frogs comes four days after Northwestern State fell to No. 8 Texas, 68-44, in Austin.
 
Sunday's game can be heard on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and worldwide via streaming audio on www.NSUDemons.com. Tony Taglavore, in his 10^th season, will handle the play-by-play call of the game.
 
"They definitely know how to score the basketball," second-year head coach Jordan Dupuy said. "We're going to have to keep them off-balance. Play a little man and a little zone, change it up. It's a tough test for us, but one we need to embrace. We need to go play well, learn what we can learn and implement it in the conference season."
 
The Lady Demons (4-5) learned quite a bit about themselves Wednesday night at Texas.
 
Changing its strategy, Northwestern State held the Longhorns to their lowest point total of the season, 22 points below their season average, which was fourth-best nationally entering the game.
 
The Lady Demons will need a similar effort against the 7-2 Horned Frogs, who have not played since defeating Southeastern Louisiana, 112-62, on Dec. 10.
 
That game was close at halftime before the Frogs pulled away in the second half thanks in large part to Amber Ramirez' career-high 33 points, which came on 11-of-17 shooting from 3-point range. The 11 3-pointers established single-game records for both TCU and the Big 12 Conference while Ramirez' 17 3-point tries were a school single-game record.
 
"It was 50-45, and I was very impressed with how Southeastern hung in there," Dupuy said. "TCU did a great job of shooting the basketball. They played extremely well against Southeastern's zone. We've got to make sure our man-to-man defense is sharp."
 
In the loss to Texas, the Lady Demons unearthed another offensive option in freshman Jha'ne Wheeler.
 
Wheeler set a career high with 15 points, hitting four 3-pointers in the process.
 
"It definitely was her coming-out party," Dupuy said. "She showed a lot of confidence. As she gets more and more playing time, she's going to contribute on both ends of the floor. She's going to have to come back, put in the work and give us the same spark Sunday."
 
While playing back-to-back games against Power Five conference opponents, something Northwestern State has not done since facing Southeastern Conference foes Arkansas and Mississippi State on Dec. 21 and 28, 2012, is rare, playing in Texas is not.
 
Sunday marks Northwestern State's third straight game against a Texas team and its second straight road matchup. It also stands as a homecoming of sorts for the majority of the Lady Demons who hail from the Lone Star State.
 
Six of the eight native Texans on NSU's roster are Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex products – Nautica Grant (Dallas), Gabby Bell (Arlington), Nia Randall (Garland), Jada Freeman (Irving), Victoria Miller (Carrollton) and Jocelyn Scott (McKinney). Additionally, associate head coach Deneen Parker is an Arlington Martin High School product.
 
"A lot of our girls are from that area and will have a lot of people there," Dupuy said. "It's special, not just from a recruiting standpoint. It will be a chance for those families who usually have to drive four hours to drive only about 30 minutes to see them play."