Lady Demon Basketball | 12/8/2017 2:18:00 PM

ALEXANDRIA – Before his Northwestern State women's basketball team played at UL Monroe this past Sunday, second-year head coach Jordan Dupuy spoke of the importance of playing at different venues throughout Louisiana.
 
Saturday marks another chance for the Lady Demons to do just that.
 
Northwestern State, coming off its first road win of the season, plays its first neutral-site, regular-season game in three seasons when it hosts Texas Southern in the NSU Cenla Showdown at Rapides Parish Coliseum on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in a game that is presented by Hixson Autoplex, Real Vision Software/Monty Chicola, O'Quin Financial Group/Greg O'Quin, Roy O. Martin Lumber Company and Tunk's Cypress Inn/Jimbo Thiels.
 
Holiday Inn Downton/Jay and Laryn Sharplin and The Levee Restaurant/Ben and Keri Fidelak are also presenting sponsors.
 
The Lady Demons (4-3), whose last regular-season, neutral-site game came on Nov. 28, 2015, against Long Beach State in Las Cruces, New Mexico, will carry the momentum built by a 22-point win at ULM into a matchup with Texas Southern (3-4), the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament champions.
 
"That's our goal behind it, let people see what we're about," Dupuy said. "Hopefully, in return, they'll make the 50-minute drive to see us at home. It never hurts to play anywhere in our state, get our brand out and let people know what we stand for. It's an opportunity we are going to embrace and have a good time doing."
 
The visiting Tigers will have a lot to say about just how good of a time the Lady Demons will have.
 
Texas Southern is a game below .500, but the Tigers are one of three 2017 NCAA Tournament teams on NSU's schedule and feature the nation's second-leading scorer, point guard Joyce Kennerson, who averages 25.3 points per game.
 
The Tigers have reached the postseason in three consecutive years, the most recent being their NCAA Tournament appearance in March.
 
"Their speed and athleticism is comparable to what we saw with Southern Miss," Dupuy said. "It all starts with their point guard. They're a team that's battle-tested. They've been in postseason play. They expect to win every time they step on the floor."
 
Saturday's matchup marks the second straight game where the Lady Demons will have had at least four days off between games. NSU has played once since its Nov. 28 game against Southern Miss, scoring a 70-48 win at ULM on Sunday.
 
The six-day break allowed Northwestern State to focus on finals and to heal physically.
 
After their first long break of the season, the Lady Demons responded with one of their best all-around performances of the Dupuy era in the win at ULM.
 
Libba Gilliam came off the bench for the first time since the season opener and responded with a team-best 14 points, including nine in the second quarter that helped NSU build a 10-point halftime lead.
 
Gilliam ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game, which is the most among players who have played more than two games.
 
"I sat her down on the way to shootaround Sunday morning and talked to her about what I was going to do, moving her out of the starting lineup, and she said, 'I understand,'" Dupuy said. "I said I want to see how you respond. This could be every game or a one-time thing. She responded well. She was huge for us. You saw her score at three levels – on the perimeter, off the bounce and in the post. She's worked to be able to do that. She needs to do that for us to be able to make a run in conference."
 
Saturday's game can be heard on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and via streaming audio on www.NSUDemons.com. Tony Taglavore, in his 10^th season, will handle the play-by-play call of the game.