CONWAY, Arkansas – From 2014-2017, no two teams had as much Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament success as Northwestern State and Central Arkansas.
 
When the Lady Demons and Sugar Bears meet at 2 p.m. Saturday at UCA's Farris Center, the teams that combined for four straight SLC tourney crowns find themselves needing a conference win to jump start a run back to Katy, Texas.
 
Saturday's game can be heard on 100.7 FM KZBL and on the Demon Sports Network. Streaming audio is available at www.NSUDemons.com/watch and through the new Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded from the Apple Store or on Google Play.
 
Both Northwestern State (7-12, 2-6) and Central Arkansas (7-12, 2-7) find themselves trying to get back on the winning track in league play.
 
The Lady Demons dropped a 67-62 decision to New Orleans at home Wednesday night while the Sugar Bears have dropped consecutive games to Abilene Christian and Stephen F. Austin.
 
For Northwestern State, Saturday's game is about finding itself on the defensive end.
 
"We have to have a complete defensive effort for 40 minutes," said third-year head coach Jordan Dupuy, whose team is searching for its first road win of the season. "When our defense is good, our offense comes. We sat back way too much (against New Orleans). When you go to Conway, you have to have the mentality that you're already down 10 or 15 points when you get off the bus. We have to start the game the way we finished (Wednesday night)."
 
Northwestern State regained the national lead in turnovers forced per game (25.84) by forcing 31 against New Orleans on Wednesday night.
 
Doing the same will be a challenge against Central Arkansas, which commits just 16.5 turnovers per game. Statistically, the Sugar Bears will pose an even bigger threat to the Northwestern State offense.
 
While the Sugar Bears' record is not as impressive as in recent years, they still play their signature brand of defense. Central Arkansas allows 57.4 points per game, second best in the Southland Conference.
 
"They can always be in any game," Dupuy said. "Sandra's always been a hard-nosed defensive coach who preaches mental and physical toughness. When you play like that and believe in that, you give yourself a chance."
 
Freshman RaVon Nero continues to lead Northwestern State in scoring at 12.2 points per game, having reached double figures in three consecutive games and a team-best 12 times this season.
 
In her past three games, Nero has averaged 18.7 points per game and has found her long-range stroke, connecting on 5 of 9 shots from beyond the arc.
 
As much as Nero and the Lady Demons' offense needs to continue to play consistently, Dupuy said mental toughness will play just as much a key as any skill-related factor.
 
"We've struggled being consistent with that," he said. "Our preparation has to be extremely good. They're going to be tough, physical with the ball of the glass. We have to match that."