NEW ORLEANS – The Northwestern State women's basketball team knows how much things can change in one week, even when it comes against the same opponent.
 
A year ago, the Lady Demons faced New Orleans twice in a seven-day span, and the results could not have been any more different. The Lady Demons fell to the Privateers by 18 points on the road before scoring a five-point win at home seven days later.
 
That scenario is one Northwestern State (7-13, 2-7 Southland Conference) hopes plays out when it heads to Lakefront Arena to face the Privateers (7-12, 3-7) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
 
The game can be heard on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and the Demon Sports Network. Streaming audio of the game can be heard on www.NSUDemons.com/watch and through the new Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which is available for download through the Apple Store and Google Play. Tony Taglavore, in his 11^th season, will have the play-by-play call of the game.
 
"We can (look back on last year)," third-year head coach Jordan Dupuy said. "We can even take the first half of our first game (this year) when we scored 19 points, didn't attack their zone, didn't get our press going. We totally flipped it in the second half, scored 43 points, got our press going and made it tough on them. That was a tale of two totally different teams there."
 
The middle game of Northwestern State's season-long, three-game road trip also marks the start of the second half of the 18-game Southland Conference schedule. The top eight teams in the league standings will qualify for the conference tournament in Katy, Texas, from March 14-17.
 
The Lady Demons enter the back half of the conference schedule tied for 11^th in the conference but find themselves only one game away from the cutoff line for the tournament.
 
"We told them there's still plenty left to do, but you have to take it one day at a time," Dupuy said. "There's plenty left that can happen. We have to make sure we handle what's right in front of us."
 
A season ago, the Lady Demons rewrote the ending against the Privateers by tightening up defensively. In UNO's 18-point win at Lakefront Arena, the Privateers torched NSU with 52.7 percent shooting from the field.
 
In the rematch, the Lady Demons limited the Privateers to 33.3 percent aim, including a 1-for-14 performance from 3-point range. Northwestern State also produced a 14-rebound swing, grabbing eight more than New Orleans at home after being outrebounded by six in the Crescent City.
 
In this past week's matchup, the Lady Demons forced 31 turnovers, nine more than New Orleans. Despite that advantage, Northwestern State outscored the Privateers by only one, 22-21, in points off turnovers.
 
"We have to be more consistent with our effort," Dupuy said. "We've showed two types of mentality (in the first game). We started slow and sluggish in the first half and took it to them in the second half.
 
"What team will show up? You saw it at (Central Arkansas on Saturday). We had a great start then they call timeout, and we turn it over and get them going. It's been a roller-coaster ride. Consistency in terms of discipline, defense and toughness is going to win games for you. We need to show that."