NATCHITOCHES – For the first time in three-plus seasons a new face will patrol the sidelines for Northwestern State women's basketball.
 
With the departure of Jordan Dupuy earlier this week, interim head coach Aaron Swinson coaches his first game as the Lady Demons (5-13, 2-7 SLC) continue their final home stand of the season.
 
NSU hosts New Orleans (10-8, 6-3 SLC) in the second of a three-game home swing on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Prather Coliseum. Fans can hear Tony Taglavore with the action on 92.3 FM The Fox or streaming audio and video at www.nsudemons.com or on the NSU Athletics app, which is available for download in the Apple Store or Google Play. 
 
"We're in the process of just doing the things that we do best," interim head coach Aaron Swinson said. "We want to run, defend, create chaos, just do what we do best with our basketball team.
 
"With that being said we have to spend every day trying to improve on some areas. It's still one game at a time, one day at a time and we are still trying to win the day so tomorrow will be better."
 
NSU has been excellent all season at turning opponents over defensively and creating the chaos on the floor that is difficult to scout. The Lady Demons have been ranked in the top three in the country in forced turnovers the entire season, only recently slipping to fourth with a still impressive 23.6 per game average.
 
The trouble has been converting those turnovers into points on the other end. Outside of senior Kira Bonner, who just turned in her second 30-point game of the season and sixth consecutive double-digit scoring effort, the offense has struggled.
 
"We're grateful that Kira has been that one person that wants to score the basketball," Swinson said. "We've got to have someone else, whether it's a post player or an opposite guard that can contribute as well. We're doing our best to facilitate that, whether we call for the ball in post a little more or run our transition, but we definitely want to continue to hit our hot hand."
 
The Lady Demons average 58.2 points per game, third fewest in the conference, and have only topped 70 points once this season, the 91-61 season-opening win against LeTourneau.
 
Swinson said that the misses can snowball at times which has led to multiple and lengthy scoring droughts throughout the year.
 
"When you miss a shot it's not the end of the world," Swinson said. "I think a lot of times when they miss a shot and miss the next one it effects them. I always tell them don't let your last miss affect your next make. Make a layup, get to the free throw line and sometimes that basket becomes really big."
 
Facing an improved UNO team with a big inside presence, the Lady Demons hope the basket will be twice the size it has been over the past few weeks. The Privateers have scored 30 or more points in the paint in three of the past four games, complimented by 4.0 blocked shots per game on the defensive side, second best in the conference.
 
"They're going to try and get the ball inside," Swinson said. "We don't have a big post presence. But we're going to do what we can to disrupt what they're trying to do down there. At the same time, we can't let drives go by us and penetrate our zone. That's going to be key for us to get a win."