NATCHITOCHES – The difference one quarter can make in a game was all too evident for Northwestern State on Thursday after seeing a 14-point lead fade away in a 52-45 loss to UIW.

The Lady Demons (9-6, 2-2) went ice cold from the field offensively, going 1-for-14 from the field over the final 10 minutes, while UIW (5-10, 1-3) got a star effort from its star player that helped erase the deficit.

"Offensively we stopped attacking and playing through one another," head coach Anna Nimz said. "We took quick shots versus working it inside out. However, we stopped rebounding on both ends of the court which proved to be very costly in the fourth." 

The first three quarters, however, played out in stark contrast to how the game ended for the Lady Demons.

JaMiya Braxton opened the game with a 3-pointer on the first possession and Jordan Todd got an open look after a crisp pass from Monette Bolden and NSU jumped out to an early 5-2 lead. The lead ballooned to 10-2 after Jiselle Woodson drills a 3 of her own and NSU made five of its first eight shots of the game getting an assist on each one.

The Cardinals closed the gap with a 7-0 run but the Lady Demons held the 14-13 lead after the quarter. The 7-0 run was the last stretch of offensive rhythm for UIW until the fourth quarter.

NSU started the second quarter just like it did the first with a pair of quick shots including a corner 3 from Candice Parramore. The 9-0 run turned the one-point game into double-figure lead just three minutes into the quarter.

Bolden scored eight of the first 13 NSU points in the quarter that ended with another 7-2 run over the final three minutes. The defense held UIW to just five points on 2-of-14 shooting from the field to end the half, setting the stage for what would be the story of the third quarter.

The Lady Demons started the second half 1-for-7 from the field while UIW was 2-for-7, with the main story the conference's leading scorer, UIW's Jaaucklyn Moore picking up her fourth foul early in the period, going to bench with just five points in the game at the time.

Depsite a 2-for-10 effort from the field in the quarter, NSU was able stretch its lead to 14 by the end of the frame after another Braxton 3-pointer. Her triple with 1:47 to go were the final points of the quarter for either team.

All the good will the Lady Demons collected through the first three quarters began to unravel over the final 10 minutes.

Moore started UIW's comeback with a 3-pointer beginning what turned into a 19-0 run, 11 of which scored by Moore herself, that encompassed nearly nine minutes of the quarter. The Cardinals took their first lead of the game with 2:06 left in the fourth quarter.

Braxton finally ended the lengthy drought for the Lady Demons with her fourth 3-pointer of the night with 1:11 remaining and making it a 45-43 game. The defensive stop NSU needed on the ensuing possession did not come as Moore found two more of her 15 fourth-quarter points to answer.

The Lady Demons had two more chances down by three after some missed free throws, but both instances ended with one of UIW's 23 offensive rebounds in the game.

"We have to have a short memory," Nimz said. "We must all own the loss and commit to making corrections but it's about who can bounce back quicker. We can't point fingers or allow this loss to determine tomorrow's work."

Bolden and Braxton each ended the night with 12 points, the only Lady Demons to reach double figures, with Bolden adding eight rebounds and six assists to an impressive night. Jordan Todd scored seven with eight rebounds and Jasmin Dixon blocked a career-high four shots.

NSU returns to action on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.