BATON ROUGE – No pressure, have fun and compete for 40 minutes.

That is the message that head coach Anna Nimz has for her team as Northwestern State travels to No. 15 LSU on Sunday for the first meeting between the two teams in 36 years.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on SEC Network+ and can also be heard on the NSU Demons Sports Network at www.nsudemons.com/watch with Tyler Moody providing play-by-play.

For the second time in less than 10 days, the Lady Demons (1-2) have the opportunity to play in one of the heralded arenas in the Southern region of the country – the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. And for the coaching staff the chance to share the sideline with a Hall of Fame coach for the second time in three seasons is an honor.

"As a coaching staff I know we're all really excited to look down the sideline and be able to be on the same court as Kim Mulkey," Nimz said. "There's something very special about that. Beyond that I'm looking forward to opportunity for our girls, looking forward to the opportunity for our staff and above all want to make sure we go and compete for 40 minutes no matter what."

LSU (4-0) is the first ranked team the Lady Demons will play since the 2020-21 season against No. 9 Texas A&M. They also faced the then No. 7 ranked and Kim Mulkey coached Baylor team a few days prior in Waco.

The defense has been the bright spot for the Demons through three games this season, even considering the trip to Oklahoma State this past week.

It was the defense that gave the Lady Demons the opportunity in the second half against Southern on Thursday to climb back from a 12-point third-quarter deficit and have multiple chances to win the game in the final minutes.

Jasmin Dixon added to her team-lead with a pair of blocks in the fourth quarter that created the biggest chances for the NSU offense. A handful of the 27 turnovers down the stretch were the most costly of the game.

Dixon, Gabrielle Robinson-Forde and Joelle Johnson will have their hands full with LSU's leader in scoring, rebounds, steals and blocks Angel Reese, the centerpiece of the Tigers' vaunted offense.

Perhaps their biggest challenge of the season awaits the NSU defense on Sunday against the nation's top offense, scoring 111.0 points per game. The Tigers set a program record with four straight 100-point games in their first four games of the season.

Even with the challenge of facing the Tigers, the opportunity is not lost on the Demons and the chance to compete against an elite program and an elite coach.

"We're definitely looking forward to heading down to Baton Rouge to play in another historic gym against one of the best coaches and teams in the country," Nimz said. "I know as a player its always fun to take on the best in the nation to see where you're at. No pressure. Show up, show out and have some fun.