NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State will look to flip the fourth-quarter narrative from the past two games when it returns home Saturday afternoon against Nicholls.
 
In each of the first two Southland Conference games of the season turnovers, especially in the fourth quarter, have proven deadly for the Lady Demons (4-8, 0-2). A combined 17 points off turnovers, including 12 against McNeese, have been a big factor in keeping the Lady Demons from coming away with two wins.
 
That will be one of the primary focuses for the Lady Demons as they host Nicholls (3-10, 0-2) with both teams looking for their first conference win of the season.
 
Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. from Prather Coliseum and can be seen on ESPN+. Tickets for the game can be found at www.nsutickets.com.
 
"I was really proud of the fight and grit the players showed," head coach Anna Nimz said about the team's performance against McNeese. "We shot it well, defended hard, the majority of possessions, and gave ourselves a chance. We had some players step up and play big minutes. Hate to lose but a lot of good to take away."
 
For the first time since the 2017-18 season NSU has shot better than 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line in consecutive games, and in each of the past two games it has had a higher percentage from deep than total field goals.
 
Three different players scored in double digits for the Lady Demons for the fourth time this season, led by Sharna Ayres' 17 and her 54 percent clip from deep in the past five games where she is averaging 14.0 per game.
 
The Lady Demons continue to compete into the late stages of games despite a far shorter rotation than expected due to unfortunate injuires.
 
All-conference caliber post player Jordan Todd has missed the entire season thus far due to a preseason injury. Karmelah Dean has been out since late November with a foot injury and preseason all-conference player Candice Parramore has missed the past two games.
 
Three impact players for the Lady Demons that have missed a combined 22 games this season and certainly would have been key pieces in the fourth quarter against both Corpus and McNeese.
 
Despite their absences NSU could easily have landed on the winning side of both games thanks to the hot shooting Ayres has brought in her five straight double-digit scoring nights, big moments from both Shelby Rayner, Jiselle Woodson and Bengisu Alper along with a growing confidence for the team as a whole, despite the 0-2 start.
 
"I think it's important for our players to understand how well they are playing and how hard they are working, regardless of the adversity of being low in numbers," Nimz said. 
 
"We shore up our turnovers, continue to grow together and have complete buy in, this team could shock some people, maybe even themselves. Our staff already believes in them and knows what they are capable of."