NATCHITOCHES – When Northwestern State hosts UIW on Saturday afternoon, it will be looking to continue a trend, buck another and do something it hasn't done in nearly 10 years.
 
 The Demons (6-8, 2-1) picked up a close 63-61 win against HCU on Thursday night, getting elite defense at the right time to shut down the Huskies for the final three minutes of the game to help secure the victory.
 
A new level of maturity on the court, along with heaps of support from the sideline, were the biggest factors in improving to 2-1 in conference play and 2-0 in home Southland Conference games this year.
 
"They continued to grind it out and show that grit and toughness," head coach Anna Nimz said after the win over HCU on Thursday night. "I'm excited to really get into the film and show them that. It might have to wait until next week as we're locked in on UIW now, but they showed a real maturity and love for one another in the way they played." 
 
A third win on Saturday against a quality UIW (8-6, 1-2) team, that tips off at 1 p.m. on ESPN+ as part of the first Demon doubleheader of the season, would give the Demons their best start to conference play since the 2015-16 season. After starting that season 3-1, the Brooke and Scott Stoehr led team won five of their first six games to start Southland play.
 
The third win of that season's start came in a low-scoring affair on the road in San Antonio against UIW.
 
If the Demons are to match that start to conference play this year they are going to have to continue valuing the basketball like they have since Southland play began. NSU has had 15 or fewer turnovers in each of its three league games thus far. That is the longest such streak under Nimz and, coincidentally enough, the longest streak since that same 2015-16 season.
 
Through three league games NSU is averaging 13.3 turnovers per game, the third lowest rate of any team in conference play. As a result, the Demons have allowed 11.3 points off turnovers in conference games, a 6.1 per game drop from the non-conference schedule.
 
Maintaining and even improving that level of ball security will go a long way in helping NSU put an end to the current nine-game losing skid against the Cardinals and the five-game slide in Natchitoches.
 
Eight of the last 10 games in the series have been decided by single digits including two games, one in Natchitoches and one in San Antonio, being decided in overtime. In the closest games, those decided by five points or less, the Demons at 11-3 under Nimz, picking up their 11^th such win on Thursday night.
 
"It shows that we can win in tight situations," Ayres said after the win over HCU. "That just gives us more confidence as we head into the next game. We've won by blowing people out and we've won when its close. At the end of the day we know that we can win and we have to keep leveling up each game."
 
As good as the Demons have been at protecting the ball, the Cardinals have been equal to the task coming in with a 13.7 turnover per game average in their three conference games, right behind NSU for the fourth fewest. Overall, they rank third in the conference with 14.3 turnovers per game. Only SLC unbeatens Southeastern and Lamar have lower averages on the season.
 
Sophomore Aliya Colllins led all players with 21 points in UIW's win at Commerce on Thursday, their first after taking on Lamar and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to open SLC play. She has scored 10 or more in six straight games and is averaging 17.3 in UIW's three conference games so far this year.
 
Coming into the game both NSU and UIW are averaging 60 points and 37 rebounds per game on the season overall. The Cardinals lead the Southland with 13.5 offensive rebounds per game and have the second best statistical defense allowing 55.6 points per night.