NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State was unable to break through down the stretch of the second half against a stiff defense in a 63-57 loss to UIW on Saturday afternoon.
 
After shooting better thant 50 percent from the field across the first 20 minutes of the game, the Demons (6-9, 2-2) converted on just 20 percent of their shots from the floor in the final 20 minutes, seeing an 11-point half time lead slip away. The Cardinals used 22 second half rebounds, compared to NSU's 10, to draw closer and eventually come away with the victory.
 
"We played a tremendous first half and backed it up with a pretty poor second," head coach Anna Nimz said. "We know that UIW is never going to go away and you have to play for 40 minutes against them and we didn't do that. We had some defensive lapses that allowed them to gain some confidence offensively and we didn't stay locked in for the full 40 minutes."
 
NSU was dominant through the majority of the first half, leading by as much as 10 points in the first quarter before pushing the margin back to 11 by the end of the half. 
 
They held the Cardinals to a 2-for-7 effort from the field to start the game to take a 13-5 lead. A pair of shot clock violation forced turnovers and a 4-for-6 finish to the half, NSU took a 17-14 lead into the second quarter. UIW scored seven straight points to in the final 1:12 of the quarter to pull within three points.
 
After the Cardinals worked their way back to tie the game at 23 four minutes into the second quarter, the Demons' torrid finish sent them into the half with all the momentum. The 13-2 run started with three straight 3-pointers from sharpshooter Sharna Ayres, after assists from three different teammates.
 
It was the ninth time this season Ayres has made three or more 3-pointers in a game, matching her total from a season ago in just 15 games.
 
UIW's only points over the final six minutes of the half came on a pair of free throws as NSU held the Cardinals without a made field goal for more than six minutes of action. A Jenny Ntambwe layup provided an immediate answer to the freebies and another jumper from the JUCO transfer near the minute mark capped the run that put NSU up 36-25 at the break.
 
That heat from the scoring run however was quickly snuffed out by a combination of a stout Cardinal defense and a string of shots and open looks not finding their way through the bottom of the rim.
 
A pair of early deep shots rimmed out for Ayres and Jiselle Woodson as NSU was unable to convert on its first six shot attempts of the second half. A Carla Celaya layup and made free throw provided a small boost, but another four minute stetch without a field goal allowed UIW to chip away at the lead even more, pulling to within a point on a pair of occasions.
 
"We just didn't have enough offensive production," Nimz said. "Had the opportunity with some mismatches and I have to do a better job of isolating that and trying to take advantage, especially when we have two 5s on the floor like we did today. 
 
NSU's saving grace through the third was their 8-for-11 effort from the free throw line in the period that helped it hold on to the slim 48-45 lead going to the fourth.
 
An 0-for-3 start to the fourth with three turnovers left the momentum in the hands of the Cardinals who took their first lead of the game on a layup two minutes into the fourth quarter. The teams traded blows during a three-minute stretch in the middle of the period with Karmelah Dean, Jenny Ntambwe and Jasmin Dixon each providing shots that tied the score.
 
Dixon put NSU ahead with 3:08 left, making a free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play. The Demons forced a turnover on the ensuing possession but gave it right back on just their 10^th turnover of the game allowing the Cardinals to regain the lead on a fast break layup with two minutes left.
 
NSU had two chances to tie the game after the Cardinals went up by two but shot attempts from both Woodson and Ntambwe fell short of the mark.
 
"You can't always control whether or when the ball goes in," Nimz said. "We have a tremendous group of young women on this team. They work tirelessly getting in the game and making sure we get those shots up. They fell in the first and didn't in the second half. "
 
NSU finished with three players in double digits, led by Dean's 12. Hardison and Ntambwe both added 10 points each to the final box