NATCHITOCHES – A furious, defensive-fueled rally came up just short for Northwestern State on Saturday afternoon in a 50-45 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
Down by 11 with six minutes remaining in the game the Demons (8-11, 4-4) engineered a 10-2 run by forcing five turnovers, limiting the Islanders (14-5, 7-1) to just two field goal attempts and holding them without a made field goal for the rest of the game.
 
NSU's chance to tie the game with seconds left missed the mark on a night where open look after open look throughout the entire game bounced away from the net.
 
"We checked so many of our game keys off today and when you come up short like we did it stinks," head coach Anna Nimz said. "We held them to well below their average on offensive rebounds and only gave up two second-chance points. We held (Alecia) Westbrook to below the double-double that she normally gets. We did so many things right, but the ball just wasn't falling for us offensively."
 
Time and time again from the first quarter on, NSU got good, open, quality looks at the basket against a tough Islander defense. Their first two deep shots of the game, one from Sharna Ayres and another from Karmelah Dean, ripped the net giving them a 7-2 lead three minutes in.
 
More often than not though the ball found a way to rim out, bounce out and any other way to not go through the hoop for the Demons leading to a frustrating time on that end of the floor.
 
The Demons clung to a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter, despite going scoreless for the final three minutes of the period. After two straight Corpus shots fell, NSU held the Islanders scoreless for the final two minutes.
 
NSU went 9-for-36 from the floor in the first half but held the Islanders to an only slightly better 10-for-31 effort on their end of the floor.
 
Both team's defenses controlled the game through the second quarter, each producing a three-minute plus shutout stretch midway through the period. Jiselle Woodson broke NSU's drought with a jumper to give the Demons a 22-20 lead with 4:20 to go. Her shot was answered by two from the Islanders as they closed the half with a 7-0 run to take a 27-22 lead into the break.
 
She ended another extended field goal drought in the third quarter with a spark of a 3-pointer from the right corner that helped NSU to an 8-4 finish to the period. Dean added another triple and Nia Hardison scored on a jumper in the paint to pull the Demons within five once again at the end of the third. NSU allowed just one made field goal over the final three and an half minutes of the quarter.
 
Woodson, for the third time in the game, ended NSU's scoring stagnant scoring to start the critical run to the end in the fourth. It was her jumper with just under six minutes left, after Corpus had just stretched the lead to 11, the largest of the game, on a 3-pointer that sparked the comeback.
 
Jenny Ntambwe scored on two straight possessions, getting a feed in transition from Woodson then slashing her way to the rim on a feed from Dean, making it a two-possession game again at 47-42 at the 2:49 mark of the fourth. The Demons forced turnovers on three straight Corpus possessions allowing Hardison to work her way to the basket for a layup and a two-point deficit with 23 second to go. 
 
"Down the stretch we stopped letting our offense dictate our energy," Nimz said. "I cannot credit them enough for what they did. They held a great team to 50 points and did some things nobody else has been able to do this year. We just found our offensive energy too late. We let the lack of efficiency control our attitude too much."
 
A Corpus free throw made it a three-point game and NSU's attempt to tie with two seconds left bounced off the rim leaving the thrilling comeback that short.
 
Woodson led NSU with 14 points while Dean added 10 and Ntambwe picked up 12 off the bench. Ayres led all players with 12 rebounds as NSU won the rebounding battle against the conference leaders in that category 44-39, helping keep the Islanders to a season-low 50 points.
 
"There are so many positive things from this game but unfortunately it magnifies them because we lost," Nimz said. "Like us giving up 12 points off turnovers and 10 on fast break. It could have been a game that we win by 10 but instead we lose by five. The girls worked their tails off but the ball just didn't fall."