NATCHITOCHES—The new-look Northwestern State women's basketball team begins the 2024-25 season in front of the home fans, welcoming Champion Christian to Prather Coliseum on Tuesday.

Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. and fans can catch the stream on ESPN+.

Live stats will be available via www.nsudemons.com or on the NSU Athletics Mobile app. To purchase your tickets visit nsutickets.com.

A new season means nearly a whole new team, as the Lady Demons welcome 11 newcomers into the program.

"The team has been at it since July," fifth-year head coach Anna Nimz said. "I know everybody is itching to stop playing against and practicing against one another. We started from the base level with bringing in 11 new faces. Yes, we have a handful of returners and starters, but we'll have to pair that with 11 new faces and we're starting from that very foundational piece and have been growing every single day."

However, while much of the team is new, Northwestern State returns a solid nucleus, led by graduate student Sharna Ayres.

Ayres, Jasmin Dixon and Nia Hardison lead a group that is aiming to out-perform last season's 11 wins.

"Coach Nimz knows what we're capable of," Hardison said. "She saw what we brought to the table last year, so I think she expects a lot out of us, especially us seniors helping the younger ones and pull them along with us."

Ayres was the leading scorer (11.1 ppg) and leading rebounder (5.4 rpg) a year ago and made 74 3—pointers.

There is an international flavor once again for Northwestern State, as five members of the team are from outside the United States.

In addition to returners Ayres and Carla Celaya, freshmen Joceline Geara (Lebanon), Clarence Djuela (Germany) and Laia Oliva (Spain) also join the Lady Demons from other countries.

With a talented group of returners, the newcomers will supply the team with depth, which the Lady Demons aim to build throughout the non-conference season.

Among the newcomers is Mya Blake, who has poured in more than 1,000 points in her three seasons, spent between San Francisco State and Stanislaus State.

Blake played the 2023-24 season at Stanislaus State, where she led the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game, earning a second-team selection.

During her two seasons at SFSU, she earned a pair of CCAA All-Conference selections, including second-team in 2022-23. She led her team in scoring both seasons averaging 11.0 points in her first year and 13.7 in her second.

"The returners kind of bring comfort to us," Blake said. "They are letting us know what they have been through the previous years, trying to let us know like 'we got this.' They bring us together all the time and have good leadership. I appreciate that."

While Blake doesn't come from another country, she does come from halfway across the country in California, so Louisiana may be a culture shock to her.

"I lean on my teammates a lot," Blake said. "They are all I ever talk to, coming from a whole different city and state. It is way different, so I definitely lean on my teammates. Those are the people I talk to the most."

Last season, Northwestern State posted a 7-6 mark at home, including a 3-1 record during non-conference play.

Champion Christian is one of the best NCCAA teams in the country, having won 68 games in the last three years, including a national championship in the 2022-23 season.

Last season, the team compiled a 21-4 mark. The teams met at Prather during the season in late December in an exhibition, a 75-39 Lady Demons victory.

"I am excited we get to play an incredibly tough Champion Christian team," Nimz said. "They had more than 20 wins last season and the thing with some of the non-Division I games that teams play, there are a lot of kids that are transferring and finding themselves at an NAIA school and being an absolutely dominant player.

"This is a game that will be really hard for us. We're playing with a lot of young kids and a lot of new kids, so we need to go out there and be ready to show them Lady Demon basketball right from the start because they are an incredibly well-coached and good team."

Following the contest, the Lady Demons head on the road for the first time, traveling to Baton Rouge to battle national powerhouse LSU on Thursday.