BATON ROUGE—Northwestern State could not have acquitted itself any better than it did opening night.

But now, the competition picks up in a big way, as the Demons (1-0) traveling to No. 7 LSU (1-0) for the third consecutive season Friday in the first major test of the season.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at the Maravich Center and is being televised on SEC Network+.

After dominating against Champion Christian on Tuesday, Nimz saw her team compete against outside competition in live game action for the first time this season, she saw plenty of positives in game one, but it also hoping to see growth in game two in the first road test of the 2024-25 campaign.

"Any of these non-conference games is a chance to grow in any different aspect of the game," head coach Anna Nimz said. "This one is a great test for our mental fortitude. It will be very high pressure and loud, anything and everything you can think of. I am excited for our team to face it. We're going to go through it and we're going to go through it together and work on our poise, execution and composure. No matter what, we're going to get better."

In her Demon debut, Zhane Thompson made a statement, pouring in 20 points, making six 3-pointers in the process. The 20 points is the most in a season opener since Beatrice Attura dropped in 21 in a victory over LeTourneau in 2016. Her six triples are the most since Jiselle Woodson buried seven against Texas A&M-Commerce in the 2023 Southland Conference Tournament.

Northwestern State shot a whopping 72 percent to blow the game open in the second quarter, outscoring Champion Christian 33-5, including making seven of its 10 triple tries.

Thompson wasn't the only newcomer who stood out in the opening victory, as guard Mya Blake filled up the stat sheet for the Demons.

Blake was one of the three players who scored in double figures, joining Thompson and returner Sharna Ayres (14).

In addition to her 10 points, she recorded six assists, five rebounds and three steals.

"It is exciting to see the newcomers play really well," freshman Vernell Atamah said. "We haven't even touched what we are actually capable of reaching. To see us all working together in that first game was amazing. I can't wait to see what the season holds for all of us."

Taking the ball away was a theme in game one, recording 18 steals in the 51-point win. Blake was one of four players to record three steals for the Demons.

LSU is coming off a 95-44 drubbing of Eastern Kentucky in its first game of the season after winning both exhibition contests by an average of more than 70 points per game against a pair of NAIA schools, pouring in at least 114 points in both games.

"The P-Mac likely will be sold out," Nimz said. "They will have a football game, so we will have to fight that, but in our years of playing there, we have never not seen the P-Mac sold out. What (LSU head coach) Coach Mulkey and what she is bringing to the table with her program, people want to be a part of it. I am excited for our girls to be witness to the amount of excitement around women's basketball."

Four Tigers scored in double figures, led by Flau'jae Johnson's 25 points. Aneesah Morrow recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

After winning the national championship in 2022-23, LSU reached the Elite 8 as a No. 3 seed before falling to Caitlin Clark and Iowa 94-87 in Albany, NY.

Following the match, the Demons welcome Arkansas Baptist to Prather Coliseum on Tuesday as they aim to start the season 2-0 at home.