CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas—Northwestern State carries a three-game winning streak into a big test against reigning Southland Conference Tournament champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at the American Bank Center.

The Demons (6-7, 3-1) have won three straight games in SLC play for the first time in two seasons and have broke out to a 3-1 start in league play for the first time since 2015-16.

Northwestern State's only loss during conference play came on a buzzer beater at UIW in early December.

"I am not only proud of this team, but I am also excited," head coach Anna Nimz said. "I think they are starting to come together and I think they haven't even scratched the surface. What is really exciting about the last three wins is their belief in one another and their belief in what's going on and it showed up again in practice."

The largest reason for the fast start during SLC play is the Demons' stellar defense.

In the first four games in SLC play, Northwestern State ranks second in the league, allowing just 49.5 points per contest and holding those opponents to just 31.3 percent from the field overall, as well as just 19.4 (14-for-70) from deep, which is tops in the league.

The 15 blocked shots by Northwestern State lead the Southland in both total blocks and blocks per game, led by Jasmin Dixon's six.

"Defense is a lot about heart, so I think they are showing tremendous heart across the board," Nimz said. "Their communication is getting level and their buy-in on screen defense is getting better. We've had players lock down their players, but it's a team thing. We've also had Jas (Dixon) in the paint either blocking shots or altering shots. She is a big reason our guards are able to do what they're doing because of her presence and her lateral foot speed."

Offensively, Mya Blake is the head of the snake for the Demons. After averaging 17.5 points and nine rebounds in wins over McNeese and Nicholls, she was named SLC Player of the Week. She currently ranks in the top seven in points (13.8), rebounds (9.0) and assists (3.5) per game during SLC play.

Despite standing 5-foot-5, Blake's nine rebounds per game during conference play ranks fourth in the league.

"She is a true point guard," Nimz said. "She was a phenomenal Division II point guard and now she is an elite level point guard in Division I. People recognize when she is on the court. I am proud of her for earning that recognition."

AMCC (9-5, 1-2), which earned the SLC's automatic spot to the NCAA Tournament last season, began its season with an upset of Texas A&M and won four in a row prior to a 13-point road loss to league-leading Southeastern Louisiana last time out.

The two losses the Islanders have in league play are to a pair of teams that have combined to go 23-5 to this point.

Paige Allen averages 10.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while Mireia Aguado leads the Islanders with 11.7 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting.

Like the Demons, AMCC relies on a stifling defense. The Islanders are first in opponent's field goal percentage (33.0 percent) and second in opponent's points per game (55.6 ppg) in overall games.

"Corpus is going to run a lot of good action, but it will be if we can guard 1-on-1," Nimz said. "They are a very smart team, so they will recognize if we're ball watching and a lot of times, that is when they are scoring on people. It's about guarding their action, but also staying engaged for the entire possession. We need to finish plays by getting bodies on people because Paige Allen is a tremendous offensive rebounder."

Following the contest, the Demons are back at home for a pair of games against New Orleans (Jan. 16) and Southeastern Louisiana (Jan. 18).