NATCHITOCHES—Home is where the heart is.

After a three-game road trip to the Midwest to begin the season, the Northwestern State (1-2) women's basketball team returns home for the first time this season, starting with a visit from Ecclesia (1-4) on Friday.

Tip-off is following the men's game at approximately 2 p.m. at Prather Coliseum. Fans who cannot attend the game in person can watch it on ESPN+.

"For us, it's about our discipline offensively and defensively," head coach Anna Nimz said. "It will be about making better in-game decisions, understanding clock awareness and being able to add to our defensive scheme.

"In the next two games, it will be about correcting what we saw in the first three games. I believe we have a lot more firepower, but we have to connect on our 2-foot shots and get substantially better in a 2-on-1 situations. I think we left some points on the board against Kansas, making too many passes. I appreciate the selflessness, but it is understanding the time and place. It is still about getting a bunch of new faces growing together, so that is what these next two games have to be about."

The game against Ecclesia was rescheduled from a cancellation Saturday and are playing as the back half of a doubleheader with the men.

The Demons are 3-2 in home openers under Anna Nimz and are 42-9 overall in home openers.

The Demons acquitted themselves well in the first three games against a pair of power conference teams and an American Athletic Conference team.

"Overall, I am really proud of the girls and their execution in the first three games," Nimz said. "We came out slow against Nebraska, but it was a very competitive second half and that is what you want to see, that bounce back. To go from that to two very intense and intentional practices and earn an AAC win was very impressive.

"Our first half at Kansas wasn't the best, but we re-grouped at halftime and rallied coming out in the third and we cut it to seven. I was excited to see that growth from game-to-game."

In the three games, Vernell Atamah averaged 21.3 points per game, including 13 made 3-pointers. That strong week earned her the Southland Conference Player of the Week award.

Her first three games are going down in NSU history in both points and 3-pointers made.

The sophomore's 13 3-pointers are fourth nationally and tops among players outside of Oklahoma State.

Atamah's 64 total points in the first three games to begin the season are the most points scored in the first three games of a season since N-Club Hall of Famer Diamond Cosby scored 66 points in the first three contests to begin the 2003-04 season.

"I was really excited to play top schools and see how I did against them," Atamah said. "As a team, I think we played together pretty well and we really grew together during that trip and there is more to come."

Nya Valentine (7.3) and Tiara Abron (7.0) also average at least seven points per game this season for the Demons.

After scoring four points in her first two games of the season, senior Carla Celaya scored a season-high 10 points last time out at Kansas. She was a stat stuffer in that contest, also adding seven rebounds, two steals and a career-high-tying four steals.

Joceline Geara, a sophomore from Lebanon, is coming off a career-high five points in eight minutes against Kansas, including her first 3-pointer of the season.

Following a win in its opener, Ecclesia has dropped its last four games.

One of the strengths of the Lady Royals is making their way to the free throw line. In its first five games of the season, Ecclesia has 101 free throw attempts, led by Lillie Taylor's 33 shots from the charity stripe.

Next up for NSU is wrapping up the home portion of the non-conference schedule with a visit from Arkansas Baptist on Nov. 21 before heading the Sunshine State for the Emerald Coast Classic against Virginia and either Nebraska again or Purdue Fort Wayne.