WICHITA, Kan. – A tone-setting first quarter set the stage for a signature win for Northwestern State women's basketball on Thursday night.
 
The Demons (1-1) forced nine Wichita State (1-1) turnovers and turned their precision offensive execution on the other end into a double-digit lead that carried them to a 55-42 win, the first road victory against an American Conference team in program history.
 
"From the tip the girls were incredibly locked into the scout and on the defensive end," head coach Anna Nimz said. "We guarded well. We found people in transition. We rebounded well. I told the girls after the game that if I had to pick a player of the game I absolutely couldn't. So many people had standout nights. They trusted the plan, stayed true to the plan and I was just proud of their overall attention to detail."
 
The Demons shot 45 percent from the field to open the game, their best percentage in a quarter on the night, led by Vernell Atamah's quick eight points that included a pair of triples in the quarter. The early range was just the beginning for the reigning Southland Conference Freshman of the Year.
 
Atamah obliterated her previous career high for made 3-pointers in a game of three by knocking down seven, two in each quarter but the third, on the way to a 25-point night.
 
She becomes the first NSU player with consecutive 20-point games against Division I opponents to start a season in more than 25 years. 
 
"Vee is just an incredibly special player. She's always locked in and wanting to do more and learn more," Nimz said. "She's special in the way she approaches the game both mentally and physically. To do what she's done in the first two games this year speaks volumes to her but what's even more special is how she gives credit to her point guard and her teammates for getting her the ball and finding her. She's just a very selfless player."
 
Atamah's second triple of the second quarter gave the Demons their largest lead of the first half at 31-13 with just over four minutes remaining. It capped a 13-5 stretch for the Demons to start the period and served as a prime example of NSU's execution on both ends throughout the night.
 
The bucket followed a blocked shot on the defensive end and ended with Atamah's triple on an assist from center Clarence Djuela, who had two helpers on Atamah buckets alone. The sophomore filled the stat sheet with a team-leading 12 rebounds, six points, two steals and a block.
 
"We were shooting well but we were really executing and creating opportunities based on their defense," Nimz said. "We worked hard on how to attack what they do in practice and they executed that all night long."
 
Nya Valentine and Carla Celaya also had two assists each on made Atamah field goals in the game.
 
The Demons stretched their lead to as much as 22 points early in the fourth quarter following a nearly 10-minute stretch where they held the Shockers to just three made field goals to take a commanding 49-27 lead. A handful of late turnovers allowed Wichita State to close the gap slightly but the work done by the Demons in the previous 35 minutes withstood the test and then some.
 
NSU continues its season-opening road swing throughout the Midwest on Sunday when it travels to Kansas for a 2 p.m. tipoff against the Jayhawks.