HAMMOND—The non-conference slate has been one of the most challenging ones in the nation among smaller schools, and another massive challenge awaits Northwestern State as Southland Conference play begins.

After making strides at the Emerald Coast Classic against two strong teams in Virginia and Purdue Fort Wayne, the Demons (3-4) begin league play with another daunting task—a road game against the conference reigning regular season champion Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions (2-4, 1-0).

Tip-off is at 1 p.m. at the University Center and fans can view it on ESPN+.

In the two meetings a season ago, the Demons played the Lady Lions into the fourth quarter before falling in each of the games by a combined 17.

Vernell Atamah, a sophomore from Mesquite, Texas, did not play like a freshman in her two games against SLU last season.

In the two games against the Lady Lions last season, Vernell Atamah averaged 18 points and eight rebounds per game, including a monster 15-point, 14-rebound performance in Hammond.

Last time out, Atamah (27p/11r) and Carla Celaya (11p/12r) each recorded a double-double against Purdue Fort Wayne.

It is the first time the Demons have had multiple players record a double-double in the same game since Shelby Rayner (20p/10r) and Candice Parramore (12p/11r) did so against Champion Christian in December 2022.

Point guard Nya Valentine has turned a corner for the Demons. She is coming off a game against Purdue Fort Wayne in which she had seven assists and no turnovers.

Valentine has had one or fewer turnovers in four of the last six games and has 23 assists to 11 turnovers in those six contests.

She also has found her shooting stroke as well in recent games. In the first three contests of the season, Nya Valentine made just 2-of-16 from deep, but in the last four, she has been on fire from behind the arc, making 47.4 percent from deep (9-of-19).

"Our starting lineup as a group has really gelled and grown," head coach Anna Nimz said. "We've had a couple difficult days of practice where we've really challenged those guys and we're really starting to see them answer as the weeks progress."

While it is the first SLC game for the Demons, SLU already knocked off East Texas A&M at home 76-71 last month.

SLU has a completely new team from one that won the regular season title a season ago, but the Lady Lions are still a potent team led by new coach Jeff Dow, who came to Hammond from UIW.

"Coach Dow does a phenomenal job," Nimz said. "He is going to have a disciplined team that knows how to play the game and they're going to play hard. They run an intellectual offense with that Princeton-style offense with a lot of reads and a lot of cutting. He has to have a good post passer and he has that."

SLU's leading scorer is freshman Lihi Azouri, who is one of two players averaging double figures. She was awarded the SLC Player of the Week following her 29-point performance in the win over East Texas A&M to begin conference play.

Following the match, the Demons take another week off before heading to Lake Charles for another SLC contest against McNeese on Dec. 15 before playing Texas in their final non-conference tilt two days later.