NATCHITOCHES—Prior to the season, many wondered who would help Sharna Ayres and pick up the slack as a scoring threat.

Gone were double digit scorers Jiselle Woodson and Karmelah Dean.

Northwestern State (13-14, 10-8) did not have to wait long to find their answer, as Mya Blake scored 22 in back-to-back games against Arkansas Baptist and Tarleton State.

The pair of senior Demon transfers—Blake and Skye Miller—proved the Demons were prepared to compete with the best of the Southland Conference.

That group leads Northwestern State into the second to final home game of the season when it hosts Houston Christian (6-22, 3-16) on Saturday at Prather Coliseum.

Tip-off is at 1 p.m., the first of the two games in the doubleheader.

The game is military appreciation day and the game is sponsored by Lott Oil.

Following a 7-11 record in league play last season, the seniors have come in and turned it around, as the Demons have clinched no worse than a .500 conference record, their best mark during SLC play since 2015-16.

Blake, a native of Stockton, California, has taken the point guard job and ran with it. Simply put, she is one of the main reasons the Demons are fighting for a first round bye in the Southland Conference Tournament after being picked 10^th in the preseason poll.

She has been one of the best players in the conference and has been arguably the most important player in the league to her team.

Blake has played even better the second half of the season. She scored at least 20 points twice in the first 15 contests of the season. In the past 12 games, she has seven games of at least 20 points. Since the calendar flipped to 2025, she has averaged 22.4 points per game, including four games of at least 30 points.

The California native lives and breathes basketball and is thankful for everything the sport has done for her.

"Basketball means a lot to me as it has taught me many life lessons like the meaning behind teamwork and persistence. Basketball has its own way of shaping your character."

She leads the SLC in scoring in league games, averaging 19.6 points per game, and is third in the SLC in assists per game (4.0) in league play and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3).

Despite being in Natchitoches just one year, Blake knows she has made the best decision for her.

"I've been here for one year, but I have made several valuable friendships and created plenty of memories to cherish," Blake said. "One of my favorite memories would probably have to be meeting all my wonderful new teammates."

Miller did not shoot a ton, but when she did, she was effective. She shot 58.3 percent from the field, including 70 percent from inside the arc.

That includes a pair of six-point games against Arkansas Baptist and Southern-New Orleans, as well as scoring a bucket against both Texas A&M and North Texas.

"The sport of basketball has meant a lot," Miller said. "It means connecting to people around the world and getting to experience different environments. I've learned that hard work and discipline can help anyone go a long way."

Those traits have helped her this season, as she had her season halted early due to injury but has still remained positive and a good teammate through it all.

Like Blake, she loved meeting and playing with her teammates.

"My favorite memories here at NSU have been meeting my teammates and having the opportunity to be here and grow with them," Miller said.

Blake has already helped lead the Demons to their best season in nearly a decade, and now she has the opportunity to lead Northwestern State to a first round bye.

With two games left in the regular season, the Demons are aiming to build momentum as the conference tournament looms with Blake leading the way.