THIBODAUX—We've reached the back half of the Southland Conference slate, and every game is a battle as the Northwestern State women's basketball team aims to earn a bye in the Southland Conference standings.

To start the back half, the Demons (10-10, 7-4) head to Nicholls (15-6, 8-4) for a massive battle in the Southland Conference standings.

Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. with the game being streamed on ESPN+.

The Colonels are in a three-way tie for third place with UIW and Stephen F. Austin with Northwestern State a half-game behind those three teams, as they all fight for a bye in next month's conference tournament.

"We know this is not going to be an easy game," senior guard Nia Hardison said. "We know we got the last one, but we still have the mindset that nothing will be given to us and we have to go and take it if we want it, so that's been the main focus."

Nicholls is the first team Northwestern State sees for the second time, as the Demons used 19-point, nine-rebound performances from both Mya Blake and Vernell Atamah to win the first matchup 56-44 on Jan. 4 in Natchitoches.

Blake's performance helped earn her SLC Player of the Week honors.

The Demons held the Colonels to 27.3 percent shooting, including 23.8 percent in the final three quarters. Tanita Swift and Britiya Curtis scored 31 of Nicholls' 44 points.

Blake, the SLC's leading scorer, posted another strong week this past weekend, recording 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and four assists in back-to-back victories against UTRGV and East Texas A&M.

With one more victory, the Demons match their win total from a season ago when it totaled 11 wins.

Losing to Northwestern State triggered something in Nicholls. Since the Demons knocked off Nicholls at Prather Coliseum on Jan. 4, the Colonels have won seven of their last eight, which includes wins over Stephen F. Austin and at UIW. The only loss was a loss to Lamar, one of the top teams in the league.

The game features three of the top six scorers in SLC play, led by the league leader Blake. Vernell Atamah (15.0) places fifth, while Nicholls' Tanita Swift (14.3).

"My defense is always my first priority," Hardison said. "You can't win a game without playing defense, so as long as I can get a stop, I know we'll be able to capitalize in transition with buckets. I just feel like that is what I have to do. It's a main part of the game."

The Colonels have several different scoring options, as Swift is joined by Elli Garnett, who recorded a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the last win against McNeese after scoring just four points the previous game, a win over Houston Christian.

Last week, in wins over McNeese and HCU, the Colonels averaged 80 points per game.

While the Demons shoot the 3-pointer, Nicholls is the second-best team in the Southland at defending the triple, only trailing Northwestern State.

In league play, the Colonels allows just 27.2 percent from deep by opponents and the Demons have made at least seven 3-pointers in six of the last seven games.

Northwestern State wraps up its stretch of five out of six on the road with a trip to McNeese before coming home for five of the final seven regular season games, beginning with big games against SLC powers Lamar and Stephen F. Austin.