SAN ANTONIO – Northwestern State struggled to find consistency with the basketball in hand on Saturday, leading to a 66-53 loss to UIW.
 
The Demons (9-8, 6-3) produced multiple scoring spurts throughout the game, but inopportune turnovers and missed shots around the rim kept them from maintaining pressure on the Cardinals (8-8, 6-3).
 
"We were not the better team today," head coach Anna Nimz said. "We did not play well together and unfortunately UIW wanted it more. We got an unfortunate but good wake up call. We will watch it. Feel it. Commit to growing and be better for it."
 
A string of turnovers in the first few minutes of the game allowed UIW to open up an early lead. Four Demon giveaways led to and 8-0 Cardinal lead, converting on four of their first five field goal attempts of the game.
 
The Demons had just three the half has they chipped away at the early deficit throughout the rest of the first half. UIW led by seven at the end of the first quarter (17-10), thanks to the early burst, as the Demon defense limited the Cardinals to nine points over the final 7:28 of the quarter.
 
The teams traded blows through much of the second period, with the Demons beginning to find some offensive success with the mid-range game of Tiara Abron. She dropped in a pair of jumpers on consecutive trips providing the first real spark for the Demon offense.
 
A three-minute stretch with just one field goal, however, allowed UIW to stretch its lead to 12, the largest of the half with just over two minutes to go. The best stretch of play on both sides of the ball followed for the Demons.
 
Stephie Salumu started the 10-0 run to close the final two minutes with a layup, followed immediately by a 3-pointer from Nya Valentine, just the second made of the game for the best 3-point shooting team in the league. Their third came with two seconds on the clock as Abron knocked down a transition triple cutting the lead down to two at 33-31 at the half.
 
NSU went 9-for-19 from the field in the second quarter, including a 5-for-9 stretch over the final five minutes of the half.
 
They stretch the run to 12-3 across the break into the third quarter tying the game at 33 and again at 35 early in the period.
 
But the sloppiness of the first minutes of the game and the inconsistent offense stymied the Demons from that point forward. UIW outscored NSU 31-18 the rest of the game as 11 second-half turnovers and 12 total missed layups kept the deficit at double digits most of the half. A 12-1 Cardinal run late in the third gave them the comfortable lead they carried the reamainder of the way.
 
NSU turned the ball over 18 times leading to 20 UIW points on the day.
 
The Demons finished with four players in double digits for the third straight game and the fourth time in conference play this season.
 
Vernell Atamah missed a double-double by one rebound with 12 points and nine boards while setting a career high with three blocks. Valentine led the way with 15 while Abron put in 11 and Salumu contributing 11 off the bench.
 
The Demons finish the first of their three-game conference road swings next Thursday by traveling to Stephen F. Austin.