FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—After rolling in the opener, the competition is a little tougher, as Northwestern State is aiming for progress when it travels to Arkansas on Friday for the first road game of the season.

Tip-off is at 10:30 a.m. at Bud Walton Arena. Fans unable to attend can watch the game on SEC Network+.

It could not have been much better of a head coaching debut for Alan Frey, as NSU rolled to a 120-40 win over Ecclesia.

Frey is looking forward to challenging itself in the rest of non-conference play and seeing where the team is at and aiming to improve throughout the non-conference portion.

"We're looking to grow every day and every game," he said. "But our goals will be intact, no matter how we do in these two games.

"Since we got here, we've talked about having a growth mindset. No matter who the other team is, you have to have the perspective of 'How do you grow from each day and each game and each practice.'"

In that win, Chloe Donnell had a debut to remember, one that that earned her much-deserved national recognition.

She scored 46 points with 14 made 3-pointers, the latter of which tied an NCAA record. The point total was the third-most in school history, only behind Pam Hudson (48) and Linda Grayson (47).

The 14 made triples from Donnell were a part of a school-record 20 made 3-pointers in the win. In the first quarter, the Demons scored a school-record 35 points.

Arkansas (1-0) started its season off in grand style as well, rolling to a 127-48 victory over Southland Conference opponent LSU New Orleans.

Like NSU, the Razorbacks leading scorer also came off the bench. In just 13 minutes, Ayianna Johnson poured in 23 points, while Kyiah Prestridge secured a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Team rebounding was featured in the first game for NSU, as freshman Stella Allison led the way with 15 rebounds and Stephie Salumu had 11 while reserve point guard Karma Wynn used her athleticism to secure seven rebounds.

Allison, a French Settlement native, didn't shoot her best in her debut, but had those 15 rebounds and also posted five assists.

"Going into every game, you've got to go in and do whatever it takes to win," Allison said. "Whether you're shooting the ball or not, you're getting rebounds and getting assists, you're helping your team by doing whatever it takes to win. I think everybody has a great mentality like that."

The Demons had just three games last season in which they turned the ball over single digit times like they did in the first game when NSU only had nine.

It has a major challenge in this one, though, as the Razorbacks forced a whopping 51 turnovers in their win over LSU New Orleans.

Another key factor is the 3-point shot. NSU made those 20 triples against Ecclesia but now face a Razorbacks team that did not allow a single 3-point make against LSUNO.

Furthermore, the Privateers couldn't even find 3-point looks, attempting just seven.

It is the first of three games against the SEC, also playing Oklahoma and also a big home game with LSU on Dec. 6.

Following the game, NSU heads to Stillwater to battle Oklahoma State for a Monday morning game, the second of three consecutive games away from Prather Coliseum.
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