NATCHITOCHES—"I pray that NSU means to them like they mean to us."

For head coach Anna Nimz, this group of seniors holds a special place in her heart for what they have meant to the NSU women's basketball program—one that has elevated them to heights the program has not seen in a decade.

As the regular season winds down, a special group of five athletes for NSU (13-13, 10-8) who left a major mark on the program celebrate Senior Day on Saturday.

The Senior Day matchup against Houston Christian (8-17, 6-12) begins at 1 p.m. at Prather Coliseum.

Five players—Carla Celaya, Nya Valentine, Tiara Abron, Dasia Turner and Noelle Lavery—step foot in Prather Coliseum for one of the final times as a member of the program.

Celaya, the longest-tenured member of the team, has bided her time throughout her tenure with the Demons, and she has seen the fruits of her labor.

In her first three seasons, she started 17 games for the Demons, but this season, she has started all 25 games.

Sha arrived at NSU following a Demons season in which they went 11-18 and finished eighth in the conference.

Three seasons later, Celaya has started every game for a team that has back-to-back seasons with double digit league wins and has a chance to earn a bye in the conference tournament.

Rebounding and defense are what she prides herself on. She has grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game during SLC play, which is second in the league, and she made two of the biggest defensive plays of the season, forcing either a missed shot or turnover defensively on critical late possessions to seal wins against Lamar and at Nicholls.

While Celaya has been in Natchitoches for three seasons, the other four seniors made their presence felt as one-year players.

It didn't take much time for Valentine and Abron to make an impact at NSU.

The pair joins Celaya, Vernell Atamah and Clarence Djuela on the only starting lineup the Demons have used this season, one of 14 schools in Division I women's basketball that can make that claim.

Each player scored eight points in the season opener at Nebraska, showing the lights were not too bright.

She also showed her clutch gene early on as well, especially during the first few games of conference play.

Valentine, a native of Mobile, Ala., was named the SLC Player of the Week after averaging 19 points, 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with nine made 3-pointers in conference wins over McNeese and Lamar.

Against the Cowgirls, Valentine buried a triple with 20 seconds to play to put the Demons in front by five and essentially ice the game. Against Lamar, she spearheaded a comeback with monster shots late, as NSU came back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to win.

Valentine has been everything Nimz has wanted in a replacement for Mya Blake, who was a first team all-conference selection last season.

During league play, she averages 13.2 points and 4.8 assists per game, both of which rank in the top 10 in the league. Her finest performance came in a dominant win at New Orleans where she set career highs in both points (22) and assists (11).

In the previous matchup with HCU, she poured in 18 points and made four triples.

Abron has been one the most consistent Demons in the past two months.

Referred to by Nimz as one of the best mid-range shooters she's had since coming to NSU, she has scored at least 10 points on 14 occasions during Southland play, including three games with at least 17 points.

Her 11.7 points per game ranks in the top 15 in the Southland Conference.

In addition to her offensive prowess, she also guards one of the best players on the opponent and is a big reason for the Demons defensive success this season.

Turner, a transfer from Philander Smith, scored 27 points in her first five contests at NSU, including a big game against Ecclesia, in which she had nine points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. That block total is tied for an NSU-best this season.

In Southland play, she scored four points in two games, including scoring a pair of big baskets in the victory at McNeese.

The final senior is Lavery, who has missed the entire season due to injury. Despite that, she has kept a great attitude about it and is always supportive of her teammates.

Prior to NSU, she averaged 17.1 points per game at Reinhardt last season, as she was named conference newcomer of the year and first team all-conference. She scored at least 20 points on 10 occasions.

With just two home games remaining, people should not want to miss seeing the seniors and their teammates, as they aim to finish the regular season on a high note and earn a spot in the SLC Tournament.