Northwestern State could not overcome 25 turnovers and a cold shooting second half, as it fell 58-46 to Lamar in a matchup of two of the top four Southland Conference women’s basketball teams on Thursday evening at Prather Coliseum.
The fourth-place Demons (12-11, 9-5) couldn’t hold a 29-19 halftime lead, as second-place Lamar (16-7, 11-3) scored 14 unanswered points in a decisive 20-2 run to seize control of the contest, fueled by five turnovers in a span of six possessions, as Northwestern’s four-game winning streak come to an end.
“It was the same thing,” head coach Anna Nimz said. “We got up 20 at their place and got up big here and didn’t come out in the third quarter and take care of business, which really stinks.
“We didn’t take care of the ball. Twenty-five turnovers, you can’t come back from that, leading to 22 points for them. My heart hurts for Nia (Hardison) because she played her heart out and my heart hurts for everybody since we gave that one away.”
Northwestern turned the ball over 26 times in total, which led to 22 Cardinals points.
The turnovers helped the visiting Cardinals attempt 12 more shot attempts and six more free throws than the Demons.
Not only did the Lamar defense force those turnovers but also limited the Demons to just 33 percent shooting in the second half, while the Cardinals could not be contained, shooting 54.2 percent in the final 20 minutes to outscore the Demons 39-17 and emerge victorious.
R’Mani Taylor came alive in the second half for the Cardinals, scoring 13 of her 16 in the final 20 minutes
The Demons jumped out to a fast start, outscoring the Cardinals 20-8 in the first quarter, shooting 66.7 percent while holding the talented Lamar offense to just 22.2 percent.
After scoring 20 in the first period, Northwestern State was held to a combined 26 in the final three quarters, never scoring more than 10 in a quarter.
Nia Hardison scored nine of her season-high and team-high 16 points in the opening quarter, making four of her five shot attempts.
“I just came out ready to play,” Hardison said. “I wasn’t really thinking. I was just out there playing ball and doing what coach told me to do.”
NSU point guard Mya Blake, the reigning SLC Player of the Week, had an incredible first quarter with five points, six rebounds and four assists, but she was limited with foul trouble and was held to 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Demons finish the weekend with Mike McConathy Court Dedication Day against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday at Prather Coliseum. A doubleheader begins with the 1 p.m. women’s contest and the men follow at 3:30, with a halftime ceremony honoring the longtime Northwestern men’s coach.
