DESTIN, Fla.— The Northwestern State women’s basketball team is focusing on its defensive discipline heading into tonight’s game against Virginia in the two-day Emerald Coast Classic.
First up for the Lady Demons (3-2) is UVA (4-1), their third power conference opponent of the season. Another of those, Nebraska, is also in the tournament.
Tipoff is at 7:30 at Raider Arena on the Northwest Florida State campus. Fans can watch the game on FloSports.
“We’ll have to up our level of discipline,” head coach Anna Nimz said. “That is probably something we’ll be harping on for a while, and that is to be expected. It’s not going to be perfect right now, but we should be finding better possessions in our defensive discipline.”
The Demons are coming off back-to-back 100-point performances, the first time NSU has accomplished that feat since 1993.
Friday night at home, NSU overcame a sluggish start to dominate Arkansas Baptist. The Demons scored just 14 points in the first quarter before scoring 89 in the final three periods to roll 103-52.
In those two games, the Demons drained 32 triples, the most they have made in a two-game stretch in program history.
NSU is led by Vernell Atamah, whose 23 made 3-pointers are the second-most in the NCAA and tops in the nation in 3-pointers per game with 4.6.
The Cavaliers have three players averaging double figures, led by Kymora Johnson (16.6 ppg). Tabitha Amanze (10.8) and Paris Clark (10.2) also average in double figures for a team that scores nearly 80 points per game outscores its opponents on average by more than 33 points per contest.
Northwestern plays either Nebraska or Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday.
NSU MEN: Friday night in Phoenix, the Demons battled Grand Canyon for stretches, but a pair of extended Lopes runs proved too much to overcome in an 85-72 road loss at GCU Arena.
“I think we’re the best 1-5 team in the country,” head coach Rick Cabrera said. “I’m extremely proud of the way our guys fought. I despise losing, but we competed, we put ourselves in position to win a game and, most importantly, my team got better today. That’s all I can ask for.”
NSU (1-5) was within 74-66 with four minutes left, but Grand Canyon (3-2) pushed away on its homecourt.
Cabrera, whose Demons play host to last year’s SWAC regular-season champion Southern next Saturday afternoon at 1, came home from two West Coast games encouraged.
“The teams we’ve played are NCAA Tournament-caliber teams, and it’s only going to help us when it’s time for conference,” he said.