BEAUMONT, Texas — During the last two seasons during the turnaround of Northwestern State women’s basketball, the 3-point shot has been a driving factor.
Last time out, NSU had one of the best 3-point shooting performances in school history, making 13-of-24 from deep in a 78-61 victory at New Orleans.
Now the Lady Demons (11-9 overall, 8-4 in the Southland Conference, fifth in the 12-team conference but one loss behind second place) take their 3-point ability on the road to continue a three-game road trip in a big SLC women’s basketball battle with second-place Lamar (13-7, 10-3) tonight.
Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. at Neches Arena. The game can be viewed on ESPN+ or fans can listen to it on KZBL 100.7 FM.
This is the second meeting between the Cardinals and Demons this season. While NSU has lost nine of the last 11 against Lamar, the Demons did win the first meeting this season in Natchitoches, 60-57.
In that first matchup, NSU came back from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, its largest fourth-quarter comeback win since women’s basketball went to quarters in 2015-16.
Nya Valentine was sensational in the comeback effort, scoring seven points and dishing out two assists in the decisive fourth.
Tonight, rebounding will be a vital factor.
“They are the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the conference,” Northwestern coach Anna Nimz said. “It’s their identity. It will be a battle of wills and who can keep who off the boards. In the first game, we did a great job defensively in the final two minutes. It was a game the entire time. Both teams have gotten better since the last time we played and any time we’re playing on their home floor, it’s going to be that much tougher.”
Overall, Lamar grabs 14.3 offensive rebounds per game. In the first meeting, NSU held Lamar to just eight offensive rebounds and 10 second chance points.
Like many games, the 3-point shot will also be key. Coming off making 13 triples, NSU’s confidence is high. The Demons are second in 3-point percentage during league play.
First place? Lamar, which has made 37.6 percent of its 3-point attempts.
The Demons held down the Cardinals from deep in the first matchup, forcing Lamar to go 2-of-12, including 1-of-10 in the final three periods.
Northwestern dominated at UNO despite turning it over 25 times. Nimz has stressed the importance of holding onto the ball because if the Demons cut that number close to in half, tight games could turn into clear victories.
“There is a positive to being able to win games when you haven’t been tight with the ball,” Nimz said. “It shows we have the opportunity to be a really darn good team. It is just putting an emphasis on turnovers without every thinking about them. If we get half or even a third of our turnovers back, that could be 10 points. Instead of playing in so many tight games, that could be us being able to play with a little bit more comfort.
“So many of our turnovers are unforced that maybe we’re just overthinking it, period. Maybe if we don’t put as much of an emphasis on it, maybe they’ll play a little smarter and care-free because the more you worry about something, the more you help it exist.”
Lamar dropped its last game, a 12-point defeat to league-leading McNeese, which halted a seven-game winning streak.
The only three games the Cardinals have lost in league play are to NSU and McNeese (twice).
The Lady Demons finish up their three-game road trip with a visit to East Texas A&M on Saturday before coming back to McNeese on Feb. 12, which starts a five-match homestand.