Northwestern State turnovers loomed large in a hard-fought 64-59 Southland Conference women’s basketball loss to league-leading McNeese Thursday evening on Mike McConathy Court at Prather Coliseum.
NSU (11-12, 8-7) turned it over 20 times, as McNeese (21-4, 15-1) recorded 12 steals, with four players recording multiple swipes. The Cowgirls outscored the Demons 26-8 in points off turnovers.
McNeese averages forcing 23 turnovers a game, ranking among the nation’s best at that phase of the game.
The Demons committed five turnovers in the final quarter, but none were more crushing than back-to-back losses after a basket and free throw by Vernell Atamah cut the deficit to 60-56, which was followed by the Demons defense digging deep and forcing a shot clock violation with 1:08 left.
“We had a pretty good run late in the game,” NSU coach Anna Nimz said. “But then we got loose with the ball with a couple unforced turnovers. I am okay with the forced ones against the No. 1 team in steals in the nation. We weren’t going to be perfect, and it would be silly to expect that. Primarily, the girls did a good job, and I thought they fought hard.”
McNeese made four out of six free throws down the stretch to close out the game.
During McNeese’s 14 consecutive wins since losing at home to NSU in December, this five-point win was their closest margin of victory but also won an overtime game at Stephen F. Austin.
Despite the loss, Nimz knows her team can hang with them.
“We know how to compete with them,” Nimz said. “We beat them once and this one was neck-and-neck down the stretch. That is important when tackling these next couple games. We have such a great opportunity. We need to bottle up this fight because the girls came ready to play. Kids got into foul trouble, but players on the bench stepped up. The girls showed a lot of fight and toughness, so you can’t be mad about that.”
Tiara Abron recorded another double-digit performance for NSU with 12 points on an efficient 5-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-3 from deep.
Overall, the Demons made 9-of-17 on 3-pointers, including starting out 7-of-10.
Nya Valentine led Northwestern with 15 points, despite missing time in the contest with foul trouble. Carla Celaya recorded six assists and 10 rebounds.
The Demons continue their five-game homestand with a visit from in-state rival Southeastern Louisiana on Valentine’s Day.
