While the Northwestern State women’s basketball team has plenty of players who can put the ball in the basket, the roots of the program are still on the defensive end of the floor.
NSU (13-12 overall, 10-7 Southland Conference) went back to its roots, as it went nearly wire-to-wire in a 60-51 SLC victory over East Texas A&M (12-12, 8-8) on Monday afternoon on Mike McConathy Court in Prather Coliseum.
The Lady Demons held the Lions to just 27.7 percent shooting overall and just 3-of-16 from deep, with the three 3-pointers all coming in their final four 3-point attempts after missing their first 12 from deep.
“I am very proud,” head coach Anna Nimz said. “I thought we played a phenomenal first half. We played with a lot of poise and executed well and made some easy buckets at the rim. We showed a lot of resiliency and toughness in the third after we got pretty loose with the ball and they got it within seven, but the players didn’t show any give-up. It was just a great overall team win.”
The win was a big one for the Demons, as they moved into sole possession of fifth place in the conference standings with five games remaining in the regular season.
It is the first time NSU has won double-digit SLC games in back-to-back years since doing it three times in a row from 2013-16.
Vernell Atamah led Northwestern with 18 points despite being saddled with foul trouble for much of the second half. She scored 14 of those 18 in the first half, helping build a 13-point halftime lead.
After one of the worst shooting performances in her career in the last meeting at East Texas A&M, going 3-for-21, she made it known her presence was going to be felt from the opening tip Monday evening.
“My teammates made it a lot easier,” Atamah said. “Everybody was helping out. While I was on the bench with foul trouble, I was mad at myself more than usual, but I knew my teammates had my back.”
Atamah scored eight of the 12 in a 12-2 spurt that pushed the Demons advantage to 30-18, forcing an East Texas A&M timeout.
After missing most of the third quarter, Atamah came back and scored on a layup to begin the quarter and Nya Valentine followed with a triple to push the lead to 49-36.
Carla Celaya grabbed 12 rebounds, her eighth game of double digit rebounds this season.
“We don’t win without Carla,” Nimz said. “A lot of people will look at the points first, but we don’t win without a bulldozer player like her.”
It sets up a key contest Thursday evening in Natchitoches, as the Demons welcome UIW to town with NSU in front of UIW by a single game in the conference standings with the Cardinals having won the first matchup. After that, the Demons wrap up the five-game home stand Saturday afternoon with a game against Houston Christian.
DEMONS BOW: The Northwestern men closed the game with a strong surge Monday night, holding McNeese scoreless for over eight minutes in a fierce comeback bid, but the Cowboys survived 75–64 at Prather Coliseum.
Facing a 22-point deficit midway through the second half, the Demons (8-19, 6-12) didn’t collapse. They held McNeese (22-5, 15-3) without a field goal for nearly eight minutes, until the Cowboys were forced to the free throw line in the final seconds.
The Demons connected on five of their final six field-goal attempts and repeatedly attacked the rim, cutting the deficit to single digits before time expired. Micah Thomas led the charge, finishing with 27 points and converting 12-of-13 from the free-throw line.
“I’m hurt. I’m disappointed,” head coach Rick Cabrera said. “But I’m also proud of our guys for fighting. We were down 20 and fought back to make it a game. I don’t believe in moral victories, though. You can’t make mistakes against teams like that — especially live-ball turnovers that result in points.”
McNeese converted 13 Northwestern turnovers into 21 points and led for more than 39 minutes, building a cushion that ultimately proved too large to overcome.
As for the late run, Cabrera said it was effort and good execution that got the Demons back with nine on several occasions in the stretch, with missed 3-pointers by NSU preventing a bigger rally.
“We got more aggressive defensively,” he said. “We started firing their ball screens, getting turnovers, getting stops in the halfcourt. We weren’t calling a lot of plays because we were scoring in transition. The game plan was to drive — don’t let the ball stick.”
The Demons outrebounded one of the league’s biggest teams and limited McNeese to just over 40 percent shooting from the field, but second-chance opportunities and offensive rebounds also factored into the final margin.
“We did some good things,” Cabrera said. “We pursued the ball like we’ve been asking. But certain possessions, talent took over for them. That’s not luck. They’ve got talent at every position, especially at the guard spot.”
Even in defeat, Cabrera emphasized the fight — and the bigger picture.
“I’m proud of our guys for fighting,” he said. “It hurts because we’re fighting for that seventh spot (in the 12-team standings), maybe even sixth. But we’ve got to take it one game at a time. We’ve got two more at home that we have to win.”
Northwestern remains at home Saturday for a key Southland Conference rematch against Houston Christian.
