Lady Demons' NCAA Run Comes To An End With Loss to No. 1 Duke
Mar. 21, 2004
PLANO, Texas -- The "Big Dance" ended all too soon for the Northwestern State University women's basketball team as the Lady Demons fell to No. 1 seed Duke University, 103-51, in the first round of the Mideast Regional in Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils marched on to the second round while NSU closed its campaign at 24-7 overall.
After scoring 13 straight points to open the game, Duke used runs of 11-0 and 13-2 to take a 51-23 lead heading into the break.
Northwestern State was unable to match the Blue Devils' size, quickly turning the game into a rout. The Lady Demons fared better than the Blue Devils behind the arc (42.9) and at the free throw line (73.7) for the game, but Duke contained the Northwestern State offense, holding it to a season-low 28.3 shooting percentage from the field.
Three Lady Demons scored in double figures as Diamond Cosby led the team with 17 points, including a team-high eight rebounds. Seniors La'Terrica Dobin and Katrina Swanigan wrapped up their Lady Demon careers with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Dobin, the 2004 Southland Conference player of the year, is also statistically assured of becoming the first person in NCAA basketball history, male and female, to lead NCAA Division I in assists for three straight seasons.
Northwestern State earned its second NCAA appearance after capturing its first-ever Southland Conference tournament crown and automatic berth to the NCAA on March 13. The Lady Demons defeated Texas-Arlington, 78-71, on FOX Sports Southwest in front of the fourth-largest crowd (2,713) for women's basketball in Prather Coliseum.
NSU made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1989 when the Lady Demons earned an at-large berth.
--southland.org--