Northwestern State Continues Home Winning Streak
Northwestern State 61, Abilene Christian 56
NATCHITOCHES, La. – Another Southland Conference game, another second-half comeback for the Northwestern State Lady Demons.
It may not be a script that third-year co-head coach Brooke Stoehr prefers, but it is one that continued to produce results, as the Lady Demons rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to remain perfect in conference play with a 61-56 victory against Southland Conference foe Abilene Christian at Prather Coliseum on Wednesday night.
After making just 18.8 percent (6 of 32) of its first-half shots, Northwestern State (8-6, 3-0) put together perhaps its most complete half of the season offensively and defensively to extend its winning streak to a season-long three games.
NSU limited the visiting Wildcats (7-5, 0-2), who entered the game averaging 75.8 points per game, to 28 points in each half and held ACU to 29.7-percent shooting (19-for-64) for the game.
In the final 20 minutes, the Lady Demons upped their shooting to 63.6 percent from the field, including a 3-for-6 performance from the 3-point arc. NSU, which went 2-for-7 from the free-throw line, knocked down 15 of its 17 second-half free throws.
No two free throws were bigger than the ones hit by Janelle Perez (15 points) and Tia Youngblood (career-high 12 points) in the final 1:01 of the game.
Perez’ freebie completed a three-point play that tied the game at 56, knocking Abilene Christian from the lead for the first time since the 11:48 mark of the first half.
After Northwestern State forced Alyssa Echols into a traveling violation, Youngblood bullied her way to another three-point play that put the Lady Demons ahead to stay with 25 seconds to play.
While the veteran backcourt of Perez and Keisha Lee have been credited with instilling poise in the Lady Demons, it was time for Youngblood, a freshman, to show what she has learned in her first 14 college games.
Youngblood entered the game as a 33.3-percent free-throw shooter, but she made all six of her attempts, setting career highs in both attempts and makes.
The furious second-half rally allowed the Lady Demons to overcome a combined 30 points from ACU’s Suzzy and Lizzy Dimba and a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds from Sydney Shelstead.
Presley Owens chipped in 11 points for the Lady Demons, who also got two key second-half 3-pointers from Chelsea Rogers (9 points) and a momentum-shifting 3 from Keisha Lee with 5:09 to play. Lee’s 3 set in motion a game-ending 17-6 run for NSU.
The Lady Demons will remain at home when they host Incarnate Word at 1 p.m. Saturday. It marks the first back-to-back home games for Northwestern State since Nov. 14-18.