CYPRESS, La. (Interstat) — In a grinding, defensive Southland Conference clash defined more by missed opportunities than made shots, the Northwestern State Demons used a dominant fourth-quarter performance to pull away from the Nicholls State Colonels for a 57-47 victory in women’s basketball on Thursday night at Prather Coliseum.

The game, witnessed by an intimate crowd of 444, was a rematch of a Jan. 3 meeting won by Northwestern State 50-46. This sequel followed a similar script of offensive struggle but featured a decisive final act from the home team.

Both teams entered the night with identical 10-9 overall records, and the first half reflected that parity. The opening quarter ended in a 19-19 deadlock, with Nicholls State’s Tanita Swift and Northwestern State’s Vernell Atamah trading early baskets. The Demons began to create separation before halftime, closing the second quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 35-25 lead into the locker room. The surge was fueled by Tiara Abron, who scored seven points in the frame, and Clarence Djuela, who contributed four points during the critical stretch.

The narrative flipped dramatically in the third quarter. Northwestern State’s offense went ice cold, managing just four points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field while committing seven turnovers. Nicholls State aggressively capitalized, using a 12-2 run to erase the 10-point deficit and tie the game at 39-39 heading into the final period. Marie Kenembeni, the Colonels’ 6-foot-2 center from Yaounde, Cameroon, was instrumental in the comeback, scoring six points in the quarter, while the Colonels’ defense forced the Demons into a scoring drought that lasted over six minutes.

The most important part of the game, however, was Northwestern State’s immediate and forceful response to that adversity. The Demons shook off their third-quarter woes by exploding for 18 points in the fourth, nearly matching their total output from the second and third quarters combined. The resurgence was led by the inside-outside combination of Atamah and Djuela. Atamah, a 6-foot guard from Mesquite, Texas, scored eight of her team-high 16 points in the final period, including a crucial three-point jumper at the 3:05 mark that extended the Demons’ lead to 48-45. Djuela, a 6-foot-1 forward from Berlin, Germany, added six critical points in the paint during the quarter to finish with eight points and a game-high influence on the glass.

Nicholls State, which shot just 31.5% from the field for the game, could not keep pace. After drawing even, the Colonels managed only eight points over the final seven minutes, hampered by turnovers and missed shots in key moments. Kenembeni led all scorers with 17 points and added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Sh’Diamond McKnight supported her with 11 points, but the Colonels’ offense sputtered when it mattered most.

Northwestern State, despite shooting only 40.4% overall and committing 22 turnovers, found enough efficiency down the stretch. They outscored Nicholls State 28-10 in the paint and made 14 of 21 free throws compared to the Colonels’ 11 of 18. The Demons also won the possession battle, scoring 57 points on 71 trips for an offensive rating of 80.3, notably better than Nicholls State’s 69.6 rating on 68 possessions.

Abron finished with 14 points, three assists and three steals in 37 minutes for Northwestern State, while point guard Nya Valentine of Mobile, Alabama, logged a game-high 40 minutes, contributing 11 points and four assists.

The victory gives Northwestern State a season sweep of the head-to-head series and pushes both teams to 10-10 overall as they reach the midpoint of the conference schedule. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Northwestern State was projected with a 71.2% probability to win.

Nicholls State will look to rebound quickly, traveling to face Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday. Northwestern State also hits the road for its next contest, a Saturday matchup at New Orleans.