NATCHITOCHES, La. – HBU jumped out to a 7-2 lead, making its first three baskets, but ended the first half shooting 3-for-23 (.130) as Northwestern State led by seven at halftime and never looked back in a 55-44 win Saturday afternoon in the Southland Conference opener for both teams.
HBU (5-6 overall, 0-1 SLC) was paced by
Monet Neal, who scored a team-high 14 points and was second with seven rebounds.
Anna Strickland's string of four-straight double-doubles was snapped as she ended with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Bria Johnson hit her second 3-pointer in as many games and finished with five points off the bench. HBU shot 31 percent from the floor in the game.
Beatrice Attura led Northwestern State (7-5, 1-0) with a game-high 16 points, while Keisha Lee and Janelle Perez followed with 11 and 10, respectively. Tia Youngblood was the top rebounder with eight boards. The Lady Demons shot 39 percent from the floor in the game.
HBU took a 7-2 lead two minutes in, culminated by an
Adriiana Jackson trey, but Northwestern State used a 10-0 run to take a 12-7 lead with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter. Two free throws by Strickland ended the 12-0 drought to make the score, 14-9, with 2:31 remaining. Shahd Abboud hit a buzzer beater to give Northwestern State a 16-11 advantage after the first quarter. HBU shot just 19 percent from the floor, as its last field goal made was Jackson's three pointer two minutes into the game.
A Strickland jumper ended a 10-minute field-goal drought for the Huskies, as they trailed the Lady Demons, 21-13, with 7:21 left in the opening half. The shots were not falling for the Huskies, as Northwestern State led as many as 12 late in the second quarter before the Huskies used a run. B. Johnson's layup snapped a field-goal scoreless streak with 98 seconds remaining, followed by a
Heidi Sihvola three pointer to cut the deficit to seven, 25-18, at halftime.
Strickland and Neal each scored four points for HBU, while Jackson and Sihvola added three. Strickland had a half-high five rebounds. Attura scored a half-best eight points to lead the Lady Demons. HBU shot 23 percent (6-for-26) from the floor in the half compared to 35 percent (9-for-26) for NSU.
Neal's jumper midway through the third quarter cut the deficit to eight, but the Lady Demons ended the quarter on an 11-3 run. Jackson hit a three-pointer for the Huskies with 18 seconds to bring the Huskies within 13, but was answered with a Perez trey for NSU.
HBU outscored NSU, 14-9, in the fourth quarter, as the Huskies opened the quarter on an 8-0 run to trail by eight, 46-38, with six minutes remaining in regulation. Back-to-back Lady Demon jumpers gave them a double-digit lead again and forced HBU to take a timeout with four minutes to go. The Huskies could not get closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Neal led all players with 10 second-half points, while Cheyenne Brown and Attura paced the Lady Demons with eight points apiece. HBU shot 40 percent in the second half, while NSU shot 43 percent.
HBU opens a busy conference home stand next week, with three games in six days, beginning with McNeese State Monday at 7 p.m.
