NW State tops Nicholls

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• Published: Feb 29, 2008 - Page: 4C

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NATCHITOCHES — Northwestern State kept its bid for a Southland Conference East Division title alive Thursday, thanks in part to its utgoing seniors Tena Matthews and Ashli Barnum.

Matthews scored her sixth-consecutive double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Barnum added 14 points and five rebounds as the Lady Demons held off Nicholls State, 74-69, in the final home game of the season.

The win, coupled with an overtime loss by Lamar to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, puts the Lady Demons (14-13, 7-7) just a half-game behind the Lady Cardinals (14-12, 7-6) in the East Division standings.

“We look at the standings, but don’t really focus on them,” Lady Demons coach Jennifer Graf said. “I just want us to take care of our business these last two games.”

Barnum scored four of Northwestern’s first six points and had eight points at the break. Matthews had just six first half points but came on strong in the second half, scoring 16 points as the Lady Demons did everything it could from letting this one slip away.

“We did not play well at all,” Graf said. “We’re not very good against the dribble penetration and that’s what Nicholls does so well. I thought we also turned the ball over too many times by forcing passes underneath instead of just going with the flow.”

Kat Plummer led Nicholls (5-19, 3-10) with 22 points while Maggie Green added 16.

ARKANSAS STATE 68, ULM 53: In Jonesboro, Ark., the Warhawks couldn’t overcome a cold second half shooting.

After hitting on better than 50 percent of its shots in the opening period, ULM (17-11, 10-7 Sun Belt) struggled from the field in the second. The Warhawks hit on 7-of-35 shots after the intermission to fall to 33.3 percent shooting for the game.

ULM’s Regena Jackson scored a team-high 11 points coming off the bench.

Arkansas State impvoed to 18-11, 13-5.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS 67, SLU 52: In Hammond, the Lady Lions fell behind 24-6 in the first half and could not recover.

Southeastern (11-15, 5-8 Southland Conference) lost for only the second time in the last six games. Central Arkansas (7-20, 5-9) shot 60 percent in the first half and staved off an SLU rally in the second half. The Lady Lions got as close as 53-49 at the 5:03 mark.
Kristy Carlin and guard Chelsea Hix scored 11 points apiece for the Lady Lions.