By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Point guard Mya Blake is on a heater for the Northwestern State women’s basketball team.
She poured in 32 points Thursday night, her third 30-point performance in the last month, and led the Demons to a solid 68-60 victory at Nicholls State. Blake, a senior transfer who scored over 1,000 career points in three seasons at two California Division II programs, scored Northwestern’s first 10 points and personally lifted her team back from an 8-0 deficit.
She has averaged 28.2 in the last five games and is the Southland’s top scorer in league play at a 20.5 rate. No SLC player has averaged 20 in conference games this decade. Blake is also fifth in the conference with 3.9 assists per game.
The Demons (11-10, 8-4 in the Southland) have won three in a row and have a good shot to make it four straight Saturday when they visit McNeese (3-9 in SLC games). They are one of three teams with four league losses scrambling for third in the league race behind unbeaten Southeastern (13-0 in conference, 19-3 overall) and Lamar (15-6, 10-2), which visits Prather Coliseum next Thursday night.
Checking on area Division I teams:
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Louisiana Tech (16-7, 5-5 CUSA)
Next: at Florida International (8-15, 2-8) Saturday at 1
Last game: lost 77-53 Thursday night at Liberty
Notes: Road games continue to confound the Bulldogs, who have lost their last five away from Ruston … more frustration came earlier this week when despite standing second nationally in assists, point guard Sean Newman Jr. was not included on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List highlighting the top players at that position in major college basketball. Coach Telvin Hester was critical of the snub and questioned if it signals a two-tiered landscape in Division I hoops … at 5-5 in the league, Tech is just one win out of second place.
Northwestern (10-12, 7-5 Southland)
Next: at McNeese (17-6, 9-1) Saturday, 4:00; at Nicholls (14-9, 8-4), Monday, 6:30
Last game: won 79-63 Monday night at home over UT-Rio Grande Valley
Notes: The Demons dominated UTRGV (13-10, 5-7) after handing last-place East Texas A&M its first conference win two days earlier in an embarrassing 72-50 collapse in Commerce, complicated by bus trouble on the way home that resulted in the team getting to Natchitoches after 5 a.m. following an afternoon game three hours away … McNeese suffered its first SLC loss Monday at Nicholls, 71-63, held without a 3-pointer. The Cowboys drained 16 treys in their 92-69 romp at Northwestern on Jan. 6.
Grambling (6-16, 3-6 SWAC)
Next: at Alabama State (9-13, 5-4) Saturday at 5:30, at Alabama A&M (7-15, 3-6) Monday at 7
Last game: lost 60-53 at home Monday to Alcorn State
Notes: The Tigers dropped two home games, to Jackson State Saturday and Alcorn on Monday, blunting a surge of three wins in the previous four outings … Alcorn hit 50 percent overall and 58 percent on 3-pointers to surprise Grambling.
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Louisiana Tech (12-9, 5-5 CUSA)
Next: home Saturday at 3 against Florida International (9-12, 5-5)
Last game: won 67-66 at home Thursday night over Liberty
Notes: After a mortifying loss last Saturday at last-place Sam Houston State, the Lady Techsters bounced back Thursday night by knocking Liberty (15-6, 8-2) out of a share of the Conference USA lead with a fourth-quarter comeback from 10 down to win on a Paris Bradley layup with 2.7 seconds to go … they missed only one shot in the fourth quarter and shot 62 percent in the upset … Tech is 11-1 at home, 1-8 on the road.
Northwestern (11-10, 8-4 Southland)
Next: at McNeese Saturday at 1:00
Last game: won 68-60 at Nicholls Thursday
Notes: After Saturday’s visit to McNeese, site of next month’s conference tournament, the Demons have five of their last seven Southland games at home … they are 7-2 in Prather Coliseum this season.
Grambling (8-13, 5-5 SWAC)
Next: Saturday at Alabama State (5-17, 3-7)
Last game: lost 70-58 Thursday at Alabama A&M
Notes: Grambling made just 29 percent of its shots in the fourth quarter and dropped its second straight when it lost to Alabama A&M (15-7, 8-2), the second-place team in the SWAC … the Tigers are tied for fifth behind a three-way tie for fourth in the league race … GSU is sinking only 35 percent of its shots overall.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com