Cowboys down Privateers to stay in hunt for spot in Southland tournament

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - The McNeese Cowboys basketball team is now on a winning streak.

After losing nine straight, the Cowboys picked up their second win in a row Thursday at the Lakefront Arena to stay in the hunt for a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament.

McNeese overcame a 20-point halftime deficit and defeated the New Orleans Privateers 79-78 on Harwin Francois’ late 3-pointer to move into a tie for eighth place in the Southland Conference standings.

The Cowboys’ win followed a 65-59 win by the Privateers over the Cowgirls in the first game of the doubleheader. Guard Dearica Pryor led the Privateers on a 16-8 run in the third quarter that gave them a 48-46 lead and control of the game.

The Cowgirls have now lost four out of their last five SLC games.

Cowgirls Top Performers

• Divine Tanks: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
• Desirae Hansen: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

The Cowboys’ win over the Privateers followed a sluggish start. McNeese trailed by as many as 18 in the first 10 minutes of the game as the Cowboys’ struggled to defend Privateers forward Tyson Jackson in the paint. At the end of the half, McNeese trailed New Orleans 49-29.

The Cowboys then took the floor coming off of a huge win Thursday as they beat Southeastern at The Legacy Center 69-66.

Saturday’s game against New Orleans was maybe even more crucial though as McNeese was trying to jockey themselves into the top eight of the Southland Conference.

The first half of the game could not have started any worse for the Cowboys as they fell behind by as many as 18 points in just the first 10 minutes of the game alone. A lot of the struggles in the first half seemed to come from McNeese’s interior defense as Privateers Forward Tyson Jackson had his way in the painted area. At the end of the half, McNeese trailed New Orleans 49-29.

In the second half, the Cowboys seemed to come out of the locker room with a rejuvenated sense of energy and began to chip away at New Orleans’s lead immediately. Forward Christian Shumate took control of the half, scoring 21 points while not missing a single shot from the field on the day.

With 17 seconds left to go in the game, McNeese trailed 78-76 with a chance to win. Johnathan Massie brought the ball up, drove to the paint, then kicked the ball out to Harwin Francois who nailed a three with 11 seconds left to win the game.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls will be back in action next Thursday as they will take on Incarnate Word at home.

Cowboys Top Performers

• Christian Shumate: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
  
• Zach Scott: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
  

The Cowboys and Cowgirls will be back in action next Thursday as they will take on Incarnate Word at home.

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