McNeese Basketball Heads to East Texas A&M for Weekend Matchups

Lake Charles, Louisiana (KNGT-FM) - Just three weekends remain in the conference season, and both the McNeese men and women are looking to peak at the right time.

This weekend, the Cowboys and Cowgirls will be headed to Commerce, Texas, for a matchup with East Texas A&M.

The Cowgirls, they are one of the hottest teams in the country. McNeese State avenged an early-season loss to Northwestern State on Thursday Night as the Cowgirls got the win in Nacotiches 64–59 on the road Thursday night.

Jalencia Pierre scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter, while McNeese’s No. 1-ranked defense forced two critical turnovers in the final minute. Arianna Patton led all scorers with 15 points, and Dakota Howard added 12 points and nine rebounds.

With the win, the Cowgirls move to 21-4 overall and 15-1 in conference play. McNeese also extends their winning streak to 14 games. The win also tied the 2010-11 team, which won 15 conference games; they will look to take that crown with a win on Saturday.

McNeese has been one of the most disruptive teams in the country this season. They lead the nation in turnover margin and rank second in scoring defense. The Cowgirls enter play ranked 14th in this week’s March Madness Mid-Major Poll and sit atop the Southland Conference in eight statistical categories, including scoring margin, steals per game, and turnovers forced.

The Cowgirls are also a Top-25 team nationally in eight NCAA metrics, highlighted by allowing just 51 points per game and forcing nearly 25 turnovers a night. Offensively, freshman Dakota Howard continues to lead the way at 13 points per game while ranking among the conference leaders in steals, with Jalencia Pierre steadying the offense as one of the nation’s best in assist-to-turnover ratio and closing in on 1,000 career points.

McNeese Women Set To Visit East Texas A&M

East Texas A&M comes in 12-10, 8-7 in SLC Play. ETAM got the win over Southeastern in the Battle of the Lions on Thursday, 66-57. Tiani Ellison led the Lions in the win with 22 points. Both Cora and Nina Horvath also finished in double figures.

The Lady Lions are led by a strong inside-out duo in Reza Po and Tiani Ellison, who both average 14.3 points per game to pace the Lady Lions.

The men are looking to hit their stride as they continue to compete to lock up one of the top two seeds for the Southland Conference tournament.

McNeese comes in 20-5 on the season and 13-3 in Southland Conference play, as it recorded its 20th win following a 73-69 victory over HCU this past Monday in its last outing. Javohn Garcia returned to his Player of the Year form in the win over the Huskies, pouring in 18 points.

With the win over HCU, the McNeese program has won 20 games for the third straight season, a feat it has never achieved before. The Cowboys got there in just 25 games, one of the fastest starts in school history. That success is led by Javohn Garcia, DJ Richards Jr., and T’Johnn Brown, who are now the winningest players in McNeese history with 78 career wins over three seasons.

McNeese Men Set To Visit East Texas A&M on Saturday

For East Texas A&M, they come in at 10-16 overall and 5-11 in SLC play. The Lions bring a balanced attack led by Ronnie Harrison, who tops the Lions at 15 points per game, while Damian Garcia and Gianni Hunt also average double figures.

East Texas A&M will host McNeese on Saturday, with the women's game set for 2:30, and the men slated to tip off at 5:00. Fans can catch both games Saturday on ESPN+.