SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA SEEKS UPSET AGAINST POWERHOUSE MCNEESE STATE

HAMMOND, La. (Interstat) — A stark contrast in fortunes will be on display Thursday night when the Southland Conference-leading McNeese State Cowgirls visit the struggling Southeastern Louisiana Lions at the University Center.

McNeese State (14-4, 5-0 Southland) enters on a seven-game winning streak and has dominated conference play, winning its league games by an average of 16.2 points. The Cowgirls are coming off a 70-54 road victory at Texas-Rio Grande Valley last Saturday, where Arianna Patton scored 15 points and Dakota Howard added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Southeastern Louisiana (2-14, 0-5) has lost nine consecutive games, including a 65-68 heartbreaker at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last time out. The Lions have found wins elusive despite competitive efforts, with four of their conference losses coming by 10 points or fewer.

The teams met just 12 days prior in Lake Charles, with McNeese State securing a decisive 77-55 victory. Cowgirls’ forward Lexi Alexander, a key two-way player, had a quiet scoring night in that contest with just two points but contributed three assists and a block. Alexander has been consistent, averaging 9.5 points over her last six games and providing strong interior defense.

The Lions will lean on guard Aliyah Collins, who scored 18 points and dished five assists in the narrow loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Collins averages 15.1 points per game in conference play and will be central to any upset bid.

McNeese State’s defense has been its cornerstone, holding opponents to 52.1 points per game during its win streak. Southeastern Louisiana, which averages 61.8 points, must solve that pressure to challenge the conference front-runner.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST. McNeese State will host New Orleans on Saturday, while Southeastern Louisiana is scheduled to face Nicholls State.