LAKE CHARLES—McNeese women's basketball played a tough nonconference schedule to prepare for a tough Southland Conference race, and it all begins Saturday with its 1 p.m. Southland Conference opener against the reigning champs and preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin.
"We scheduled our nonconference tough so we could be ready for this scenario," said head coach Brooks Donald Williams. "We're excited about playing the best right off the bat."
McNeese (6-5) was picked to finish fourth in the coaches' poll and sixth in the sports information preseason polls behind the Ladyjacks, Northwestern State and Lamar.
The Cowgirls enter the game having won all their games at Burton Coliseum and enter Saturday's game with a 6-1 home record. The lone home loss was a 75-55 loss to Tulane in the second game of the season.
Juniors
Allison Baggett and
Jayln Johnson will lead the Cowgirls into the SLC opener with Baggett needing seven points to reach 1,000 career points. Baggett leads the Cowgirls and ranks third in the league in scoring with 16.6 ppg. Baggett has scored in double figures in five of the last six games and is coming off a 17 point game in the 74-70 win over Texas Southern on Dec. 29.
Johnson has picked up her scoring in the last few games, having scored in double digits in the last four games. Johnson is coming off her second career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 14 assists against Texas Southern. Johnson is the Cowgirls' second leading scorer with 10.9 ppg.
As a team, the Cowgirls rank in the Top 5 in four categories, leading the league in offensive rebounds.
Stephen F. Austin (7-4) is led by senior center Porsha Roberts and sophomore guard Taylor Ross. Roberts leads the Ladyjacks and is second in the league in scoring with 16.8 ppg. Roberts leads the conference with a 59.4 field goal percent and 24 blocks and ranks fourth with 9.0 rebounds per contest.
Ross is second on the team in scoring with 15.5 ppg. and is second in the SLC with 53 assists and fourth in steals with 28.
The game will be broadcast on the McNeese Sports Network, Cajun Radio (1470/1290 AM). Audio is available at Cajunradio.com. Tyler Williams will deliver the play-by-play. All links are available on McNeesesports.com.
