LAKE CHARLES – McNeese State is nearing the mid-season point of the Southland Conference schedule and if the Cowboys are to finally get over the hump and into a winning rhythm, they'll need to get started on Saturday afternoon when they host New Orleans.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Burton Coliseum, or 30 minutes following a 4 o'clock women's game between the two teams.
 
The doubleheader has been designated "Kids Day at Burton" as members of the Kid's Club and Rowdy's Reader will be admitted free. Snacks by Jason's Deli will be provided to all Kid's Club members and they'll all be invited to join the Cowgirls on the court for the National Anthem.
 
Members of McNeese's baseball and softball teams will also be in attendance and will be signing autographs in between games.
 
The Cowboys (7-11, 1-6) are coming off an 86-84 heartbreaking loss at Incarnate Word in their last outing in a game that saw the Pokes build a 13-point lead with 7 ½ minutes to play, only to see that lead dwindle. UIW hit a layup with 2.6 seconds to play to take the two point lead and McNeese's final attempt to win the game came up empty.
 
Senior forward Desharick Guidry continues to lead the Cowboys in scoring at 17.6 points per game, and is the team and conference leader with 11.6 rebounds a contest. Guidry became a program's first last Saturday at Northwestern State. His three assists put him over the century mark for his career meaning he's the first player in school history to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 100 steals and 100 assists in a career.
 
With four more rebounds, he'll become just the ninth player in school history to corral 800 boards in a career and just the fifth to join the 1,000/800 career points/rebounds club.
 
Fellow senior and Lake Charles native Kevin Hardy is close to making history himself. Hardy is 22 points away from notching his 1,000^th career point and needs just nine steals to become the school's all-time leader. And once he hits those marks, he'll become the only player in school history to ever record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals in a career.
 
As a team, the Cowboys have begun to shoot the ball better the last few games and are coming off a season-high 61.1 percent shooting at UIW. And from long distance, McNeese has connected on 18 of 35 in the last two games.
 
UNO will enter Saturday 6-10 overall and 2-5 in league play. The Privateers are coming off an 87-67 whipping on Central Arkansas to snap a five-game losing streak.
 
The Privateers are led in scoring by Christavious Gill who is hitting 11.7 points per game.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Cowboys will hit the road for three straight (at SLU on Monday, at Nicholls and at UNO) before returning home on Valentine's Day to play the final 5 of 7 in Burton Coliseum. The Cowboys' next four opponents have a combined league record of 6-14.
 
SIDELINE TIDBIT: McNeese head coach Dave Simmons and UNO head coach Mark Slessinger were assistant coaches together at Northwestern State from 1999-2006 and helped guide the Demons to an upset win over Iowa in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Simmons left that following season to become the head coach at McNeese while Slessinger left NSU after the 2011 year to become the head man at UNO.