CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – McNeese basketball continues Southland Conference play on Saturday night at A&M-Corpus Christi and it could be just what the Cowboys need – a trip away from home.
 
That's because the Cowboys (6-7, 0-2 SLC) have dropped their last four games at their home venue of Burton Coliseum after starting the season 5-0 in the arena. And even though McNeese is 1-3 away from home, it did pick up its last win on the road in blowout fashion, 66-47 over Mississippi State.
 
If the Cowboys are going to pick up their first league win away from home against AMCC (6-7, 1-0), they'll need to come out with the fire they had against Mississippi State and in a near-miss in the season-opener versus Stephen F. Austin, and unlike the stale play they displayed in a 68-56 loss to Houston Baptist in their last outing.
 
"I told the guys they have to come out with some excitement and energy right from the start," said head coach Dave Simmons. "That sets the tone for the game. It showed when we played at Mississippi State and again against Stephen F. Austin."
 
Tip-off for the Cowboys and Islanders is set for 7 p.m. at Corpus's Duggan Wellness Center on campus. The Cowgirls will get the doubleheader started with a 4:30 start. Both games will be broadcast live on Cajun Radio (1290 and 1470 AM) or on the internet at CajunRadio.com.
 
This is the first time in the series McNeese has played at the on-campus arena as Corpus typically plays its games at the American Bank Center in the heart of Corpus Christi.
 
Leading the Cowboys into the game will be the senior trio of Desharick Guidry, Kevin Hardy and Keelan Garrett. Guidry leads the league in rebounding with an 11.5 average and is fourth in scoring with a 17.2 mark. He has scored 20 or more points in two of the last three games and is coming off a 22 point outing against HBU.
 
Hardy is second on the team in both scoring (11.2) and rebounds (6.8) and has scored double figures in four of the last five outings while Garrett (10.6 ppg) was shooting the ball nicely from long range in the five games leading up to the HBU contest (15 of 36) but went 0-for-6 against the Huskies and scored just two points one game after netting a career-high 26 against SFA.
 
As a team, the Cowboys are scoring 69 points a game and are making 42.1 percent from the field.
 
Corpus Christi is scoring at a 65.6 clip, hitting 43.3 percent from the field but just 29.5 percent from long range.
 
The Islanders, who are coming off a league-opening 77-70 win at Central Arkansas last Sunday, have won two straight games and 3 out of 4. AMCC is 3-3 at home this year but Saturday's game will be the first and only game of the season in the Duggan Wellness Center for the Islanders.
 
Preseason all-conference senior guard John Jordan leads the Islanders in scoring with 15.4 points a game while sophomore forward Rashawn Thomas is chipping in with 12.1 a game.
 
Saturday's game will be the 11^th meeting between the two teams with the series tied 5-5. Corpus swept both games last year, winning 77-61 in Lake Charles and then 67-51 in Corpus Christi. AMCC has won three straight in the series as the last McNeese win came on Jan. 10, 2013 by way of a 75-71 score in Lake Charles. The Cowboys' last win in Corpus was a 71-69 game on Jan. 7, 2012.
 
McNeese will be off from competition on Monday and will return to action next Saturday when it visits Sam Houston State. The Cowboys will return home on Jan. 20 against Abilene Christian.