LAKE CHARLES – McNeese will look to burn off those Thanksgiving calories while attempting at winning its second straight game when it hosts former Southland Conference foe Texas State at 3 on Saturday in Burton Coliseum.
 
The game will be televised live on ROOT Sports Southwest (DirecTV 674) and also streamed via the Southland Conference YouTube channel. The McNeese Radio Network will also air the game on Cajun Radio 1470 and 1290 AM and on CajunRadio.com.
 
Santa Claus will also be on hand to meet with the kids in attendance and to take pictures.
 
The Cowboys, 1-3, on the season, are coming off a nice come-from-behind win over NAIA strong contender Dillard, 80-79, on Wednesday, rallying from a 13-point first half deficit.
 
McNeese got a boost from its bench in that game as it scored 39 points with 26 of those coming from two true freshmen. One of the freshmen, guard Jarren Greenwood, led the team with 16 points while another freshman, James Harvey, scored 10.
 
It's the first time since the 2012 season that two true freshmen scored double-figures in the same game (Desharick Guidry and Kevin Hardy).
 
Greenwood is expected to get his first collegiate start against the Bobcats, joining Jamaya Burr, Lance Potier (8.8 ppg), Tevin Jackson (5.0, 3.5), and Craig McFerrin (8.0 ppg) in the starting five.
 
Burr leads the team on the season with 14.3 points per game while Greenwood is tops in both assists (2.8) and steals (2.3). McFerrin, who has come off the bench the last two games, leads the team with 8.8 rebounds per game.
 
Texas State (1-1) beat Oklahoma Panhandle State 93-62 on Tuesday after falling 77-62 to UTEP in the season opener on Nov. 16.
 
TXST is led in scoring by Cameron Naylor and Emani Gant who are both averaging 11 points a game.
 
The Bobcats are coached by Danny Kaspar who is the former coach of Stephen F. Austin.
 
McNeese leads the all-time series over Texas State by a 31-17 margin and is 20-4 in Burton Coliseum. The Cowboys have won 14 straight at home in the series with the last home loss goes all the way back to January 4, 1993 by a score of 71-64.
 
This will be the first time these two teams have met since Jan. 14, 2012 when the Bobcats posted an 82-72 win in San Marcos.