CONWAY, Ark.— Jayln Johnson's layup with 3.9 to play proved to be the game winning basket in McNeese's 65-63 Southland Conference women's basketball win over Central Arkansas Wednesday, moving the Cowgirls into sole possession of fourth place.
 
The junior from Jennings was one of three Cowgirls to score in double figures. Allison Baggett led the Cowgirls with 18 points. Johnson ended the game with 17 and Talisa Boyd recorded her fifth career double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.  Freshman Frederica Haywood led the Cowgirls with 15 rebounds, her fourth straight game with double figure rebounds.
 
McNeese opened the second on a 6-0 run to cut the UCA lead to one 37-36 but UCA responded with a run of their own to take its largest lead of the half (50-42) nine minutes into the half. The Cowgirls continue to chip away at the UCA lead and got as close as one point several times in the half.
 
Two free throws by Johnson tied the game at 59 and two free throws by Boyd gave McNeese a 61-59 lead with 3:28 to play. The lead was the first Cowgirl lead since the 13:35 mark in the first half.
 
UCA scored the next four points to take a 63-61 lead but Johnson drove the lane and scored on a layup to tied the game again for the fourth time in the last four minutes of the game.
 
With the game tied at 63, UCA's Brianna Mullins missed a jumper but the Cowgirls turned the ball over with :50.  Mullins missed a layup with :30 and Haywood grabbed the rebound. With the Cowgirls playing for one shot, Johnson saw an opportunity to score and hit a jumper with 3.6 to play for a 65-63 Cowgirl lead.  Central Arkansas had a chance to tie the game but Mullins missed a layup as time expired.  
 
The Cowgirls used solid defense in the second half, particularly on Maggie Proffitt. Proffitt was held to three second half points after scoring 15 in the first half. The trio of Alaina Verdin, Amber Donnes and Hannah Cupit held Proffit to five points in the last 28 minutes of the game.
 
McNeese opened the game by scoring the first four points and held an 8-2 lead after making four of their first five shots from the field. UCA went on a 7-3 run behind the three-point shooting from Proffitt. Proffitt scored 10 of UCA's first 15 points and ended the half with 15 points on 6 of 10 from the field including 3 of 4 from three-point range.
 
 After three ties, a Frederica Haywood put back gave McNeese a 19-17 lead, its last lead of the half with 11:15 to play. UCA put together another run (9-0) to take its first double digit lead of the half (31-21). A Jayln Johnson layup cut the lead back to single digits, Brittany Agee's jumper in the lane put the lead back to 10.  McNeese ended the half on a 7-4 run behind back-to-back three's by Allison Baggett. McNeese trailed 37-30 at the break.
 
McNeese will travel to league leading Lamar Saturday for a 4 p.m. game.