LAKE CHARLES – McNeese and Lamar traditionally bring out the biggest crowds of the season for both teams.
 
A total of $2,000 will be available for McNeese students to win on Monday night when the Cowboys host the Cardinals in an effort to draw a large crowd for the rivalry match-up in Burton Coliseum. The first matchup in Beaumont 10 days ago attracted Lamar's biggest home crowd of the season at 3,543.
 
Tip-off will be at 7 and will be televised by ROOT Sports (DirecTV channel 674).
 
The Cowboys (12-15, 6-10 SLC) are coming off an 83-78 win over Nicholls on Saturday for the team's second consecutive win and a victory that surpassed last year's win total of 11. Lamar (15-13, 9-7) is coming off a 79-66 win over Incarnate Word. The Cardinals have won four of their last five games, including a come-from-behind 58-53 victory over the Cowboys 10 days ago in Beaumont.
 
McNeese had reach down deep on Saturday to get the win as both Desharick Guidry and Kevin Hardy, both who combine to score 30 of the Cowboys' 69 points a game and 18 of the team's 35 rebounds a game, fouled out. Guidry left the game with 4:21 to play and McNeese trailing and Hardy fouled out with 4:08 to play in overtime with the score tied at 72-72.
 
Sophomore Lance Potier, who's blocked shot on a Nicholls' layup with 9 seconds to play allowed the game to go into overtime, scored all 5 of his overtime points with under a minute to play to help seal the win for the Cowboys. Potier tied a career-high with 12 points and pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds to record his first-career double-double outing.
 
McNeese is going to need that kind of performance from Potier and other role players if the Cowboys are going to make a run in the postseason tournament that gets underway on March 11 in Katy, Texas.
 
But for Monday, McNeese is just looking to keep moving in the right direction and is focused on getting the win back it felt it handed away at Lamar. A win will give the Cowboys their first three-game winning streak of the season.
 
Despite fouling out, Guidry led the Cowboys with 20 points on Saturday and slightly upped his season average to 17.4 points a game – 4^th-best in the league while maintaining a comfortable lead in the rebounding department with a league-high 11.2 average.
 
Hardy has taken his game to another level the last few outings as well. Hardy is averaging 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and now leads the league with 2.9 steals per contest.
 
In the last 10 games, Hardy is averaging 4.4 assists and 3.8 steals while sinking 13.8 points a game. He's coming off a 14 point, 11 rebound outing versus Nicholls.
 
Lamar, who is coached by former McNeese head coach Tic Price, is led in scoring by Anthony Holliday's 14.0 average but a mark of 17.4 points a game in conference games.
 
Monday's game will be the second of three straight at home to close out the regular season. The Cowboys will wrap it up next Sunday at 1 against Central Arkansas before opening tourney play on Wednesday, March 11.
 
The Cowboys are 9-5 at home this year including a 4-3 record in Southland Conference home games.
 
Head coach Dave Simmons picked up his 124^th win at McNeese, tying his with Wayne Cusic as the school's 3^rd-best winningest coach.