LAKE CHARLES-- McNeese women's basketball will record another first in program history Thursday when the Cowgirls host Furman at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The game will be played at the Lake Charles Civic Center.
Tickets are still available for $7 (ages 4 and up) and can be purchased at the McNeese ticket office, online at ticketmaster.com thru Thursday, or at the Lake Charles Civic Center the day of the game.
McNeese, the No. 6 seed in the West Region of the bracket, is making its fifth straight postseason tournament and third consecutive WBI appearance. The fifth straight postseason appearance is the second most by a current Southland Conference school behind Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks made 16 straight postseason appearances from 1987-2002. The Cowgirls advanced to the WBI championship game in 2013 in its first appearance, falling 73-62 to Detroit. Last season, McNeese lost 84-72 to Northern Kentucky in the first round.
Thursday's game will be the first time women's basketball has ever hosted a postseason game and only the third in basketball history. The Cowboys hosted NIT games in 1986 and 2011.
Meeting for the first time, McNeese (17-13) will enter the game after falling 70-68 to Houston Baptist in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament. Furman (19-13), the No. 3 seed, is coming off a 68-55 loss to Chattanooga in the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament. The Paladins defeated Samford 65-54 in the opening round.
All-Southland Conference picks in juniors
Allison Baggett and
Jayln Johnson will lead the Cowgirls into the game.
Baggett continues to lead McNeese in scoring (16.2 ppg.), 3-point field goal percent (34.0) and free throw percent (87.8). Johnson is averaging 13.4 ppg. and leads the team with 5.6 assists per game.
Senior
Talisa Boyd and freshman
Frederica Haywood have been carrying the rebound load as of late. Boyd is averaging 7.7 per game while Haywood is grabbing 7.0 per contest.
Furman has three players averaging in double figures. Sophomore guard Whitney Bunn leads the team in scoring (14.6 ppg.) and assists (6.9). Senior forward Brittany Hodges is averaging 13.6 ppg. and a team-high 8.8 rpg. Junior guard Holli Wilkins is the other double figure scorer with 12.3 ppg.
A win by McNeese coupled with a UT-Pan American win at UL-Lafayette Thursday would have the Cowgirls hosting a second round game scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, March 22.
If both McNeese and UL-Lafayette win on Thursday, the Cajuns would host the second round game on Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m.
