Box Score LAKE CHARLES-- After trailing 41-37 at halftime, the McNeese women's basketball team outscored Southeastern La. 59-38 in the second half en route to a 96-79 Southland Conference victory here Wednesday night. The win improves McNeese to 13-7 overall and 5-3 in the SLC. The loss drops Southeastern La. to 3-15 overall and 2-5 in the SLC.
"We played a lot better in the second half," said head coach Brooks Donald Williams. "We responded well after halftime and obviously we talked a lot about rebounding and boxing out and limiting their second and third opportunities which was the difference in the first half," Williams said.
The 96 points is the second most scored by the Cowgirls this season. McNeese scored 97 points in a 97-61 win over Southern (N.O.) on Nov. 29. McNeese ended the game with four players scoring in double figures and two double doubles.
Seniors
Jayln Johnson led all players with a game high 31 points, one shy of tying her career high. Johnson tied her season high with 12 assists for her seventh career double double. Johnson was 8 of 18 from the field and nearly perfect from the free throw line, making 14 of 15 freebies.
Allison Baggett chipped in 22 points on 8 of 17 including 4 three-pointers.
Amber Donnes and
Frederica Haywood both ended the game with 15 points. Donnes was 6 of 7 from the field and 3 of 4 from behind the arc. Haywood's 15 points ties her career high and also picked up a third career double double by tying her season high with 17 rebounds, 12 on the defensive end.
"The third quarter was a really good team quarter. Those minutes were extremely good on both ends. I thought we defended well and exploited them in our transition game."
Southeastern La. dominated the Cowgirls on the boards 31-17 in the first half and scored 12 second chance points, most of those points came from Nanna Pool who scored 14 first half points.
McNeese flipped the game around in the third quarter by outscoring the Lady Lions 15-9 in the first five minutes to take a 52-50 lead on a Donnes three. The Cowgirls ended the quarter by scoring on its final eight possessions including back-to-back 3-pointers by Donnes and Baggett. Haywood capped the scoring outburst with a layup to give the Cowgirls its most points scored in a quarter this season with 33. The Cowgirls also held Pool to four-second half points and she would eventually foul out with 2:52 left in the game.
McNeese held its double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter and held its largest lead of 20 points on a Johnson jumper with 1:33 to play. McNeese outscored SE La. 26-19 in the final quarter.
The Cowgirls will travel to New Orleans Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. game then will return home Tuesday, Feb. 2 to face New Orleans at 7 p.m. at the Lake Charles Civic Center.
