LAKE CHARLES – For the first 12 minutes against the 15^th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers, McNeese head coach Dave Simmons saw flashes of the potential this young but talented Cowboys' basketball team can exude this season.
 
On Tuesday night, Simmons wants to see the 12 minutes he saw at Purdue turn into 40 minutes when the Cowboys open their home slate against Louisiana College at 7 p.m. in Burton Coliseum.
 
"We did some good things (at Purdue)," said Simmons who is now in his 11^th season as McNeese's head coach. "We were really good early. But we didn't shoot the ball well at all in the second half. That and the rebounding really hurt us.
 
"It was a very physical game and they (Purdue) were probably the biggest team we've faced since I've been here."
 
The Boilermakers started three players that stood 6-foot-8, 6-9 and 7-2. That trio combined to score 64 points and pull down 37 rebounds. As a team, McNeese scored 65 for the game and hauled in just 28 boards.
 
Despite the discrepancy in the stats, Simmons did see some positive things in the game that he hopes his team continues to build on against LC.
 
"(Newcomer) Howard Thomas played really well for us," said Simmons. "I was excited to see him battle against their giants. We also only turned the ball over 10 times.
 
"We're going to be fine. We have a lot of energy. We didn't hang our heads after the loss."
 
McNeese will be looking to take back the shocking loss at the hands of the Wildcats from last season after LC rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half to stun the Cowboys 73-70.
 
"This will be a good test for us," said Simmons. "They have some talented players. This is not a revenge game. It's a game against a team that we need to come out and play well against and beat."
 
Simmons is expected to go with the same starting five as he did against Purdue with Jamaya Burr (15.0 ppg, 4.0 apg), Jarren Greenwood (5.0 ppg, 4.0 apg) and James Harvey (15.0 ppg) at the guard spots with Stephen Ugochukwu (0.0, 0.0) and Howard Thomas (8.0, 8.0) at the forwards.
 
LC, a NCAA Division III school and a member of the American Southwest Conference, has played two Division I exhibition games already this season, falling 103-68 to Louisiana-Monroe and 88-54 to UTEP. McNeese will be its third and final Division I opponent of the season.
 
Fans that cannot make it out to Burton Coliseum can follow a stream on McNeeseSports.com for a small fee. The game will also be broadcast on the McNeese Radio Network (1470/1290 AM).