NATCHITOCHES- Junior Mercedes Rogers stole the inbounds pass and made two free throws in the final seven seconds here Saturday to seal the Cowgirls' Southland Conference opening 68-63 win over Northwestern State.
 
Rogers, the native of Crowley, spent most of the game on the bench in foul trouble but came up huge in the win. With the Cowgirls (6-6, 1-0 SLC) leading 64-62,
 
NW State's  (6-6. 0-1 SLC) Cheyenne Brown was fouled, she made the first to cut the lead to 64-63 then missed the second and Rogers grabbed the rebounds.
 
"Our top three players didn't have a good offensive game today but the big thing they all three did was be leaders and made plays when they needed to especially in the final minutes of the game," said head coach Kacie Cryer.
 
Senior and Natchitoches native Victoria Rachal scored her only two points of the game on a jumper with :10 left to up the lead to 66-63. NW State called a timeout to set up a play and it was no doubt who they would attempt to get the ball to, Beatrice Attura. Attura, who scored 34 of the Lady Demons' 63 points and made 6 of 12 three-pointers was the target.
 
Head coach Kacie Cryer and her staff also knew who they would attempt to get the ball to so they double teamed Attura in the inbounds play. With Attura covered, Sami Thomas attempted to throw the ball cross court and that's when Rogers stepped in to make the steal and she was immediately fouled. Rogers would make both free throws to seal the win.  
 
Junior Hannah Cupit came off the bench and had a career game with 19 points. Freshman Caitlin Davis followed Cupit and also had a career game with 17 points. Heywood dominated the boards and came away with a double double with 13 points and 17 rebounds. With those 17 rebounds, Heywood moves into the Top 5 in McNeese career rebounds.
 
"Hannah kept us in game when we were in major foul trouble in the second quarter and Caitlin continues to get to the rim and does what she needs to do. We had a lot of close games in the preseason and we finally won one," Cryer said.
 
McNeese got off to a cold start by missing their first three shots of the game before Caitlin Davis put the Cowgirls on the board with a layup. The Cowgirls went on to score four straight on layups by Davis and Frederica Haywood to take an 8-3 lead three minutes into the game.
 
The Cowgirls got some offense off the bench from Dede Sheppard and Hannah Cupit. Cupit scored the Cowgirls' final five points of the quarter to a 16-12 McNeese lead despite a 5-0 run by the Lady Demons.
 
McNeese got into foul trouble in the second quarter and NW State took advantage of it by outscoring the Cowgirls 27-21. Starters Amber Donnes and Mercedes Rogers both sat the bench in the second quarter with two fouls apiece while Sheppard played the second quarter with two fouls.
 
Both teams traded baskets early in the quarter until McNeese took a brief 33-32 lead on a Sheppard jumper. NW State retook the lead on a Gabby Bell jumper that gave the Lady Demons the lead. NW State held as much as a six-point lead with 1:30 left in the half but two free throws by Haywood and a layup by Cupit cut the lead to 39-37.
 
McNeese returns home Monday for the first time since Dec. 4 to host Stephen F. Austin at 5:30 p.m.