LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese Cowboys return home for the first time on Wednesday since Jan. 5 when it hosts Central Arkansas in a key Southland Conference men's basketball matchup.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Burton Coliseum. The game will be carried live on KLCL 1470 AM. A stream of the game can also be followed at McNeeseSports.com.
The Cowboys (5-11, 2-3 SLC) have lost three straight games after winning their first two, and are coming off a 79-75 defeat at the hands of Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday.
McNeese, who has struggled much of the season in the shooting area, struggled again in the first half against the Lions but then ignited a charge in the second half, although a little too late.
The Cowboys shot 45.2 percent for the game, a season-high in conference games, and connected on 53 percent in the second half. Because of that shooting, McNeese rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to take the lead with 5:45 to play but missed 3 of its last 4 shots in the final three minutes to fall to the Lions.
Junior forward
Stephen Ugochukwu had a stellar outing for the Cowboys as he finished with a career-high 17 rebounds to go along with 12 points to record his third-career double-double. The 17 boards are the most recorded by a Southland Conference player this season in a game, tying Lamar's Colton Weisbrod who had 17 against Idaho State. It's also the most rebounds by a McNeese player since
Craig McFerrin's 17 against Central Arkansas on March 2, 2013.
McNeese will enter Wednesday's game with three players averaging double-digits in scoring –
Jamaya Burr 11.1,
Jarren Greenwood 10.3 and
Kalob Ledoux 10.0.
Ledoux is coming off a 15-point outing at SLU where he knocked down 6 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range in playing a career-high 26 minutes.
UCA will come into Burton Coliseum 4-14 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Bears dropped an 88-81 game at Corpus Christi in their last outing and snapping a two-game winning streak.
This will be UCA's fourth straight game away from home.
The Bears are led in scoring by junior guard Jordan Howard's 19.3 points, which ranks him second in the league. He's averaging a conference-high 24.2 points in SLC games only while teammate Mathieu Kamba is averaging 21.6 points in league games.
McNeese holds a 12-8 lead in the series and has won three of the last four matchups. However, UCA has defeated the Cowboys in three of the last four games played in Lake Charles.
Following Wednesday's game, the Cowboys will stay home for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader against Northwestern State.
