SAN ANTONIO – McNeese basketball continues its Rodeo Road Trip on Thursday when the Cowboys visit Incarnate Word in Southland Conference action while looking to snap a three-game losing streak.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
The Cowboys (6-14, 3-6 SLC) have dropped their last three games by a combined 36 points with two glaring stats being pointed to as one of the main reasons for the losses – 54 total turnovers resulting in 61 points.
 
In a 13-point loss to Northwestern State to start the slide, McNeese turned it over 18 times which led to 18 Demons' points. Five days later at UNO, McNeese committed 20 turnovers which saw the Privateers turn those into 23 points in a 19-point win over the Cowboys.
 
And in McNeese's last outing, a 4-point loss at Nicholls, the Cowboys turned it over 16 times while Nicholls scored 20 points off those mistakes.
 
"Obviously we have to take care of the ball a lot better," said head coach Dave Simmons. "I thought we shot the ball a lot better against Nicholls and really played a better second half.
 
In that game, the Cowboys, who did not turn the ball over in the final 9:44 of the game, rallied from an 18-point deficit to tie the game late. But Nicholls hit its free throws when it needed to and pulled out the win.
 
The Cardinals (10-10, 5-4) are tied for fourth in the conference standings and are one of the hottest teams in the league having won four straight.
 
UIW is 9-2 in its home gym, the Convocation Center, and is 4-1 in home league games.
 
The Cowboys are led in scoring by Jamaya Burr's 11.5 points as he's coming off a season-high 24-point outing at Nicholls.
 
Leading the way for UIW is Simi Socks with a 15.5 average.
 
After Thursday, McNeese will visit Lamar on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the four-game road trip.