LAKE CHARLES – McNeese posted a 29-6 run over the course of an 8:46 span in the second half to rally from a 10-point, second half deficit to defeat North Carolina Central 77-61 here Thursday night in front of 1,973 fans.
 
The win was the first over a Division I team this season as the Cowboys improve to 3-6 overall while snapping a three-game losing streak. NCCU lost for the second straight time and falls to 4-7.
 
The Cowboys got redemption after their 67-66 loss at NCCU back on Dec. 1 when the Eagles outscored the Cowboys 10-2 in the final two minutes.
 
"I'm really proud of our group," said head coach Heath Schroyer. "We got down, and I've said all along that this group needs to have a breakthrough and learn how to win. I think tonight they showed a lot of resiliency and overcame a lot of adversity."
 
The Cowboys trailed 30-24 at the half and fell behind 34-24 just two minutes into the second half.
 
McNeese chipped away at the lead and pulled to within 37-36 with 13:59 to play following two Sha'Markus Kennedy free throws. But the Eagles responded with a 9-0 run that was triggered by a 3-pointer from Reggie Gardner and ended with a trey from Jibri Blunt to put NCCU up 45-36 with 12:31 to play.
 
A Kevin Hunt layup with 11:22 to go in the second half started a 10-0 McNeese rally that ended when James Harvey netted his first three-pointer of the night to put the Cowboys up 49-47 with 9:14 to play.
 
Harvey was one of four Cowboy players to score in double-figures as the led the way with 19 points.
 
NCCU came right back and tied it at 49-49 on a Gardner layup then McNeese exploded on an 18-4 run over the next 5:53 to open up a 14-point lead with 2:38 to play.
 
During that stretch, McNeese knocked down 6 of 7 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line.
 
Will Robinson, who finished with 10 points, and Roydell Brown, who finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double on the year, each had statement slams.
 
McNeese hit 12 of its 13 free throws from the 8:31 mark.
 
"Harvey made free throws down the stretch," said Schroyer. "Dell (Brown) made free throws down the stretch. Kevin (Hunt) stepped up and knocked two down."
 
Larry McKnight pulled the Eagles to within nine points at 67-58 with 1:59 to play but McNeese hit four straight free throws then got a couple of Malik Hines two handed slams, his second coming off an offensive rebound and putting McNeese up 75-58 with 31 seconds to play. Hines finished the night with 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting despite playing just eight minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.
 
"This is a great win in a lot of ways," said Schroyer. "This is a great win for our staff and for our program. This isn't the 'end all, be all' but it's a signature win for us. This is something we can build upon."
 
McNeese connected on 49 percent (25 of 51) of its shots for the game, and for the sixth time this season, shot over 50 percent in the second half after hitting 16 of 31 for 51.6 percent.
 
NCCU shot 43 percent for the contest and was 9 of 24 from 3-point range.
 
"This was a really good team we beat tonight," said Schroyer. "The last four years they've been to three NCAA Tournaments and an NIT. They're good and we knew they were good."
 
The Cowboys scored 42 of their 77 points in the paint and got 16 second-chance points off of 11 offensive rebounds. McNeese held a 35-27 advantage on the glass.
 
Raasean Davis led the Eagles with 12 points while Blount and Gardner each scored 11.
 
Next, the Cowboys will travel to Kansas City for a 6 p.m. game on Saturday against Missouri-Kansas City. They'll return home on Tuesday, Dec. 18, for a battle against long-time rival Louisiana-Lafayette.