Box Score LAKE CHARLES – A record crowd witnessed McNeese rally from a 17-point second half deficit but ultimately fall, 81-73, to Stephen F. Austin in the Cowboys' Southland Conference opener on Saturday.
 
A total of 3,565 fans set the new record in the 4,200-seat H&HP Arena, breaking the old record of 2,778 attending last year's win over Nicholls.
 
"First thing I want to say is thanks to the fans that came out," said head coach Heath Schroyer. "We had almost 3,600 people here. I think that's a real indication of how far we've come as a program. On a Saturday at 3 o'clock before Christmas, I just want to thank all of them for coming."
 
The crowd definitely played a factor in McNeese (5-7, 0-1 SLC) rallying from a 70-53 deficit with 7:59 to play, to cutting the lead to two points at 75-73 following the third of three Roydell Brown three-point baskets with 1:22 remaining.
 
But the Lumberjacks (10-2, 2-0) got a big jumper in the lane by Kevon Harris with a hand in his face to make it a 77-73 score with 32 seconds left. And after a missed McNeese three 13 seconds later, SFA hit four straight free throws in the remaining seconds, including two with .1 second to play.
 
McNeese, on the other hand, missed 15 freebies for the game and 11 in the second half alone.
 
"Stephen F. is Stephen F.," said Schroyer. "They're a really good team. I think we had our chances. We figured out some things down the stretch that really helped us. But they're a load."
 
Gavin Kensmil led SFA with 21 points while Cameron Johnson added 18 and Nathan Bain 12.
 
McNeese had four players score in double-digits, led by Brown's 25 points and 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double on the year, and at one point, scored 12 straight points for the Cowboys during their late-game, 20-5 run.
 
"I thought our game plan, especially offensively, was right," said Schroyer. "We only had 17 turnovers (SFA entered the game forcing a nation's best 25 turnovers). But at the end of the day, leaving 15 points from the free throw line on the board, you're just not going to beat a team as good as them."
 
A.J. Lawson added 12 points for the Cowboys and found himself in foul trouble with two whistles in the first minute of the game. Leondre Washington subbed in for him and ended with 11 points and a game-high five assists while Dru Kuxhausen scored 11 points with two three-pointers made as he was heavily guarded all game.
 
SFA took a 47-39 lead into the half after closing the frame on a 7-0 run when McNeese cut the margin to 40-39 on a Lawson layup that completed a 7-0 McNeese run.
 
The Lumberjacks opened up the second half on a 13-1 run to grab a 60-46 lead after a Bain basket with 14:42 to play. The Cowboys cut it to 60-52 following a Kuxhausen fast-break trey and a couple of Washington free throws at the 11:24 mark.
 
A Johnson jumper in the paint gave SFA its largest lead at 70-53 but McNeese fired back with back-to-back threes by Brown and Trey Johnson to cut the margin to 11 with 6:54 to play.
 
Another Brown three two minutes later closed the gap to 74-64 and after a couple of defensive stops and a turnover, Brown scored two more baskets to make it a 74-68 score with 3:24 remaining.
 
Kensmil hit one of two free throws after missing a layup but getting his own rebound and drawing a foul on a follow-up attempt to make it a 7-point game, but Brown struck again with a fast break layup off a steal then a three-point basket off a second straight SFA turnover to pull McNeese to within 75-73.
 
The Cowboys shot 45 percent for the game, hitting 22 of 49 shots, and was 8 of 19 from long range for 42 percent. The big dagger was at the free throw line where McNeese made just 21 of 36 for 58 percent.
 
SFA shot 54 percent from the field (30 of 56), 43 percent from three-point range (6 of 14), and was 15 of 21 at the line for 71 percent.
 
The Lumberjacks out-rebounded the Cowboys by a 37-28 margin but McNeese's top rebounder Sha'Markus Kennedy played just 19 minutes after battling the flu all week.
 
"Sham just didn't have anything in the tank," said Schroyer about Kennedy. "He practiced one day this week. But he'll be better.
 
"But all that being said, we shot ourselves in the foot in my opinion. We were 5 for 16 (in free throws) in the second half when we're trying to make a run. It's hard to beat any team in the league, led alone Stephen F. Austin."
 
McNeese will break for the Christmas holiday and will return to action on Jan. 2 when it hosts Sam Houston State at 6:30.