LAKE CHARLES – McNeese returns home on Saturday to take on the New Orleans Privateers looking to snap a five-game losing streak while take a step closer to clinching a spot in the Southland Conference postseason tournament.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 at the McNeese H&HP Arena. The game will follow a 1 o'clock tip between the two women's teams.
 
McNeese (12-14, 7-8 SLC) sits in eighth place in the conference standings but are just two games out of fourth place, a spot that receives a first round bye in the tourney. Right behind the Cowboys with nine losses are Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, both who defeated McNeese and hold the tie-breaker.
 
The Cowboys dropped a 65-59 decision at UIW this past Wednesday in what was the lowest offensive score in conference games.
 
Sha'markus Kennedy recorded his 13^th double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Dru Kuxhausen added 17 points behind three 3-pointers made. Those treys lifted Kuxhausen's season total to 104, three off the McNeese season record of 107 held by Demond Mallet, and 11 away from the league mark of 115.
 
As a team, McNeese connected on four 3s in the game to give it 223 on the year, three away from the team season record of 226 set in the 2010-11 season.
 
The Privateers, the preseason favorite to win the league, are in a tie for last place in the standings at 3-12 and 7-18 overall. UNO has lost three straight games and seven of eight and coming off a 67-66 loss to UIW last Saturday.
 
Kennedy leads the Cowboys in both scoring (18.1) and rebounding (10.6) while A.J. Lawson follows with 15.4 points per game and Kuxhausen a 15.2 average.
 
Bryson Robinson tops the Privateers in scoring with an 18.1 average while Troy Green is putting in 13.6 per contest.
 
McNeese snapped a six-game losing streak to UNO back on Jan. 18 by a 65-52 score to post its first win in New Orleans in six years.
 
In that game, Kennedy scored 21 points with 14 rebounds while Kuxhausen added 18 points after hitting six three-pointers.
 
Following Saturday's game, McNeese will close out its home slate on Wednesday when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana at 6:30. Two Cowboy seniors – Kennedy and Roydell Brown – will be recognized in a pregame ceremony.