BEAUMONT – McNeese rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to cut the margin to two late in the game, but missed opportunities down the stretch allowed Lamar to escape with a 65-56 win over the Cowboys here Saturday afternoon.
 
Trailing 58-49 with 8:11 to play, the Cowboys (7-10, 1-7 SLC) held the Cardinals (4-11, 2-4) to just two points over the next 8:02 and at one point, trailed 60-56 for nearly a three-minute span as both teams failed to score any points. Lamar hit four free throws with under 10 seconds to play to secure the win, two of those by Anderson Kopp after Dru Kuxhausen was whistled for a flagrant foul.
 
During that span, McNeese missed three layups and two free throws, points that likely would've given the Cowboys the win. McNeese missed nine of its last 10 shots of the game while Lamar missed 11 of its last 12.
 
"A frustrating loss for us," said head coach Heath Schroyer. "We had some great looks. Miss layups and key free throws down the stretch. We just couldn't get over the hump.
 
"I thought we had a really good defensive game plan, to hold them basically to 60 points. And we had our chances offensively. We just had a hard time putting the ball in the basket."
 
Carlos Rosario led McNeese with 14 points and 10 rebounds while KeyShawn Feazell recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 boards.
 
The Cowboys had one of their worst shooting games of the season, making just 20 of 56 from the field for 35.7 percent.
 
Lamar had three players in double-digits, led by Avery Sullivan with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Davion Buster added 17 points and Kasen Harrison added 13. The Cardinals weren't much better from the field, shooting 38.3 percent, hitting 23 of 60.
 
After falling behind by 14 at the half, McNeese scored the first six points of the second half and pulled to within two points at 49-47 after a Rosario layup with 12:46 to play, a 20-8 run over a 6:44 span.