LAKE CHARLES— Desirae Hansen and Kaili Chamberlin combined for 29 points here Sunday but McNeese couldn't overcome cold shooting in a women's basketball 67-57 loss to UL-Lafayette.
 
McNeese ended the game shooting 25.8 percent from the field (17 for 66), including 10 of 37 from behind the arc for a 27.0 field goal percent.
 
The Cajuns shot 45.8 percent from the field, connecting on 27 of 59 attempts and made 11 of 20 attempts from the charity stripe for 55.0 percent.
 
Despite the cold shooting, Hansen led all players with 19 points and Chamberlin chipped in with 10 points. Divine Tanks led all players with 16 rebounds with 10 coming on the defensive end.
 
"We started out hitting our first three and it looked like it was going to be a good night," said head coach Lynn Kennedy. "After we made our first shot, we missed our next 10 shots but I would take every one of those shots again because we had so many good looks. We have to take those shots and we have to make them. Looking at the stats, every statistic leaned our way or they were even except for one and that was shooting the ball. It was one of those night's but I would take all those shots again."
 
McNeese (3-3) looked like it was going to avoid another slow start when Chamberlin nailed a three-pointer on the first possession of the game but the Cowgirls went scoreless for the next eight minutes to fall behind 13-4 late in the first quarter.
 
Hansen scored the Cowgirls' last six points of the quarter to pull McNeese to within eight (18-10).
 
UL-Lafayette (5-1) built as much as a 12-point lead (27-15) midway through the second quarter but the Cowgirls slowly cut into that lead and got as close as six points (28-22) on a three-pointer by Le'Shenae Stubblefield with 2:04 left in the half. The Cajuns ended the half on a 10-2 run to lead 34-24 at the half.
 
McNeese shot 17.1 percent from the field on 6 of 35 including 4 of 18 from behind the arc in the first half while the Cajun shot 50.0 percent from the field (13 of 26).
 
A Chamberlin three-pointer midway through the third quarter pulled McNeese to within five points (36-31), the closest McNeese got before Destiny Rice scored six straight points off a three-pointer then a Cowgirl turnover allowed Rice to make an old fashion three-pointer after getting fouled on a made layup to up the Cajun lead back to double figures (41-31).
 
ULL built a 14-point lead with 4:14 to play but Hansen's three-pointer cut the lead back to 10 points (58-48) with 3:15 to play. Another run by the Cajuns allowed gave them their largest lead of the game, 16 points with 1:24 to play.  
 
Four Cajuns scored in double figures with Ty'Reona Doucet and Makiayia Hallmon leading the way with 14 apiece. Rice ended with 13 and Lanay Wheaton scored 11.
 
McNeese will hit the road for its next five games beginning with a contest at Mississippi State on Wed., Dec. 1. The Cowgirls will return to Burton Coliseum Dec. 22 to host La. Tech.