NATCHITOCHES – McNeese will close out its five-game, three-and-a-half week road trip on Saturday when the Cowboys visit Southland Conference rival Northwestern State.
 
Tip-off has been set for 4 p.m. at NSU's Prather Coliseum. The game will follow a 1 o'clock women's basketball contest. The times were moved from the originally scheduled 4 and 7 p.m. starts to accommodate an NSU volleyball match at 11 a.m., but that match was postponed on Friday due to COVID guidelines and the basketball games were moved up three hours.
 
Saturday's game will broadcast live on ESPN+ as well as the McNeese Radio Network on My Magic 92.1 FM and online at mymagiclc.com.
 
The Cowboys (8-10, 2-7 SLC) are coming off an 80-70 win at Central Arkansas in their last outing last Saturday. That game was the beginning of the second half of the league season for the Cowboys. The Demons (6-14, 5-4) held on to beat Incarnate Word by one point in their last game which ran their winning streak to four games.
 
McNeese has four of its starters averaging double-figures in scoring on the season, led by KeyShawn Feazell with 13.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Dru Kuxhausen is averaging 12.4 points, A.J. Lawson at 12.2 and Carlos Rosario at 10.6 per game. Lawson tops the league with 5.6 assists per game and Kuxhausen is the league leader in three-pointers made (61), threes made per game (3.4) and 3FG percentage (42.1).
 
The Demons have two players scoring double-digits on the season – Trenton Massner with a team-high 12.5 per game and Jamaure Gregg with a 10.0 average.
 
NSU beat McNeese 78-75 in the first meeting of the season back on January 9 in Lake Charles.
 
COWBOYS CLOSE OUT ROAD TRIP AT NSU:                 
• McNeese opened up the second half of its Southland Conference season last Saturday in an 80-70 win at Central Arkansas. Now the Cowboys will close out their 5-game, 3 1/2 week road swing at Northwestern State on Saturday in the second meeting between the two this season.
• McNeese is currently 2-2 on the road trip having won 74-71 at HBU (Jan. 23) and 80-70 at UCA (Feb. 6).
• Saturday's game will be the 130th meeting between the Cowboys and Demons with McNeese holding a slight 65-64 edge in the series.
• The Demons won 78-75 in the last meeting back on Jan. 9 in a game that was played in Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. In that game, McNeese's KeyShawn Feazell returned from a three-game hiatus due to COVID and scored 22 points on 10 of 15 shooting. AJ Lawson added 17 points and 9 assists and Jeremy Harrell scored a career-high 12 points .
 
FAST BREAK FACTS:                                             
• McNeese is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA with 19.9 assists per game and is 4th with 358 total assists
• The Cowboys have dished out 20 or more assists 10 times this season.
• 9-3 on the season when leading at the half, 2-1 in SLC games when leading at the break. 0-6 in SLC when trailing at the half.
• The Cowboys have scored 100 points or more three times this season, all at home. The school record is seven, that coming last season.
• McNeese has made 50 percent or better from the field in 10 of 17 games this season.
• Demon Assoc. HC Jeff Moore's father and uncle both played at McNeese while Asst. Coach Dave Simmons was McNeese's head coach from 2006-18.
 
TRENDING COWBOYS                                           
• KeyShawn Feazell has scored double-digits in 12 of last 13 games and in all but two games on the season.
• Chris Orlina returned to the floor at Lamar after missing the previous six full games due to a broken hand he suffered against UCA on Jan. 2. At UCA, he played 26 minutes, scoring 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting.
• AJ Lawson leads the SLC in apg (5.6) and total assists (100).
• Four times this season Lawson has come within either an assists and/or rebound from posting a triple-double.
• True freshman Braelon Bush tops the league and is 31st  in NCAA in assist/TO ratio at 2.9. He's got a 4.8 ratio in SLC play (24/5)
• Dru Kuxhausen is averaging 3.2 threes made per game the last seven outings, hitting 40 percent  (19 for 47).
• Harwin Francois recorded a season-high 13 points at UCA in his last outing.
• RS freshman Collin Warren has started in six straight games and is expected to start on Saturday.
• McNeese leads the league in fewest fouls called per game at 16.9.
 
THE SERIES
Meeting: ................................................. 130th
Series:............................ McNeese leads 65-64
Last Meeting:................. NSU 78, McNeese 75
        ....... Jan. 9, 2021 in Lake Charles (Burton)
Streak: .......................................................... L2
Last 10:........................................................ 4-6
Last 20:                                                        7-13