LAKE CHARLES – There's no place like home!
 
After spending the last 17 months and 689 days out of its home, the McNeese Cowboys will make a return to the recently named Legacy Center on Saturday when it hosts HBU to begin Southland Conference play.
 
Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will follow a 1 o'clock women's game between the two teams.
 
A ribbon cutting ceremony to ring in the opening of the Legacy Center will take place at noon outside the main entrance of the arena. The public is invited to attend.
 
The Cowboys (6-11) are coming off a record-breaking performance in their 120-44 win over Arlington Baptist this past Wednesday. In that game, McNeese set single-game records for most offensive rebounds (37), rebound margin (+61, 77-16), points in the paint (84), most second-chance points scored (48), and fewest rebounds allowed (16) while matching a school record for most points in a half (67).
 
The 120 points and 77 total rebounds recorded are the second-most in school history respectively.
 
HBU (4-9) has dropped three straight games and is coming off a 60-50 loss to UIW in the third game at the Southland Tip-Off Tournament.
 
Individual Statistic Leaders:
Scoring: McN – Myles Lewis (11.9) / HBU – Darius Lee (12.8)
Rebounding: McN – Christian Shumate (6.8) / HBU – Darius Lee (6.4)
Assists: McN – Kellon Taylor (2.2) / HBU – Jade Tse (2.6)
Steals: McN – Johnathan Massie (1.5) / HBU – Darius Lee (1.5)
Blocked Shots: McN – Brendan Medley-Bacon (1.4) / HBU – Darius Lee and Deshon Proctor (0.6)
FG Shooting: McN – Brendan Medley-Bacon (.548) / HBU – Zion Tordoff (.614)
3FG Shooting: McN – Zach Scott (.361) / HBU – Sam Hofman (.395)
FT Shooting: McN – Zach Scott (.857) / HBU – Brycen Long (.800)
 
Team Stat Matchups:
Scoring: McN 76.9 / HBU 71.1
Rebounding: McN 41.8 / HBU 38.2
FG Shooting: McN .446 / HBU .434
3FG Shooting: McN .302 / HBU .310
FT Shooting: McN .603 / HBU .675
Assists: McN 13.1 / HBU 14.0
Steals: McN 9.9 / HBU 6.9
Blocked Shots: McN 4.1 / HBU 3.3
Turnovers: McN 17.0 / HBU 16.2
Pts off Turnovers: McN 18.9 / HBU 16.7
 
Welcome Home Cowboys: McNeese makes its return to the Legacy Center on Saturday when it hosts HBU to begin Southland Conference play. Saturday's game will be the first time the Cowboys have played in the 3-year-old arena since Feb. 26, 2020, a span of 689 days. On August 27, 2020, Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph, ripped through Southwest Louisiana and destroyed much in its path, including the Legacy Center which sustained over $20 million in damages.
 
About The Teams: McNeese enters the game 6-11 on the season and is coming off a 120-44 win over Arlington Baptist on Wednesday in a game that was played in the Ralph Ward Recreation Complex on the McNeese campus, the first to be played in the former home arena since 1972. The Cowboys are 4-0 in home arenas this season (3-0 in Burton Coliseum and 1-0 in the Rec Complex). The Cowboys lead the conference in rebounds per game (41.8, 10th in NCAA), total rebounds (711, 2nd in NCAA), defensive rebounds per game (27.1), offensive rebounds per game (14.8, 4th in NCAA), steals per game (9.9, 15th in NCAA), total steals (168, 7th in NCAA), and blocked shots per game (4.1).
 
HBU is 4-9 on the season and has dropped three straight games. The Huskies are led in scoring by senior forward Darius Lee with 12.8 points per game. HBU leads the league in rebounding margin at +6.7 per game.
 
The Series: McNeese leads 21-7 all-time and has won four straight in the series. The Cowboys have won 7 of last 8 meetings and the last four home contests.
 
20-Point Scorers: McNeese has had four different players score 20 points or more at least once this season with a total of it happening nine times among the group. Christian Shumate and Brendan Medley-Bacon have each scored 20 or more three times while Myles Lewis has topped 20 or more twice and Kellon Taylor once. The Cowboys had three players score 20 points in the same game against Ecclesia on Dec. 30 (Lewis 21, Shumate 21, Taylor 20) marking the first time that's happened in two years.
 
Off The Bench: The Cowboys rank as one of the top teams in the nation when it comes to bench minutes and scoring. McNeese is ranked No. 20 in the NCAA with the bench accounting for 41% of the minutes played in a game. In addition, the Cowboys have scored 504 points from its bench, an average of 29.6 points per game. Christian Shumate leads the team coming off the bench averaging 10.1 points per game.
 
Cleaning Up The Glass: McNeese is ranked No. 1 in the conference in rebounds per game (41.8), total rebounds (711) and offensive rebounds per game (14.8). The Cowboys set a school record with 37 offensive boards in a 120-44 win over Arlington Baptist on Wednesday. The Pokes pulled down 77 total rebounds in the contest marking the second-most rebounds in school history. Outrebounded Arlington Baptist 77-16, setting a new single-game school record with a +61 rebound margin.
 
NCAA Rebounding Rankings: The Cowboys are ranked No. 2 in the NCAA with 711 total rebounds, 4th in offensive rebounds per game (14.8), and 10th in total rebounds per game (41.8).
 
Conference Openers: McNeese is 5-5 in Southland Conference openers over the last 10 seasons. The Cowboys have dropped the opener the last two years.
 
Shumate Off The Bench: Christian Shumate has become one of, if not the top player off the bench in the Southland Conference. The freshman transfer from Tulsa is averaging 10.1 points per game and is tied for the team lead with three, 20-point games on the season. All three of his 20 point games have come in the last five outings where he's averaging 14.4 points over that span. He's coming off a career-high 22 point game against Arlington Baptist on Wednesday where he also pulled down a career-best 17 rebounds to notch his third double-double of the season.
 
Swipe City: McNeese leads the SLC and is ranked No. 7 in the NCAA with 168 total steals and is first in the league and 15th nationally with 9.9 steals per game.
 
Paint Domination: McNeese has scored 674 points in the paint this season, accounting for 52 percent of the team's total scoring. The team is averaging 39.6 points a game with scoring in the paint. Scored 84 points in the paint in a 120-44 win over Arlington Baptist on Wednesday to set a new school record.