LAKE CHARLES – McNeese overcame a sluggish start but found its groove midway through the first half and go on to extend the nation's longest current winning streak after an 89-65 Southland Conference victory over Northwestern State in front of a near sellout crowd of 4,058 at McNeese's Legacy Center on Monday night.
The win was the 14
th-straight for the Cowboys, matching the second-longest winning streak in school history as they continue to build on their best start ever, now at 19-2 overall and 8-0 in league play. NSU lost for the third straight time and fell to 5-16 on the season and 3-5 in the league.
McNeese completed the season sweep over the Demons with the win.
Four Cowboys scored in double figures, led by
Christian Shumate's 15 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds. Shumate, who entered the game making just 44% at the free throw line, sank 7 of 10 at the charity stripe on the night.
DJ Richards Jr. sank 14 points behind three 3-point baskets to mark his fifth-straight game with multiple 3s while
Shahada Wells added 13 points with five assists and five steals, and
Antavion Collum scored 12.
Wells scored his 1,000
th career point on the night as he needed just 10 heading into the game.
The Demons had three players scored in double-digits, led by Chris Mubiru's 17 points. Chase Forte added 16 and Cliff Davis 15.
NSU opened the game on an 8-0 run behind a couple of quick three-pointers by Mubiru and Forte before McNeese got on the board nearly three minutes into the game on a Wells fast-break layup.
Forte's second of four threes on the night gave the Demons a 15-10 lead with 13:25 on the clock when McNeese cranked things up with a 15-0 run. Both Wells and Richards each knocked down 3s during the 5-minute spurt and Richards completed it with a fast-break layup plus free throw, giving McNeese a 25-15 lead with 8:13 remaining in the half.
McNeese led 35-26 at the half then scored the first six points of the second half to go up 41-26 with 16:59 left.
Davis later knocked down back-to-back 3s for the Demons as they closed the gap to nine points at 44-35 with 14:50 on the clock but McNeese finally found its rhythm over the next five minutes as it put together a 17-3 run, forcing NSU into five turnovers during that stretch while scoring eight points off the miscues including a couple of highlight reel dunks by
Javohn Garcia and Shumate.
Richards Jr. gave the Cowboys their largest lead at 81-53 with his third trey of the night with 3:34 left on the clock, and with the bench emptied,
T'Johnn Brown and
Wesley Fields got into the scoring action late, Brown throwing down a fast-break dunk and Fields sinking a fast-break 3-pointer off a Brown steal.
McNeese shot 49% in the game but rallied in the second half with 67% second half shooting after hitting just 34% in the first half. The Cowboys made 11 of 26 from three-point range and 20 of 26 at the free throw line.
NSU made 56% from the field for the game and connected on 10 of 19 from 3-point range. The Demons made 17 of 24 at the charity stripe.
McNeese forced NSU into 26 turnovers and scored 36 points off them while McNeese turned the ball over just eight times. The Cowboys also outscored the Demons 34-18 in the paint and held a 27-3 advantage in fast-break points.
Next up, the Cowboys will visit Southeastern on Saturday at 3:30 for the second go-around on the season. McNeese defeated the Lions 74-65 in Lake Charles back on January 13.
Postgame Notes:
• The 19 wins for McNeese are the most in a season since winning 21 games in the 2010-11 season which was the last time the Cowboys won the SLC title.
• It's currently tied as the most wins in the NCAA with No. 2 Purdue (19-2), No. 4 Houston (19-2), and Grand Canyon (19-2).
• The 19-2 record equals the 6
th-best start in Southland Conference history with the 1971-72 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
•
Will Wade improved his record to 11-0 as a Cowboy and marked the first time in his career to start a season 11-0.
• A crowd of 4,058 witnessed the win and marked the fourth time this season the home crowd has surpassed 4,000 in the 4,200-seat arena.
• The 11 home wins are the most in a season in Legacy Center history and the most home victories since 2010-11 when the Cowboys won a school record 15 games at home (Burton Coliseum).
• The Cowboys held a 13-7 advantage in offensive rebounds, scoring 18 second chance points.
•
Shahada Wells became the second Cowboy this season to score his 1,000
th-career point after sinking 13 to give him 1,003 in his career.
• Shumate recorded one ShuSlam in the game, giving him 30 on the season.
• Shumate's 15 points increases his career total to 1,178 and moving him into 23
rd place on the school's all-time scoring list.
• McNeese held a 27-3 advantage in fast-break scoring and 59-4 over the last two games.
• McNeese outscored UNO 54-26 in the paint and 34-12 in bench points.
• Improved to 15-0 when leading at the half.
• 11-0 when scoring 80 points or more.
• 16-0 when shooting 45% or better.
