LAKE CHARLES – McNeese will close out its home non-conference portion of the schedule on Saturday and the last chance to see the Cowboys at home before Christmas when they host LeTourneau at 3 p.m. in the Legacy Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will broadcast live on ESPN+.
McNeese (4-4) is coming off a hard-fought 74-67 loss to Santa Clara on Tuesday night that snapped the Cowboys' 20-game home winning streak. Now the Cowboys will look to start a new streak against LeTourneau (6-2) who plays Centenary on Friday night.
Following Saturday's game, the Cowboys will play Mississippi State on December 14 in Tupelo then will visit Louisiana-Lafayette on December 22 before breaking for Christmas. McNeese will return home on December 28 when it hosts New Orleans to begin defense of its Southland Conference championship.
STARTING FIVE:
The Cowboys will roll with the same starting five players they have the previous five games with
Omar Cooper (1.9 ppg, 4.3 apg),
Javohn Garcia (11.3 ppg),
Brandon Murray (7.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg),
Christian Shumate (10.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg), and
Joe Charles (8.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg).
SHUMATE JOINS ELITE COMPANY:
Christian Shumate became only the third player in school history to score 1,400 points and grab 900 rebounds in a career after his 17-point outing against Santa Clara lifted him into that group. Now with 1,413 points and 916 rebounds in his McNeese career, he joins Hall of Fame brothers Edmond and David Lawrence as the only three in school history to accomplish the milestone.
ABOUT LeTOURNEAU:
LeTourneau is a member of the American Southwest Conference and the NCAA Division III ranks. The Yellowjackets are coached by James Wallace who is in his fourth year at the helm. Leading the way for LETU is senior guard Deonte Jackson with 21.8 points scored per game along with senior forward Caedmon Libengood who is sinking 21.1 ppg.
The Yellowjackets played Southland Conference member Stephen F. Austin back on November 12, falling by a score of 87-68.
SERIES:
Saturday's game will be the sixth meeting between the two teams with McNeese holding a 5-0 lead in the series. The Cowboys defeated the Yellowjackets 81-49 last season in the first matchup since 1968.
