BEAUMONT – McNeese can capture at least a tie for its first Southland Conference regular season title in 13 years when the Cowboys visit longtime rival Lamar in the Battle of the Border Pt. II matchup on Monday night at the Montagne Center in Southland Conference men's basketball action.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will broadcast on ESPN+ as well as the McNeese Radio Network (Magic 92.1 and mymagiclc.com).
McNeese (24-3, 13-1) has a three-game lead over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Nicholls (both at 10-4 in SLC play) with four games remaining. A victory over Lamar would mean the Cowboys could finish no worse than in a tie for the league regular season title, the program's first since the 2010-11 season and just the seventh overall.
The Cowboys hold the tiebreaker over the Islanders and will play Nicholls on Saturday in the Legacy Center. Lamar (15-12, 9-5) lost its bid for a chance at the title when it fell to AMCC on Saturday night meaning a win for the Cowboys and a Nicholls loss to UIW would wrap up the No. 1 seed in the March 10-13 tournament.
Shahada Wells and
Christian Shumate continue to be the best 1-2 tandem in the league and one of the best combos in the nation in when it comes to transition baskets.
Shumate has made his way onto ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day a total of eight times with half of those off an alley-oop pass from Wells with the latest being an off the backboard pass by Wells to Shumate for the two-handed slam that earned a No. 8 listing on the top plays Saturday night.
Shumate finished the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds while sinking 8 of 9 from the field with the only miss being a three-point attempt. He played just 20 minutes in the game and only six in the second half. His efforts notched his 10
th double-double on the season and 31
st in his career, pulling him to within one of the school record of 32 held by Desharick Guidry. It's also ranked No. 5 all-time in SLC history.
Wells' ability to find the scorer has been magical, especially in league games where he's averaging nearly six assists per game and is coming off a 7-assist, zero turnover contest against UIW.
The duo ranks 1-2 on the team in scoring, Wells with 16.9 ppg and Shumate at 12.4. Shumate tops the league with 9.7 rebounds on the season while Wells leads the conference with 2.9 steals per game (No. 2 in the NCAA) and is second with 4.8 assists.
McNeese's 16-point win over UIW on Saturday night marked the 18
th double-digit win on the year, ranking as the third-most in the NCAA behind Auburn (21) and No. 1 UConn (19).
The Cowboys defeated Lamar 88-69 back on Jan. 15 in Lake Charles. Five Cowboys scored in double-figures in that game led by a 21-point outing from Shumate who also pulled down 15 rebounds.
CJ Felder added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Wells flirted with a triple-double following a 19-point, 7-assist and 6-steal game.
Monday's game will be the 116
th meeting in the series with Lamar holding a slight 60-55 lead. McNeese has won the last two meetings.
