LAKE CHARLES – McNeese head coach Bill Armstrong stressed rebounding and a quick start after Monday's loss at UIW.
 
The Cowboys dominated in both areas on Friday night in a 92-54 rout over Northwestern State in front of 3,255 at the Townsley Law Arena. The 38-point win margin is the largest in the history of the series which began in 1951.
 
Using a lineup with four different players in the starting five, McNeese (7-2 overall, 1-1 in the Southland Conference) jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first 3 ½ minutes and only twice in the next three minutes saw the lead fall to single digits for the remainder of the game.
 
The Cowboys nearly doubled up the Demons (1-8, 0-1) in rebounding, recording a 42-23 advantage including a 15-8 mark from the offensive glass.
 
The win marked the sixth straight over the Demons 25^th-consecutive home victory over league opponents. It also extended the Cowboys' current home winning streak to 17 games which is tied as the fifth-longest in the NCAA.
 
After leading 13-0, NSU got on the board after Omar Adegbola sank his only three-pointer of the game then the Demons closed the gap to 17-9 with 14:00 left in the half.
 
Tyshawn Archie put the Cowboys back up by double-digits for good with three of his team-high 14 points then after leading 27-17 with 9:16 remaining in the half, McNeese went on a 24-0 run over the next 5:08 to open up a 51-17 lead.
 
Garwey Dual and Carl Cherenfant, who each scored 12 in the game, scored five and four points respectively in the run as the Cowboys made 11 straight shots during the stretch.
 
NSU opened the second with a 13-1 run but the first half lead by McNeese was too much to overcome. McNeese followed NSU's run with a 15-0 run of its own to grow the lead to 74-40 with 9:44 remaining.
 
A 13-0 run followed after the Demons snapped the previous run, this one with Archie, Javohn Garcia, and Cherenfant knocking down three-straight three-point baskets to cap a 28-2 run and build the lead to 89-42.
 
Garcia ended the night with nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Larry Johnson matched Archie's game-high with 14 points and added eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. He also threw down three Johnson Jams.
 
Next up: McNeese will travel to face Rhode Island of the Atlantic 10 Conference on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. Central Time. The Cowboys will return home next Friday night at 7:30 when they host East Texas A&M in the second game of a double-header.
 
Game Stats:
• McNeese made 56.3 percent from the field (36-64), 47.1 percent from three-point range (8-17), and 75 percent at the free throw line (12-16). NSU made 18 of 51 from the field (35.3%), 10-33 in 3-pointers (30.3%), and 8-11 (72.7%) at the free throw line.
• The Cowboys scored 54 points in the paint, 39 points from the bench, 29 points off turnovers, and 27 fast break points.
• NSU turned the ball over 19 times while McNeese turned it over 10 times.
• The Cowboys dished out 23 assists on 36 made shots.
• McNeese never trailed in the game.