LAKE CHARLES – Javohn Garcia scored 22 points, including the 1,000^th point of his career, and Sincere Parker added 15 with 13 of those coming in the final 15 minutes of the game to help guide McNeese to a 65-50 win over Northwestern State in front of a Legacy Center crowd of 3,670 while head coach Will Wade won his 40^th game at McNeese.
 
In addition, DJ Richards Jr. scored 12 points behind four three-pointers, the last one for the 200^th in his career.
 
McNeese improved to 18-6 overall with the win and continued its trek towards its second straight Southland Conference regular season championship, now with a 12-1 record. The Demons fell to 10-13 overall and 7-6 in league play.
 
NSU's 50 points scored were the fewest allowed by the Cowboys this season and least amount by a Division I school since holding Nicholls to 47 points in February of last season while the 15 first half points the Demons scored were the least amount against the Cowboys since MUW scored 14 in the second half in December last season.
 
McNeese led 25-15 at the half and used a suffocating defense that forced the Demons into 15 turnovers that led to 10 points scored by the Cowboys.
 
Garcia needed nine points to get to the 1,000 milestone. He scored the first three points of the game on a trey two minutes into the game, then collected his 1,000^th on the first of two made free throws with 1:03 to play in the first half that put the Cowboys on top 24-15.
 
A couple of more free throws by Garcia early in the second half gave the Cowboys their largest lead at the time at 34-22 but NSU came back with five straight points off a 3 by Landyn Jumawan and jumper from Micah Thomas to cut the margin to 34-27 with 16:11 to play.
 
Parker began his scoring surge with a couple of freebies at the 15:21 mark, then his lone 3-pointer of the game with 5:42 remaining seemingly squashed NSU's hopes of an upset when it pulled to within four points before Parker's 3.
 
Richards Jr. then hit back-to-back 3-pointers, his second to put the Cowboys on top 57-46 with 2:39 to play, and the 200^th in his college career. Along with those threes, Parker connected on two And-1 layups and free throws while the Cowboys sank 7 of 8 from the line in the final three minutes.
 
McNeese hit 38 percent from the field for the game (19-50), 45.5 percent from 3-point range (10-22), and 81 percent at the line (17-21). NSU made 42.5 percent of its total shots (17-40), 31.6 percent from long range (6-19) and 58.8 percent from the free throw line (10-17)
 
The Cowboys forced NSU into 21 turnovers and scored 22 points from them and outscored the Demons 10-3 in second chance points.
 
Micah Thomas led NSU with 13 points while Addison Patterson added 12 and Jumawan 11.
 
The win finished off a season sweep for McNeese over NSU for the second consecutive season.
 
Postgame Notes:
• Head coach Will Wade won his 40^th game as McNeese's head coach.
• McNeese is 10-1 in the Legacy Center this season and 7-0 in Southland Conference games.
• The Cowboys have won 17-straight conference games in the Legacy Center dating back to the season finale in the 2022-23 season, and 19-straight against league competition when included last year's two conference tournament games.
•McNeese is 28-1 overall at home the last two seasons.
• 30-2 in Southland Conference games over the last two years and 16-0 in home league games during that span.
• The Cowboys picked up their 398^th all-time conference win, increasing its league record.
• Now 16-1 when leading at the half and 10-0 when leading at the break in conference games.
• The 22-point game for Javohn Garcia was the fifth 20-point game of the season and eighth in his career.
• With DJ Richards Jr.'s four 3s made, not only does it give him 200 in his college career, it also gives him 137 at McNeese and moving him into 12^th place on the school's all-time 3FG made list.