LAKE CHARLES – Tyshawn Archie scored a career-high 25 points to lead McNeese to a 73-61 win over Southeastern Louisiana in front of 3,112 at the Townsley Law Arena on Saturday while extending the nation's third-longest home court winning streak to 21 games.
 
McNeese improved to 13-3 overall and 6-1 in league play and will next host Nicholls on Monday night in a battle for first place. The Colonels defeated New Orleans on Saturday to improve to 7-0 in the league. Southeastern fell to 5-11 overall and 2-5 in the conference.
 
Javohn Garcia was the only other McNeese player to score in double-figures, finishing with 10 before he fouled out of the game with 4:40 to play and McNeese leading 64-56. That's when Archie was called upon to take control of the game with Garcia out, scoring five straight points for the Cowboys with his last two putting McNeese up 69-61 with 2:01 remaining.
 
Larry Johnson, who earlier in the week scored 18 points in a win over Stephen F. Austin, came up with a big steal with 42 seconds to play, then knocked down two free throws to seal the win.
 
The Lions scored the first seven points of the game and led 10-2 with 17:44 early before Garcia sank a three to begin a stretch where the Cowboys outscored Southeastern 26-4 over a 10-minute span.
 
A jumper by Archie put McNeese up 30-14 with 7:31 to play and capped off a 16-0 run. The Lions scored the final four points of the half to cut McNeese's lead to 40-27 at the break.
 
Southeastern started the second half much like the first, scoring the first seven points and pulled to within 40-34 with 17:32 to play. Garcia snapped the slide with two free throws and after leading 42-35, Yanis Ndjonga and Jacolb Fredson-Cole hit back-to-back layups to extend the lead.
 
Ndjonga ended the night with a game-high nine rebounds, six of those coming off the offensive glass. He added seven points in 16 minutes. His points and rebound totals were the most against a Division I school this season.
 
Southeastern got as close as four points at 48-44 with 11:47 to play but Garcia quickly put an end to that threat by sinking a three-pointer to build the lead back up.
 
The Cowboys scored five straight points to build back a double-digit lead at 64-52 with 6:06 to play. DJ Richards Jr. knocked down his second three-pointer of the game in that mini-run which was the 199^th made 3 in his McNeese career and moving him into a tie for sixth on the all-time school career list.
 
Southeastern had three players finish in double-figures, led by Kyle Edison's 13 points.
 
McNeese made 28-of-58 from the field for 48 percent, 6-for-18 from three-point range (33%) and 11-of-15 at the free throw line for 73%. The Lions connected on 19-of-44 field goals (43%), 5-for-19 from behind the arc (26%) and was 18-for-28 at the free throw line (64%).
 
McNeese vs. Southeastern Postgame Notes
Team Notes
• Saturday's game was the third game of a four-game home stand for McNeese.
• McNeese and Southeastern played for the 126^th time in the all-time series.

• McNeese is 72-54 against the Lions.
• The Cowboys have won three straight in the series.
• McNeese will visit Southeastern on January 26

• Now 8-0 at home this season, McNeese extended its home court winning streak to 21 games which is tied as the 4^th-longest in the NCAA.
• The Cowboys have won 28 straight home games against Southland Conference competition.
• McNeese is 41-10 over the last two seasons and 71-13 over the last three years.
• With the halftime lead in Saturday's game, McNeese is now 9-0 when leading at the half and 58-1 over the last three years with a halftime lead.
• Held Southeastern to 61 points, its lowest point total in a loss in conference games.
• 10 of the 13 wins on the year have been by 10 points or more.
• McNeese forced Southeastern into 17 turnovers marking the 13^th time this season to turn a team over 15 times or more.
• The Cowboys out-rebounded the Lions by a 32-30 margin marking the eight time to out-rebound their opponent this season including the fifth time in seven conference games.
• McNeese got 52 points from its bench on the night, increasing its season total to 644 for a 40.3 per game average.
• The game's attendance of 3,112 marked the fifth time in eight home games this season to surpass 3,000 a game.
 
Player Notes
• Tyshawn Archie scored a career-high 25 points, bettering his previous career-best of 24 scored against East Texas A&M on Dec. 12.

• Archie has scored double-figures 12 times on the season and in three straight games.
• His 11 field goals made on the night set another career high.
• Played a season-high 32 minutes.

• Javohn Garcia scored 10 points in the game, giving him 988 in his career at McNeese and 1,316 overall in his career.

• He's looking to become the first player in school history to hit the career 1,000 points scored mark twice in his career. Last season he scored his overall career 1,000^th point now he's 12 points away from scoring his McNeese 1,000^th career point.

• DJ Richards Jr. connected on two 3-pointers on the night, increasing his McNeese career total to 199 and tying him at No. 6 on the school's career list with Dru Kuxhausen.

• Richards Jr. has made 262 total career 3s.
• Also having scored his 1,000^th total career points last season, Richards Jr. has scored 867 career points at McNeese, needed 133 more to reach 1,000.