LAKE CHARLES – McNeese is back on top of the Southland Conference standings where it belongs.
 
Larry Johnson scored 24 points and DJ Richards Jr. added 20 as the duo led six McNeese players who scored in double-figures to pace the Cowboys to a 94-68 rout over previously league unbeaten Nicholls in front of 3,073 at the Townsley Law Arena on Monday night.
 
The win was the third straight for the Cowboys overall and seventh consecutive conference win as they improve to 14-3 on the season and 7-1 in league play. It also extended McNeese's home court winning streak to 22 straight games.
 
Nicholls, now 8-9 overall, lost for the first time in conference play this season, falling to 7-1 which ties it with McNeese and Stephen F. Austin. The Cowboys defeated SFA 66-64 last Monday.
 
Johnson collected his first career double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds, the final one with 1:04 to play to give him the 10. Tyshawn Archie added 13 points, Javohn Garcia 12, and Garwey Dual and Jacolb Fredson-Cole 11 each as the Cowboys improved to 8-0 on the year when scoring 80 points or more.
 
The Colonels were led in scoring by Christian Winborne's 17 points while Trae English and Zee Hamoda added 11 each.
 
McNeese recorded its second-best game of the season shooting from three-point range, hitting 11 of 23 for 48 percent including knocking down 6 of 10 in the second half alone.
 
Nicholls scored the game's first two points and led 6-5 after a Winborne layup at the 15:52 mark of the first half. McNeese went on to outscore the Colonels 32-13 the rest of the half to go into the break leading 37-19.
 
The Cowboys kept the gas on the pedal in the second half as the lead grew to 31 points at 68-37 following one of Richard Jr.'s four 3s on the night with 11:59 to play. The Colonels managed to chip away at the deficit by hitting the 3 ball and trailed 78-57 with 6:02 remaining.
 
A physical layup by Cole 30 seconds later started a quick 7-0 run that included another Richards Jr. trey, this one off a steal by Cole, to make it 85-57 with 4:09 on the clock.
 
The Cowboys turned Nicholls over a season-high 19 times, and scored 22 points off the turnovers. McNeese got 46 points from its bench while the Colonels' reserves tallied 14. And the Cowboys dominated the paint, outscoring Nicholls 34-22.
 
The win ended a four-game home stand for the Cowboys who will next play at UTRGV on Saturday followed by a visit to A&M-Corpus Christi next Monday.
 
McNeese vs. Nicholls Postgame Notes
Team Notes
• McNeese now leads the all-time series against Nicholls by a 60-48 margin.
• The Cowboys will visit the Colonels on March 2 in the regular season finale.
• McNeese is now 9-0 at home this season and extended its home court winning streak to 22 consecutive games.
• The Cowboys have won 29 straight home games against Southland Conference competition.
• McNeese is 42-10 over the last two seasons and 72-13 over the last three.
• McNeese is now 10-0 on the year when leading at the half and 59-1 over the last three years with a halftime lead.
• Nicholls' 68 points scored were the fewest in conference play this season.
• 11 of McNeese's 14 wins on the year are by double-digits.
• The Cowboys forced Nicholls into a season-high 19 turnovers.
• McNeese has turned opponents over 15 times or more 14 times this season and 10 or more times in all 17 games.
• McNeese's 11 three-pointers made are the 2^nd-most made in a game this season.
• The Cowboys held a 37-33 rebounding advantage, marking the second straight game and the sixth time in league play to out-rebound their opponent.
• McNeese made 19 of 22 from the free throw line for 86.4%, the third-highest percentage on the season.
• The attendance of 3,073 marked the sixth time in nine home games to top 3,000 fans including the second straight game.
 
Player Notes
• Javohn Garcia scored 12 points on the night, giving him an even 1,000 career points scored while at McNeese.
• Garcia scored his overall career 1,000^th point last season, and with tonight's milestone, becomes the first player in school history to record 1,000 career-points in two instances.
• DJ Richards Jr. scored 20 points, his first 20-point game of the season and the sixth in his career.
• Richards Jr., who also scored his 1,000^th overall career point last season, is just 113 points away from scoring his 1,000^th at McNeese.
• Richards Jr. added four made three-pointers to his resume, giving him 203 in his career at McNeese and moving him alone at No. 6 on the school's career list. He needs 26 to move into 5^th.
• Richards Jr. also tied a season-high with three steals.
• Larry Johnson recorded his first-career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
• It's Johnson's fifth 20-poing game of the season.
• Jacolb Fredson-Cole's 11 points marked his first double-digit scoring game since scoring 11 in in the season opener against Champion Christian.