NATCHITOCHES – McNeese will visit Northwestern State at 6:30 on Monday night, capping a weekend road swing that began on Saturday with a 97-54 blowout win over East Texas A&M.
 
Sitting at 21-5 overall and 14-3 in the Southland Conference, McNeese sits in second place and holds a four-game lead over three teams tied for the third place while remaining two games behind Stephen F. Austin who is 16-1 in league play.
 
NSU is 8-18 overall and 6-11 in the conference and is currently in eighth place with a one game lead over four teams for that final tournament spot.
 
GAMEDAY NOTEBOOK
• The Cowboys defeated the Demons in Lake Charles back on Dec. 5 by a score of 92-54.
• McNeese is 21-5 on the season and 14-3 in Southland Conference play and is coming off a hot shooting performance in a 97-54 win over East Texas A&M in Commerce on Saturday.
• McNeese has recorded 20 or more wins for the third straight season, a first in school history.
• 21 wins through the first 26 games marks the second-fastest ever to reach that mark in school history as a Division I school (24 games in 2023-24), and the third-fastest in the history of the program (25 games in 1955-56).
• McNeese players Javohn Garcia, DJ Richards Jr., and T'Johnn Brown are the winningest players in school history now with 79 wins in their three seasons as a Cowboy.
• The 79 wins are also the most by the team in school history over a three-year span.
• Against East Texas A&M, Javohn Garcia and DJ Richards Jr. combined to knock down 10 three-pointers, both going 5 for 8 from behind the arc.
• Garcia led the way with 21 points, his second 20-point game of the season and 11th in his career, while Richards Jr. scored 15.
• Larry Johnson added 9 points to give him 432 on the season, one away from moving into 3rd on the school's freshman scoring record list.
• Johnson has been named to the Mid-Major Freshman of the Year Watch List by MiniHoopsAlert.
• McNeese made a season-high 14 three-pointers in the game while its .545 aim for the game marked the third straight game to shoot over 50% for the contest and for the 9th time in 17 conference games.
• Johnson's 14 points gives him at 423 on the season, ranking 4th all-time in school history for most points by a freshman (Joe Dumars 527, Henry Ray 492, Edmond Lawrence 433), and one of only five to ever do it at McNeese (Christian Shumate 404).
• East Texas A&M is 10-16 on the season and 5-11 in conference play and in a tie for the eighth and final spot in the postseason tournament with UIW, Southeastern and Northwestern State.
• The Demons are 6-5 at home this season including 4-4 in conference games.
• NSU defeated Southeastern 69-66 on Saturday behind a 26-point outing from Micah Thomas.
• McNeese is 9-4 away from home and is 5-3 in road league games.
• The three SLC losses are by a combined 13 points.
• Javohn Garcia has recorded 144 career steals at McNeese, ranking 9th all-time and 7 away from moving into 8th.
• DJ Richards Jr. is 6th all-time with 218 made 3-pointers and 6th with 502 3FG attempts... in addition he's second all-time in 3FG percentage at .427.
• Garwey Dual has dished out 5 or more assists 11 times this season with a high of 11 against Biblical Studies (Nov. 10).
• With 111 assists on the year, Dual is 17 away from breaking into the top 10 single-season school record list.
• Dual has dished out multiple assists in 19 straight games.
• Larry Johnson has scored 17 or more points 15 times and in 7 of the last 10 games.
• Johnson is ranked 12th in the NCAA among freshmen with his 432 points scored.
• The Cowboys are ranked No. 55 in the latest NCAA NET rankings and No. 62 in the KenPom.
• McNeese has won at least 21 games through the first 26 for just the second time since becoming a Division I school with both times coming in the last three seasons (23-3 in 2023-24).
• The Cowboys have had 7 different players make at least 10 starts.
• All 10 regulars have scored double-digits at least once this season while eight players have scored 10 or more multiple times.
• 16 of the Cowboys' 21 wins have been by 10 points or more.
• Eight players are averaging at least 17 minutes of playing time a game while 10 are averaging 12 or more minutes.
• 28 straight regular season home conference wins, 3rd-longest streak in SLC history, and 32 consecutive wins over conference competition (including tournament games).
• McNeese is ranked No. 1 in the conference in 12 stat categories and ranked No. 2 in five more.
• McNeese is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in steal percentage (15.2) and in turnover percentage (24.5) and is No. 2 in block percentage (17.3).
• The Cowboys are 14th in the NCAA in non-steal turnover percentage (9.4).
• McNeese has recorded 10 or more steals in a game 15 times including four straight games.
• The Cowboys have blocked multiple shots in all but two games and have five or more blocks in 13 on the season.
 
SERIES vs. NORTHWESTERN STATE
• Monday night's game will mark the 144th meeting in the all-time series with the Cowboys holding a 74-69 lead.
• McNeese has won six straight in the series, including a 92-54 win back on Dec. 5 in Lake Charles.
• The Cowboys have won the last two games played in Natchitoches, most recently last Jan. 6 by a 92-69 score.
• NSU head coach Rick Cabrera is 0-6 against McNeese.