LAKE CHARLES – It was a record-breaking day for the McNeese Cowgirls Saturday against UIW, and in front of the Cowgirl alumni to help sweeten the pot.
 
McNeese used a dominant fourth quarter to pull away from the scrappy Cardinals, 75-54, to notch the team's 20^th win, improving to 20-4 overall and 14-1 in Southland Conference play. It's the fastest to 20 wins in school history, bettering the previous record of 20 wins in 26 games. It also marked the 13^th-straight win, another school record.
 
Five Cowgirls scored in double-figures, led by Arianna Patton's 15 points. Lexi Alexander and Dakota Howard each scored 14 while Jalencia Pierre added 13 and Kaili Chamberlain with 11.
 
McNeese kept true to its moniker of the nation's top defense in turnover margin as it forced the Cardinals into 31 mistakes and made them pay by scoring 35 points off those miscues.
 
The Cowgirls also dominated the paint, scoring 40 of their 75 points in the zone.
 
McNeese led 35-28 at the half and 47-40 at the end of the third period, and despite getting the lead up to nine points several times through the first three quarters, could never get over the hump and put UIW away.
 
Not until the fourth quarter.
 
The Cowgirls dominated from the start, scoring the first seven points to go up 54-40, and did so by forcing UIW into turnover in its first three possessions. It didn't stop there. McNeese turned the Cardinals over eight times in the quarter, half of the team's possessions, and outscored UIW 28-14 while knocking down 59 percent of its shots in the frame.
 
For the game, McNeese shot 32 of 75 from the field for 43 percent but was great from behind the arch, hitting 6 of 11 for 55 percent. Patton connected on four of those long balls while Chamberlain hit three.
 
Gwendlyn McGrew led UIW in scoring with 14 points.
 
With the win, McNeese swept the season series over UIW for just the second time in the history of the series.
 
The Cowgirls will hit the road for the next two games, beginning Thursday at Northwestern State then on Saturday at East Texas A&M.