LAKE CHARLES—  For the first time in 14 years, McNeese women's basketball is advancing to the Air Force Reserve Southland Conference Championship game after defeating No. 4 seed UTRGV 67-52 in the semifinal Wednesday morning.  The Cowgirls will face No. 3 seed Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon in the Legacy Center. The Ladyjacks defeated No. 2 seed Lamar 64-59 in the other semifnal game. The game will broadcast on ESPNU.

Sophomore Tyreona Sibley and Carley Hamilton both led McNeese (28-4) with career highs in the game.  Sibley ended the game with 24 points and Hamilton ended with 13.  Sibley was 11 of 19 from the field and also pulled down six rebounds.  Lexi Alexander ended the game with her fourth double double this season, scoring 18 points and tying her season high with 11 points.

The first half went back and forth and the Cowgirls held as much as an eight-point lead early in the second quarter.  The Vaqueros came back to tie the game at 22 with 4:26 left in the half.  Alexander's layup cut the UTRGV lead to one with 36 seconds left then a layup by Sibley as the half ended gave McNeese a 31-30 halftime lead.

Sibley started the second half with a layup for a 33-30 Cowgirl lead.  UTRGV took a 40-35 lead with 5:25 left in the quarter but a 19-3 McNeese run in the final five minutes put the Cowgirls up 54-43, its largest lead of the game.

McNeese outscored UTRGV 13-9 in the final quarter.  The Vaqueros end their season 20-13.
 
McNEESE NOTES
• Are advancing to the SLC Tournament Championship game for the first time since 2012
• The win against UTRGV is coach Ayla Guzzardo's 150^th career win
• Extended its winning streak to 21 games, the nation's third longest winning streak this season
• Have won 24 of last 26 games
• Tyreona Sibley and Carley Hamilton scored career highs to lead McNeese.  Sibley scored 24 points and Hamilton came off the bench to score 13.
• Lexi Alexander recorded her third double double of the season with 18 points and tied her season high with 11 rebounds
• McNeese scored 27 points off 20 UTRGV turnovers
• McNeese scored 40 of its points in the paint
• McNeese has won two SLC Tournaments in program history (2011, 2012)