LAKE CHARLES—McNeese women's basketball suffered a 71-59 loss to Stephen F. Austin Saturday in the finals of the 2026 Air Force Reserve Southland Conference Basketball Championship, snapping the Cowgirls' 21-game winning streak.
 
The tournament title for Stephen F. Austin is the second straight for the Ladyjacks, who will represent the Southland Conference in the NCAA Tournament.  The Cowgirls take will part in the WBIT.  The WBIT field will be announced late Sunday evening following the NCAA Tournament field announcement.
 
Dakota Howard was one of three Cowgirls to score in double figures, leading all players with a game high 23 points.  Howard recorded her fourth career double double by pulling down 10 rebounds.  Jalencia Pierre and Arianna Patton both ended the game with 11 points each.  Howard and Tyreona Sibley were both named to the all-tournament team.
 
SFA was led in scoring by Myka Perry's 21 points.  Perry was named the tournament's MVP.  Harmanie Dominquez ended the game with 18 points and was named to the all-tournament team.
 
The game was tight throughout the game, and every time would make a run, the Ladyjacks would answer with a big basket.
 
McNeese held a slim 19-18 first quarter lead but the Ladyjacks put together a run to lead by as many as five points in the quarter.  The Cowgirls made a run of their own in the quarter to take a one-point lead late in the quarter, but SFA scored a basket with one second left to lead 34-33 at the half.
 
SFA held as much as a seven-point lead three times in the third quarter but a 5-0 run to end the third pulled the Cowgirls to within two points (50-48).
 
The Ladyjacks began the final quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 10-point (62-52) lead with 4:28 left in the game.
 
McNeese got as close as five points (62-57), but SFA would end the game on a 9-2 run to seal the game.
 
Despite causing SFA to turn the ball over 24 times and scoring 28 points off those turnovers, the Cowgirls were outrebounded 41-22 with SFA picking up 29 defensive rebounds.
 
The Cowgirls' offense struggled in the game, ending with a 39.0 field goal percent while SFA shot 50.9 percent from the field that included nine three-pointers.