Opponent: Texas A&M
Date: Thursday, March 19
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: College Station, Texas (Reed Arena)
Watch: ESPN+

LAKE CHARLES—McNeese women's basketball (28-5), will make its first postseason appearance since 2016 when the Cowgirls will travel to College Station, Texas to face Texas A&M (14-12), one of the No. 1 seeds in the first round of the WBIT on Thursday, March 19.  Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Reed Arena. The game will stream on ESPN+.  This will be both teams first appearance in the WBIT.

Both teams are making their first WBIT appearances and both are automatic qualifiers.  The Cowgirls won the Southland Conference regular season title and the Aggies as one of the "First Four Out" of the NCAA Tournament bracket.

McNeese has taken part in four WBI Tournaments (2013-2016) which is now considered the WNIT and two NCAA Tournaments (2011 and 2012).

This will be the 12^th overall meeting between the two teams with the Aggies holding a 9-2 record over the Cowgirls.  The last meeting was during the 2014-15 season. 

The game will be the second against the Aggies in postseason play.  The two teams met in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Shreveport, La., the year the Aggies won their only women's basketball National Championship.

McNEESE NOTES
• Making its sixth overall postseason appearance and first since 2016
• Advanced to two NCAA Tournaments (2011 and 2012) and four WBI Tournaments (2013, 2024, 2015, 2016)
• Southland Conference Regular season Champions.  It's the third regular season title  (1986, 2011, 2026) in program history.
• Enter the tournament with a 28-5 overall record.
• The three non-conference losses came against Power 4 teams (two against the Big 12 (West Virginia, Arizona State) and one against an SEC team (Alabama).
• Won a school record 28th win with its 67-52 win over UTRGV in the semifinals of the SLC Tournament.
• Have the best turnaround in D1 this season, McNeese is currently at an 18-win turnaround. Last season McNeese finished the season 10-21.
• Have won 21 of last 22 games
• It's the first 20-win season since 2016
• Won a school record 21 SLC games and are the first school to win at least 20 SLC games in conference history.
• Put together a program best 21 game winning streak from Dec. 29, 2025 to March 12, 2026.  At the time it was the third longest winning streak in the NCAA this season.
• The only conference loss the Cowgirls suffered this season was a 65-58 home loss against Northwestern State on Dec. 15, the second SLC game of the season.
• The six non-conference wins are the most wins since the 2015-16 season.
• The 9-1 SLC start this season is the best SLC start in the first 10 games since the 2010-11 team that also started 9-1.
• McNeese recorded at least 10 conference wins for the first time since 2016 with its 77-41 home win over UNO on Jan. 24, 2016
• McNeese has 13 newcomers, which ties for fourth most in the NCAA. Three other teams (Northern Arizona, Indiana State, UL-Monroe) all have 13 newcomers. Of the 13 newcomers, nine are D1 transfers which is tied for most in the NCAA this season.
• All 13 newcomers are Head Coach Ayla Guzzardo's former Southeastern players and recruits 
• Guzzardo brought nine players from her 2024-25 Southeastern team and entire staff, including managers with her to McNeese.
• The 2025-26 roster consists of three-time Southland "Defensive Player of the Year" in Jalencia Pierre.
• Also on the team are three Southland "Freshmen of the Year"- Kaili Chamberlin (2022), Lexi Alexander (2023), and Dakota Howard (2026).
• It's the second time facing Texas A&M in the postseason.  The Aggies defeated the Cowgirls 87-47 in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament that was played in Shreveport, La.  That same year, Texas A&M won the National Championship.
• Will be the 12th overall meeting between the two teams, the Aggies lead the series 9-2, having won the last nine games against the Cowgirls.
• The last time McNeese beat Texas A&M was in College Station during the 1979-80 season by a scored of 62-54.
• The first McNeese win over the Aggies was a 79-60 win at the Lamar Invitational in Beaumont, Texas during the 1974-75 season
 • The win over UTRGV in the semifinals of the SLC Tournament marked Guzzardo's 150th career win.
• Guzzardo is the first McNeese head coach to win 22 games in her first season as head coach
• As of Feb. 18, 2026, Guzzardo has an overall differential record of improvement of 14.5 for first year head coaches, tying for the best turnaround in the nation for a first-year head coach along with Arizona State's Molly Miller.
• Kim Mulkey holds the Louisiana record of 12.5 (2021-22) in her first season at LSU.
• Guzzardo picked up her 100th career Southland Conference win on Feb. 5, 2026 with an 83-35 home win over Houston Christian.
• McNeese received votes in the College Insider Top 25 poll eight times before breaking into the poll for the first time this season on Feb. 17, 2026, coming in at No. 25.  The Cowgirls received votes in this poll the last four weeks of the season, ranking its highest of the season (21st) on March 10, 2026
• Rank in the Top 25 in eight NCAA statistical categories - 1st in turnover margin (13.73), 3rd in turnovers per game (10.6), 5th in scoring defense (52.9) and steals per game (15.1), seventh in turnovers forced per game (24.36), 12th in assists/turnover ratio (1.35), 14th in winning percent (84.8), and 21st in scoring margin (16.1).
• The Cowgirls' NET ranking of 78 (Dec. 14, 2025), was the highest in program history.
• Freshman Dakota Howard has led McNeese in scoring all season.  She is averaging 12.8 ppg., and also leads the team in rebounds (6.1), and steals with 80 which ranks her 20th in the nation with 2.91 steals per game.
• Arianna Patton leads the team with 86 three-pointers.  She is second on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg.)
• Jalencia Pierre has a team high 124 assists (3.9 apg.) and is second on the team with 67 steals.  She ranks 18th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.34).