SAN DIEGO, Calif.— McNeese women's basketball's record setting season came to an end with a 56-41 WBIT second round loss at No. 4 seed San Diego State.  McNeese, the 2026 regular season champs, ends their season 29-6.  San Diego State improves to 27-5 overall and will advance to the quarterfinal round against Kansas.

The Cowgirls were led in scoring by freshman Dakota Howard's game high 16 points, the only Cowgirl to score in double figures.  Sophomore Tyreona Sibley led McNeese with 10 rebounds, six coming on defense.  Senior Arianna Patton scored four points with her first point of the game being her 1,000th career point.

McNeese struggled from the field, ending the game shooting 27.4 percent (17 of 62) and 85.7 percent (6 for 7) from the free throw line.
San Diego State shot 40 percent (18 of 45) from the field including 33.3 percent (8 for 24) from three-point range.  The Aztecs placed two players in double figures with Bailey Barnhard's 11 and 10 from Naomie Panganiban.  Nata Martinez was 3 of 4 from behind the arc.   
  
1^st Quarter
• McNeese started 0-4 from the field with one turnover in the first four minutes of the game.
• Tyreona Sibley scored the first Cowgirl points at the 5:34 mark
• The Cowgirls were 3 of 14 from the field
• San Diego State was 2 of 10 from the field with five turnovers
• The Aztecs outrebounded the Cowgirls by slim margin of 10-8
San Diego State 7, McNeese 6
 
2nd Quarter
• San Diego State scored the first five points of the quarter to take a 12-6 lead
• Dakota Howard ended a six-minute scoring drought with a layup four minutes into the quarter
• San Diego State went on an 8-3 run to take a double figure lead (23-13) with 2:25 left in the half
• The Cowgirls went scoreless for four minutes until Lexi Alexander's layup and free throw completed a three-point play with 29 seconds left in the half
• San Diego State outscored McNeese 18-10 in the quarter
• McNeese shot 22 percent in the half 7 for 32
• San Diego State shot 40 percent in the half 8 for 20 including five three-pointers
 Halftime: San Diego State 25, McNeese 16
 
3rd Quarter
• Arianna Payton scored her 1,000^th career point with a layup two minutes into the second half that cut the Aztec lead to eight (28-20)
• San Diego State held its largest lead of the game, 15 points (41-26) with 2:44 left in the quarter
• The Cowgirls got as close as 10 points (41-31) with 53 seconds left in the quarter on a Tyreona Sibley jumper in the lane
San Diego State 44, McNeese 31
 
4th Quarter
McNeese got as close as 11 points with 8:26 left in the game but a scoring run by the Aztecs put them up by 17 (56-39) with 2:34 left in the game, too big of a lead for the Cowgirls to overcome.  
FINAL: San Diego State 56, McNeese 41