McNeese State went into last week with an opportunity to position itself near the top of the Southland Conference basketball standings. Instead, after a pair of losses, including one to a New Orleans team that was winless in two seasons of league play, the Cowgirls (12-10, 6-5 Southland) come back home trying to get back on track for the season’s home stretch.

“We just didn’t play with the effort we did the week before,” said coach Brooks Donald Williams. “We were beat to loose balls. We were outhustled for rebounds. Simply put: we didn’t put forth the effort that this team is capable of putting forth.”

She hopes to see that more evident tonight when the Cowgirls host Southeastern Louisiana at Burton Coliseum. McNeese beat SLU (7-14, 3-7) by 21 in Hammond on Jan. 29.

The game is close to a must-win for the Lions if they want to reach the conference tournament. SLU is 11⁄2 games behind McNeese for the seventh spot in the field and a game back of Sam Houston State for the eighth and final spot.

“We’re playing a team that is fighting for everything and has zero to lose,” Donald Williams said. “It’s not necessarily ‘How do we beat Southeastern?’ but how do we put a better product on the floor? Setting the tone from the jump better.”

The Cowgirls certainly can’t assume it will be a walk in the park like it was when the teams last met — after all, they lost to UNO right after beating the Privateers by 24.

“It’s a lesson we didn’t want to learn,” said junior guard Allison Baggett. “But we definitely learned a lot. Anyone can beat you if you don’t play every game like it’s important. I think we learned that for sure. We’re not going to lose another game because we didn’t give as much effort as we usually give.”

Strong efforts at home have been the norm for McNeese. The Cowgirls are tied for the second-best home record in the league with a 9-2 mark at Burton.

“We love playing at home and the energy the crowd gives us,” Baggett said. “It’s going to be good to get back in that environment and get going with a couple home games. We’re just ready to push forward.”

McNeese has been on the road for seven of its last eight games.

(American Press)

Rick Hickman