Brooks Donald Williams makes her return to the McNeese State campus. And the Cowgirls also make their return after a two-week hiatus.

A former McNeese women’s basketball coach who took the Cowgirls to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, Donald Williams will bring a her Louisiana-Monroe team to the Legacy Center today for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

“It’s exciting to bring back a coach who has had success in the program,” said second-year Cowgirls head coach Lynn Kennedy. “She had a great run here.”

Donald Williams coached nine seasons at McNeese (2007-2016), posting a 161-130 record and leading the Cowgirls to six consecutive postseasons. The first two were NCAA appearances in 2011 and 2012.

One of her players back then, Jalyn Johnson of Jennings, is on her ULM staff. Donald Williams will also bring two Southwest Louisiana players back with her, Aasia Sam from LaGrange and Myca Trail from St. Louis Catholic.

The four recently appeared on a ULM social media page under the title “Their Court, Our Home.”

For the Cowgirls, who have struggled through injuries and illness, the only thing welcoming will be those players they can have back for this game.

“We have had to battle a lot this year,” Kennedy said. “In two weeks we should have a full roster. Not yet.”

McNeese enters the game 2-6 but did win its last game, 81-46, over NAIA member North American University on Dec. 1.

“The last couple of games we have been better,” Kennedy said. “We are getting there. You see glimpses.

“We want to turn our season and show progress. We have to play better going into the new year.”

That would start by not turning the ball over so much. The Cowgirls are averaging 21 turnovers a game. That’s tied to 332nd nationally out of 350 Division I teams.

“We need to take better care of the ball,” Kennedy said. “A lot of that has to do with confidence.”

While ULM (3-5), which is winless in three road games, owns a 40-33 series lead, but it’s McNeese that has won eight of the last two meetings, including the last two. Last year the Cowgirls blitzed the Warhawks 81-54 in Monroe.

“That was probably our best game of the year,” Kennedy said.

Desirae Hansen led five Cowgirls in double figures that day with 19 points. Zuxanna Kulinska added 16.

Auburn transfer Paris Mullins leads McNeese this season, averaging 14 points. Emma Merriweather tops the Warhawks at 9.9 points and 8.3 rebounds an outing.

NOTES: Recent Cowgirls signees — Boston Berry, 5-7, guard, Jones, Okla. (Jones High School); Azjah Reeves, 5-8, guard, Oklahoma City (Harding Prep); Queen Ikhiuwu, 6-1, forward, Navalcarnero, Spain (Carmen Martin Gaite); Crystal Hayes, 6-4, guard, Houston (James Madison); Daniela Vallecilla, 6-4, forward, Colombia (Valle Del Cauca)/Cypress Ranch High.