When they last left the University Center in Hammond, the Cowboys had suffered a stinging loss and vowed it would not happen again.

Monday night, we find out if they can keep their word.

McNeese takes on Southeastern with a chance to bury the Lions in the regular season Southland Conference championship race.

With five games remaining, the Cowboys (20-6, 14-1) hold a three-game lead over Southeastern (17-9, 11-4) and Lamar. A win tonight would eliminate the Lions, who would be four games behind with McNeese holding the tiebreaker.

“It is a big game,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “They have been playing very well lately. They are the hottest team in the conference.”

Well, almost.

Since McNeese won the first meeting 79-51 in Lake Charles on Dec. 30, the Lions have gone 11-2, racing back into contention for one of the two double-byes in the SLC postseason tournament. The top two seeds earn the coveted pass to the semifinals.

Southeastern is coming off an 84-81 overtime win over Nicholls last Saturday when Sam Hines hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Lions. 

The only team that has played better since that game is McNeese, which has gone 12-1. The Cowboys’ only loss came at Nicholls two weeks ago.

McNeese defeated New Orleans 78-64 on Saturday but never really put the Privateers away until late.

“I thought they were much more aggressive in the second half than us,” said Wade. “We have to play a lot better than that at Southeastern, or we will get beat.”

It would be hard to believe the Cowboys will not win their first back-to-back SLC titles since 2002. Only a total collapse would prevent that.

Under Wade, McNeese has gone 33-2 against league foes over the last two seasons, but the Cowboys have never won consecutive SLC tournament titles.

“We have to worry about how we are playing right now,” said Wade. “We have to finish strong; that’s important.”

Southeastern stunned McNeese 77-74 last year in Hammond, winning its third straight over the Cowboys on its home floor. 

“They are going to be ready for us,” said Wade. “This will be a tough game. We have to be strong and play through contact.”

In the first meeting, Javohn Garcia finished with a career-high 26 points while on his way to winning the SLC’s Player of the Week honor. Garcia has scored 48 points in the last two games against the Lions.

Christian Shumate had 12 points and 10 rebounds as well. Hines and Kam Burton each had 11 points to lead Southeastern back in December.

In conference games only, Hines leads the Southland in scoring at 17.5 a game. His teammate, Jakevion Buckley, is third with an average of 16.9.

McNeese will be counting on the continued hot shooting of DJ Richards, who tied his season-high with 21 points Saturday. Over the last three games, Richards has made 14 of 25 3-point attempts.

Richards leads the league in long-range shooting, hitting shots at a 41 percent clip (64-156). He is even better in league games, making 46.6 percent (48-103).

“DJ has been shooting the ball really well lately,” said Wade. “He is getting more open looks and shooting with confidence.”

McNeese will return home Saturday to take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 4 p.m. in the Legacy Center.