Despite all the issues the Cowgirls have had this year, they still can reach the postseason.

McNeese State’s women’s basketball team opens a five-game sprint to the Southland Conference finish line, knowing they hold the key to their future.

Thursday night, the Cowgirls begin the final fourth of their regular season by hosting Texas-Rio Grande Valley in the Legacy Center at 6 p.m. Three of McNeese’s final games will be played at home.

That may not be a good thing. The Cowgirls (9-17, 4-11) have yet to win a conference game at home this season.

“We need to find a way to play well at home,” said McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy. “We have tried to change some pregame routines, hoping that helps.”

The Cowgirls remain in a desperate fight with four others for the eighth and final spot in the tourney McNeese will host in March. Seven teams have already clinched a berth in the postseason, including UTRGV (14-13, 9-7), which is currently tied for sixth with Northwestern State.

“We are trying to take just one game at a time,” said Kennedy. “It has been this way for the last few weeks.”

McNeese is tied for eighth with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi but holds the tiebreaker by beating the Islanders in the first meeting. The two teams play a big game Saturday in Lake Charles as McNeese will honor its seniors before tipoff.

“You can’t worry about the Saturday game yet,” said Kennedy. 

Senior Mireia Yespes returned to the starting lineup against New Orleans last Saturday after being sidelined for a concussion. She played limited minutes two days earlier against Southeastern. 

The Cowgirls’ leading rebounder should be good to fully go this week. That is not the case for leading scorer Paris Guillory, who is still likely out with a high ankle sprain.

Guillory, who averages 15.4 points a game, had just five in the first meeting between the two teams in Edinburg, Texas, on Jan. 25. McNeese lost the game 73-65 despite 17 points from Kiayra Ellis. 

UTRGV was led by Charlotte O’Keefe’s career-high 23 points and 20 rebounds. 

“They are a very good team, and when they get hot, they can really shoot the ball,” said Kennedy. “We have to be able to defend. We have to have intensity and play hard; if we do that, we can play with anybody. It’s really up to us.”

The Cowgirls are coming off a big win last Saturday, when they rallied in the fourth quarter to win in New Orleans, 71-66. 

“That was big for us,” said Kennedy. “We really needed to see our hard work pay off with a win. We still need people to step up on offense.”