LAKE CHARLES — McNeese honored its greatest player Thursday night by naming the court inside the Legacy Center Joe Dumars Court. With the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer in attendance, the men’s basketball team honored him further with a 92-77 victory over rival Northwestern State.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Harwin Francois put McNeese on the scoreboard first with a three-pointer but NSU answered quickly with a layup by Majok Kuath. The Demons took an early lead with a dunk by Jalen Hampton.
McNeese answered as Francois hit another three-pointer which sparked a 12-3 run for the Cowboys. A layup by NSU’s Demarcus Sharp trimmed the lead down to five points but that was the closest the Demons would get in the first half.
McNeese held a 48-35 lead at the break.
NSU opened up the second half on a 7-0 run but McNeese answered with three straight three-pointers, with Trae English hitting two of them.
NSU cut it down to six points later in the second half but McNeese responded with another run — this time 14-0. With 5:28 left in the second half, the Cowboys held a 79-60 lead.
McNeese was able to maintain its double-digit lead as it was able to close out its second straight Southland Conference victory.
BIG NUMBER: 15
McNeese was hot from beyond the arc as the Cowboys drained a season-high 15 three-pointers in Thursday night’s victory.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME: HARWIN FRANCOIS & CHRISTIAN SCHUMATE
Francois scored a career high 20 points in the victory as he went 6-of-11 from three-point range. Schumate recorded a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
UP NEXT: McNeese (5-10, 2-0 SLC) returns to action Saturday afternoon when its hosts Texas A&M-Commerce at the Legacy Center. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m.