![McNeese's Desirae Hanseon (No. 53), Clara Rosini (No. 20) and Cristina Gil (No. 5) block out Houston Baptist's Julija Vujakovic during Saturday's Southland Conference game inside the Legacy Center. The Huskies defeated the Cowgirls 82-74. -- Photo by Raymond Partsch III](https://espnsouthwestlouisiana.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/115/mcneese-women.png)
The McNeese women’s basketball team opened up Southland Conference play with a 82-74 loss to Houston Baptist University. It was the first game for the Cowgirls inside the Legacy Center since March 4, 2020.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Houston Baptist started off the game with a 7-2 run capped with a Julija Vujakovic three-pointer. McNeese clawed back and tied the game 9-9 after a Le’Shenae Stubblefield, but HBU answered with another three-pointer by Vujakovic and then a three by Timia Jefferson.
The Huskies pushed the lead up to 17-11 but the Cowgirls closed out the quarter on a 11-2 run.
McNeese maintained a slim lead for most of the second quarter until HBU’s Jefferson hit a three-pointer with 4:35 left to give the Huskies a 30-27 advantage. After a layup by N’Denasija Collins, HBU led by five points.
McNeese quickly tied the game and took the lead at the break as Cristina Gil weaved through a few defenders and put up a layup as the buzzer sounded.
McNeese appeared in control for most of the third quarter. With 2:41 left in the quarter, Gil made a jumper that gave the Cowgirls a 53-48 lead.
HBU answered by ending the quarter on a 8-0 run as Enya Maguire hit a three-pointer before the buzzer. The Huskies held 56-53 lead and were shooting 46.7 percent from three-point range. HBU entered the game shooting 28.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The Huskies took the led again in the fourth on a 6-0 run and held a 66-62 advantage with six minutes left in the game. A few minutes later, HBU extended its lead after Desirae Hansen was called for a foul and then received a technical for something she said. Jefferson made all four free throws to give the Huskies a 72-64 lead.
McNeese’s Zuzanna Kulinska made a layup, drew a foul and drained the free throw for the old fashioned three-point play. That made it 74-71 for HBU but the Huskies responded as Jefferson hit another three-pointer and would hold on for the victory.
BIG NUMBER: 40
Houston Baptist entered Saturday’s game averaging only 28.1 percent from three-point range. Yet, the Huskies fared far better against the Cowgirls shooting 40 percent from three-point range.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: CRISTINA GIL
Gil came off the bench and gave the Cowgirls big production as she scored a team-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including going 4-of-5 from three-point range.
NEXT UP: McNeese (5-9, 0-1 SLC) returns to action on Thursday with a road game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Tip is set for 5 p.m.