Coming off perhaps their worst game of the season, the Cowgirls will try to put their game back together starting tonight against Nicholls State in Thibodaux.

Last Saturday, McNeese State’s women’s basketball team fell flat in a lackluster loss at Northwestern State.

That left the Cowgirls (9-13, 4-5 Southland) in fourth place heading into the final five games of the regular season. The top four teams earn at least one bye heading into the postseason tournament.

“Our defensive intensity was not good,” first-year head coach Lynn Kennedy said of the loss at Northwestern State. “It was a total letdown coming off the game at Southeastern (Louisiana). We have to be better.”

The Cowgirls beat Nicholls (2-6, 4-15) 73-65 in Lake Charles on Jan. 27. Zuzanna Kulinska led McNeese with 18 points and Desirae Hansen added 14.

Nicholls’ Chyna Allen led all scorers with 25 points.

“We have to do a better job against her,” Kennedy said. “We hold all the games for the bye, but we have to play better. We have to step up and understand what is at stake.”

Allen hit on 9 of 20 shots from the field, but was 1 of 5 from 3-point range.

“We have to get back to basics,” Kennedy said. “I thought we were soft. We didn’t respond last time out.”

McNeese knows the race for a top-four spot is not only important but starts immediately.

“Playoffs start now,” Kennedy said. “The percentage of winning the tournament go way down if you have to win four games in four days.”

After Nicholls, McNeese travels Saturday to New Orleans in the final game of a four-game road trip.