The streak is over.

For the second time since the calendar flipped to 2023, the Cowboys won a basketball game.

McNeese State ended a nine-game losing skid with a 69-66 upset of Southeastern Louisiana Thursday night in front of 2,112 at the Legacy Center.

This time there was no late collapse or heartbreaking finish. The Cowboys conquered their finishing fumbles to knock the Lions (14-11, 8-4 SLC) out of first place and get themselves back in the race for a berth in the Southland Conference postseason tournament.

McNeese (6-19, 3-9) moved into a tie for ninth place. The top eight teams make the tourney that will be played the first week of March in Lake Charles.

“We needed this,” said McNeese head coach John Aiken. “Now we have to build off this.”

SLU’s Boogie Anderson missed a short shot at the rim while being tightly defended by Johnathan Massie that would have tied the score at 68 with 6 seconds left.

A mad scramble for the loose ball followed with McNeese getting the ball on a held possession.

Harwin Francois made one of two free throws with 1 second remaining to seal the victory.

Anderson finished with a game-high 21 points.

Christian Shumate led McNeese back when he scored eight straight points in the middle of the second half to put the Cowboys up 57-51.

Shumate had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Trae English led the Cowboys with 15 points while Massie added eight points and 10 boards.

Once again the Cowboys found themselves with a double-digit lead in the first half, thanks to the hot shooting of Francois (14 points). The senior hit three early 3-pointers to give the Cowboys the lead.

Scott’s jumper with 7:32 left in the first half put McNeese up 27-16. However, that lead was short lived as the Lions came roaring back. A 13-2 run wiped evened the game 2:16 later.

Shumate’s shot just before the buzzer gave McNeese a 36-34 lead at intermission.

McNeese started a pair of freshmen for the first time this season.