With a victory over Louisiana Tech, McNeese State would have captured its first Multi-Team Event ever. But a hot-shooting Bulldogs crew didn’t let that happen.

Playing a game of inside-out, Tech toppled McNeese 71-62 to capture its own event.

The loss dropped the Cowboys to 5-2 on the season while Tech improved to 4-1. 

Entering the game having made just 8-of-21 3-pointers over their first four games the Bulldogs launched 27 of them against the Pokes. They made 10 leading to 30 points. 

Tech also made 23-of-29 free throws. McNeese was just 6-of-22 from beyond the arc and only 6-for-9 from the line.

“They were getting us in our rotation,” said acting McNeese head coach Brandon Chambers. “They have guys who can make shots. Give them credit they knocked them down.”

When they weren’t shooting from a distance the Bulldogs were going inside to their new center, 6-foot-11 Daniel Batcho. 

Playing in just his second game after being cleared by the NCAA, the junior transfer from Texas Tech scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds and four blocked shots. 

McNeese was led by junior forward Christian Shumate, who was one of four Pokes in double figures with 15 points. Shumate scored his 1,000th career point during the game and just a day after collecting his 600th rebound.

“He brings it every day,” Chambers said of Shumate. “He’s always in the gym working to get better. And he’s just scratched the surface of his abilities.” 

Shahada Wells, Cameron Jones, and Javhon Garcia each added 11 for McNeese. 

Down by 11 with 7:36 remaining, the Pokes made a furious run at Tech. Scoring 14 of the next 19 points, McNeese cut the lead to 62-60 with 3:44 left on a Wells runner.

However, they would get no closer as that was the final field goal the Cowboys would make. 

“Our guys effort was tremendous,” said Chambers. “We came up short but we will learn a lot from this game.”

Jones gave McNeese hope when he went on a personal 7-0 run to cut the lead to 49-46 with 9:50 remaining. But the Bulldogs scored the next eight points to take control 57-46 over the next two minutes before McNeese’s final push.

“He (Jones) changed the dynamic of the game,” said Chambers. “He came in there and really was aggressive.”

The first half was a give-and-take affair with the teams trading leads for the first 16 minutes before the Bulldogs made a late run.

After DJ Richards’ jumper gave the Cowboys a 27-25 lead with 5:49 remaining, Tech finished the half on a 10-2 spurt. Shumate also picked up his third foul just before the buzzer as the Bulldogs took a 35-29 lead at the break.

McNeese will take the rest of the weekend off before continuing its four-game road trip Tuesday night. The Cowboys will play Alabama-Birmingham in their fifth contest against a fellow Mid-Major. 

The Cowboys will return home a week from Saturday (Dec. 2) for a game against Tennessee-Martin inside the Legacy Center.