It hasn’t always been pretty but the results have been a thing of beauty for the Cowboys.

Struggling once again to find its game Monday night in Natchitoches, McNeese State ground out a second consecutive Southland Conference victory.

The Cowboys have been far from their best since the calendar changed to 2024, when they opened league play. Still, they managed to slug their way to a 68-59 victory over pesky Northwestern State.

The win marked the first time in 39 season that the Cowboys (13-2, 1-0 SLC) have opened league play 2-0 on the road. It was also their eighth consecutive victory, the longest winning streak in 12 seasons. The start is their best since 1972-73 when they began 17-2.

“We are not apologizing; a win is a win,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “They are never easy to win on the road. Give Northwestern State credit, they played us tough.”

Shahada Wells led all scorers with 18 points despite being in early foul trouble. Wells added six rebounds, five assists, and four steals to his night for the Cowboys.

Antavion Collum scored 12 points and Javohn Garcia added 11 for McNeese. Forward Christian Shumate had six points and 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, including an electrifying rebound dunk in the second half.

Shumate’s highlight received national attention as No. 3 on ESPN’s Top 10 Plays of the Night. Also, McNeese moved up to No. 7 in CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

“We didn’t finish well,” Wade said. “Whenever we got going to pull away (Northwestern State) hit a basket.”

Cliff Harris had 17 points to lead the Demons (2-13, 0-2) while former Cowboys guard Braelon Bush tossed in 11, all in the second half.

The Cowboys led the entire second half but were never able to finish off the Demons. They didn’t put NSU away until D.J. Richards hit a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left to put the Cowboys up 63-52.

“We had a bunch of guys step up and make plays,” Wade said. “We have to learn from this and play better moving forward.”

McNeese started and ended the first-half scoring five consecutive points. However, the first run was matched by the Demons, who answered with nine straight as the Cowboys went cold.

Wells started slow, picking up two quick fouls in the first 6 minutes. But the Cowboys rallied to score six straight and led 11-9 on Collum’s 3-point shot midway through the half.

After Davis hit his third 3 of the half to tie the score at 26-26, McNeese scored the final five points on a C.J. Felder dunk and Richards’ 3-pointer to lead 31-26 at the break.

“We know we are going to get everybody’s fastball,” Wade said. “That’s what these two road games taught us.”

McNeese will return home at 4 p.m. Saturday when it hosts preseason-favorite Southeastern Louisiana as part of a men’s and women’s doubleheader.

“We haven’t been home in a long time,” Wade said. “We are looking forward to it.”