Jumping out of the frying pan, the Cowgirls now enter the fire.

After getting beat by Southland Conference-leader Lamar Thursday night, McNeese State faces the other co-front-runner, Southeastern Louisiana.

McNeese (4-12, 0-3 SLC) will host the Lions (7-7, 3-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday trying to end a five-game losing streak.

“We have to regroup and find a way to get better,” said McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy.

Southeastern comes in hot, having beaten preseason-favorite Texas A&M-Commerce 61-58 in a showdown Thursday in Hammond.

“They are a very good team,” Kennedy said of the Lions. “They are very good inside, have some strong inside players.”

SLU is led inside by 6-foot-3 Cheyanne Daniels who scores at a 10.6 clip and averages 4.6 rebounds. Hailey Giaratano tops the Lions in scoring at 11.9. The Lions have won their last three on the heels of a four-game losing streak. They have won seven of their last eight against the Cowgirls, including the last five.

McNeese has lost seven of its last eight after losing 82-50 to Lamar (9-4, 3-0), for the 14th consecutive time.

McNeese last won the Battle of the Border on March 11, 2016, in the first round of the SLC Tournament in Katy, Texas, long before any players who took the floor Thursday night were around.

“I don’t think about that,” Kennedy said. “I’m just worried about our next game. We wanted to beat a team that was 2-0 in the conference that was it.”

The Cardinals went on a 19-0 run over the first and second quarters, as McNeese missed 13 consecutive shots from the floor and went 6: minutes, 14 seconds without a point.

By the time the Cowgirls got going again, Lamar was up 28-10 and the dye had been cast.

“We can’t have a 19-0 run,” Kennedy said. “We have to be better in those moments.

“Right now we need three, four, five players to step up, not just one or two,” Kennedy said. “We have to find a way.”

In a battle between top scorers in the league, McNeese’s Emilia Tenbrock won that contest. Coming off a 40-point game on Jan. 6, Tenbrock finished with 25 against Lamar.

She hit all 18 of her free throws while also pulling down nine rebounds. She closed the gap on the Cardinals’ Sabria Dean, who entered the night as the Southland’s top scorer.

Dean was limited to seven points, mostly by freshman Azjah Reeves.

“Azjah did a great job on Dean,” Kennedy said. “I think her defense took a lot out of her.”

Dean is still ahead of Tenbrock 15.6 points a game to 15.4.

But the rest of the Cardinals were able to make up for that with center Akasha Davis leading the way with 20 points and 14 rebounds. All 11 Lamar players who played scored in the win.

Mireia Yespes added 14 points for the Cowgirls.