In 50 hours, the Cowboys regained their spot at the top of the Southland Conference and calmed the nerves of their anxious fans.

Two wins in three days will do that.

On Monday night, McNeese used its second straight 16-3 start to roll over a league foe inside the Legacy Center. Southeastern was the latest victim, as the Cowboys stormed to a 79-51 victory.

“A good win for us,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “Our defense was aggressive and got us going.”

Due to injuries and illness, the Cowboys had just seven players available. Omar Cooper (appendix) and Sincere Parker (sickness) didn’t dress, and Brandon Murray dressed but didn’t play because of a sore knee.

“We have had to adjust some things,” said Wade. “The guys stepped up.”

Christian Shumate returned to form, finishing with his first double-double of the season. Shumate ended with 12 points and 10 rebounds, giving him 35 double-doubles, the program record.

He even started the game with a thunderous ShuSlam like the ones he made famous last year.

“He can do that every night,” said Wade. 

Javohn Garcia had his second straight solid night, leading all scorers with a career-high 26 points. He had 20 in the Cowboys win Saturday.

Garcia’s previous career best came at UMass when he scored 23 against Northeastern. 

“I was just trying to read the play and attack,” said Garcia. 

He admitted the Cowboys came out ready to go in an attempt to jump on the Lions.

“This game, we knew we had to throw the first punch,” said Garcia. “The first punch is key. It can make the other teams break.”

The win was McNeese’s 21st in their last 22 Southland games and 23rd in their previous 24 at home. It also gave them a tie for the league lead and an 8-5 record overall.

Southeastern fell to 6-7, 0-2. The Lions were the last team to beat McNeese in league play 14 games ago.

“We don’t want to have that feeling again,” said Garcia. “We remember that game.”

The senior was 10 of 12 from the foul line and pulled down three rebounds. Bryant Selebangue had 12 rebounds, a season-high, while Quadir Copeland finished with 11 points and eight assists.

“Coach has been letting us know it is go time now,” said Selebangue. “We want to set the tone.”

The Cowboys did that with defense. They forced 22 turnovers and made 12 steals, which led to 32 points. 

“We were able to make some steals and get going,” said Wade. “We also hit some shots and that got us out fast.”

For the second straight game, McNeese never trailed.

“We definitely want to send a message to the league,” said Garcia. “We are still here. We are still going to fight for the No. 1 spot.”

McNeese led 34-20 at the half despite the Lions closing on an 8-0 run.

“I was disappointed in how we ended the first half,” said Wade.

Kam Burton and Sam Hines each had 11 to lead the Lions.

McNeese will travel to Commerce, Texas, Saturday for their first league road game of the season.

“We won at home, and we are supposed to win at home,” said Wade. “We have to be much better when we take this show on the road.”