If the Cowgirls are going to make a run and earn their spot in the Southland Conference postseason tournament, then the time might be now.

With a pair of road games deep into South Texas, McNeese State will get a chance to do some damage against a pair of clubs fighting with them for one of the eight spots in the tourney.

The recent snow and cold forced the Cowgirls to change their plans and games. They will now open their trip with a match against Southland Conference newcomer Texas Rio-Grande Valley on Saturday at 2 p.m. before heading to play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Monday. 

McNeese (7-11, 2-5) was supposed to play the Islanders on Thursday night, but the schedule was changed due to icy roads. The Cowgirls will now play four games in eight days, three of which will be on the road.

“This gave us a couple of days of extra practice, which we needed, and to get healthy,” said McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy. “This will change some of our strategies. We will have to manage the days between games better.

“With three of the next four on the road, we have to be prepared. We have to be ready to fight.”

Kennedy will return to fully coaching the team on Saturday. He was on the bench, but he let associate head coach Michael Pittman lead the team against Lamar after Pittman had become ill last Friday night.

“I’m all good now,” said Kennedy. “Everything cleared up Tuesday. Don’t remember much about the game Saturday.”

The Cowgirls will play UTRGV (9-10, 4-4) to break a three-game losing streak. The Vaqueros are tied with two other teams for fifth in the SLC standings. 

With 12 games to go, McNeese is tied with Corpus Christi for the eighth and final spot in the postseason tournament, which makes these next games extra important.

“For us now, these are all playoff games,” said Kennedy. “I’m excited to see how we respond. I think you will see a big change in the standings in the next two weeks.”

The Cowgirls must contend with Charlotte O’Keefe, who leads the conference in rebounding with 11.7 a game. Kade Hackerott tops the Vaqueros in scoring at 12.8. 

McNeese will counter with Paris Guillory, who continues to improve her game as she gets healthier. The sophomore guard is averaging 17.1 points in conference games, good for second in the league in that department.

The Cowgirls will try to avoid giving up massive runs during games, which has been their biggest issue.

“A lot of it is confidence and playing hard through those runs,” Kennedy said. “It is a matter of putting it all together for four quarters.”

McNeese will attempt to do it starting Saturday.