Things continue to go from bad to worse for the Cowgirls.

As injuries mount, so too do defeats. And while still in the running for the Southland Conference postseason, things are looking increasingly tougher for McNeese State.

Saturday, without Paris Guillory and Mireia Yespes, the Cowgirls could never really match up with Northwestern State, falling to the Lady Demons 80-56 inside the Legacy Center. 

The loss leaves McNeese 8-16 overall and 3-10 in the Southland. Northwestern State improved to 12-10, 9-4. It was their fourth straight defeat, three coming at home. 

With just seven games left, the Cowgirls are in a desperate battle for the eighth and final spot in the postseason tournament with five other teams. 

“We got to keep playing each and every game one at a time,” said McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy. “We are fortunate to still be in the race. But we have to worry about ourselves.”

Missed shots early led to the Cowgirls falling behind 20-9 after one quarter and 37-17 at the half. 

“We played hard,” said Kennedy. “I thought we came out focused, but we missed some layups, and we can’t afford that.”

A dozen players scored for the Lady Demons, but only Mya Blake reached double figures with 10. They hit 10 of 26 3-pointers while the Cowgirls managed just 4 of 16.

Kiayra Ellis stepped up with 14 points to lead McNeese. Kyla Davis and Azjah Reeves each tossed in nine.

McNeese managed to win the third quarter and stay close in the fourth, but the damage was done. With four of their top seven players missing, they didn’t have enough offense to make a real run.

“We are not making excuses,” said Kennedy. “I’m proud of our effort. We will keep working to get better.”

The Cowgirls hope to have Yespes back Thursday night when they take on league-leading Southeastern in Hammond.