A second straight disappointing and frustrating season came to a close Tuesday for the Cowgirls.

It ended, fittingly, with another wasted opportunity.

McNeese State blew a late six-point lead at home and fell to New Orleans 73-71 inside the Legacy Center.

With control of the game, the Cowgirl offense went belly-up, making just two free throws in the final 4:46 second. 

Now, all attention is directed toward the future of head coach Lynn Kennedy, whose contract is up after four seasons and has an underwhelming 41-78 record.

Kennedy said he hopes to be back with the Cowgirls next season.

“We love it here,” Kennedy said. “I haven’t talked to anybody about it, honestly. I feel like we’ve laid the foundation, we’ve done the heavy lifting, and we’ve taken the next steps with Louisiana and Texas recruiting. You can feel it coming together; you really can.

“But that’s not my decision.”

McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer will make that decision. On Tuesday, he said he expected to meet with Kennedy in the next few days. 

Kennedy added that he would be “open” to making staff changes and discussing other moves.

“I hope I get the opportunity to coach this team again,” said Kennedy. “I love coaching, we love McNeese, we love Lake Charles. But whatever happens, happens.”

What happened Tuesday was the Cowgirls let a game slip away, falling to 10-21 overall and 5-15 in the Southland Conference. UNO, led by Nora Francois’ 24 points, improved to 5-24, 5-5.

“For a game that didn’t really matter, both teams played hard,” said Kennedy. “It is such an unusual year. Every time we turned the corner, we hit a brick wall.”

The final minute was a microcosm of a lot of the season. McNeese had the lead, then lost it only to have a last chance at winning or tying the game. 

But their last play ended in a turnover, and the Cowgirls never got a final shot. Over the final five minutes, their offense struggled, and they missed their last five shots from the field.

“In that last situation, you got to be perfect,” said Kennedy. “I felt like we got to the basket and got what we wanted. The shots were in and out.” 

Kiayra Ellis led the Cowgirls with 16 points, but she fouled out and was not in for the final sequence.

“Having Kiayra not out there hurt us,” said Kennedy. “But we still have to make the play.”

The Cowgirls led 69-63 when Wilney Joseph hit a bucket with just under five minutes to play. It would be McNeese’s last made shot from the field for the season.

Francois hit a pair of free throws with 59 seconds left to tie the game 70-70. Alexis Calderon followed with two more 25 seconds later to give the Privateers the lead for good.

McNeese had two chances at the end, only to fail both times.

“This was a fun team to watch,” said Kennedy. “I am proud of how they came ready to work every day.”

Whether or not he gets another year is now up to others.