Cowboys win second straight title

Back in the dance.

After a slow and ugly waltz when more than a few toes were stepped on Wednesday, the Cowboys will get a second shot at sliding across college basketball’s ballroom floor.

For the first time in program history, McNeese State is the Southland Conference champ for consecutive seasons.

With it, the Cowboys earned its second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. This will be the Cowboys’ fourth tourney appearance overall. They are 0-3.

But this dance wasn’t easy to get to.

The Cowboys earned their title with a gritty but not pretty 63-54 win over rival and second-seeded Lamar Wednesday in front of 4,106 in the Legacy Center.

“This is amazing,” said McNeese guard Javohn Garcia. “It has been a great two years. I never would have thought we could do this; it’s great.”

Garcia was named the tournament’s MVP after finishing with 10 points after scoring 24 in McNeese’s semifinal win over Northwestern State. He also won the league’s Player of the Year honor as the Cowboys won the regular season crown as well.

The Cowboys (28-6) have won 11 straight games overall and 30 of their last 31 at home the last two years. Under head coach Will Wade, they are 40-2 against Southland competition.

“In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think it would go this well,” said Wade, who is finishing his second season on the Cowboys bench. “It hasn’t always been pretty, and it hasn’t always looked good, but we found a way.”

The Cowboys never trailed against Lamar (20-8), but they also never held a double-digit lead until the final 1:42 of the defensive struggle. 

“That’s the way they play,” said Wade. “They get you to play in the mud with them. They are a very good, strong team. This was tough.”

Copeland continued to power his way through traffic. Playing a game-high 35:49, the junior transfer from Syracuse even hit a 3-pointer, his first since Jan. 18.

Copeland finished 6 of 9 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line. He had four assists and three steals while drawing five fouls.

DJ Richards scored 10 points, while Christian Shumate, playing his final home game after four years with McNeese, scored eight points and had six rebounds. 

“This is a great way to go out,” said Shumate. “My legacy is complete.”

Not yet, but close. There is still at least one game to play.

The Cowboys jumped out to an early lead behind Copeland and Shumate, going up 16-11 midway through the first half. However, the two teams continued to battle, and the lead was just 33-30 at the break. 

The second half was even more of a slog, with the two teams matching defensive efforts. 

With 1:42 left, emotions finally overflowed. A flare-up on the court led to double technicals and two Garcia free throws. In the final two minutes, the Cowboys hit 8 of 10 from the line to seal the deal.

“We worked hard all year on the final six minutes of games and winning them,” said Copeland. “It paid off tonight. We are comfortable in that spot.”

For the record, the final ShuSlam in Lake Charles came with 3:07 remaining.

Alexis Marmolejos led Lamar with 18 points.

The Cowboys will find out when, where, and who they will meet in the NCAA tournament Sunday. McNeese will again hold a watch party with their fans inside the Legacy Center.

Bring your dancing shoes.