Cowgirls take to the road

Published 4:24 pm Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Having already wrapped up the regular season championship, the Cowgirls begin the final stretch run wanting to stay focused and hungry.

McNeese State starts the last three games of the year Thursday night at Nicholls.

The Lady Colonels have a lot to play for, as they battle for a spot in the Southland Conference postseason tournament. Nicholls (12-14, 8-11) is currently tied for seventh and could wrap up a tourney spot with a victory.

Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Cowgirls are riding a 17-game winning streak into the contest. At 24-4, 18-1, they have already captured the top seed in the tournament and will play in the semifinals on Wednesday, March 11, at 10:30 a.m. in Townsley Law Arena.

McNeese won the first game between the two teams on Jan. 8 in Lake Charles, 62-51. A balanced Cowgirl attack was led by Carley Hamilton and Lexi Alexander, each of whom scored 12 points.

The duo led a bench that finished with 29 points. McNeese forced 23 turnovers and scored 21 points off them. The Cowgirls also scored 30 points in the paint and made 11 of 13 free throws. 

“We were lazy and didn’t have a sense of urgency,” Guzzardo said of the first meeting. “We have to play better basketball down the stretch.”

Guzzardo said she expects to go bigger this weekend, which would likely put Alexander in the starting lineup.

“They are going to play hard, but we also have a lot to play for,” said Guzzardo. “They want everything we have, and we are still fighting for a better seed in the NCAA.”

The Cowgirls would also like to become the first Southland women’s team to win 20 games with the new 22-game league schedule.

“It helps that we have the added conference games, but it is still something to shoot for,” said Guzzardo. “We just want to treat every game like it’s a championship now. We want to play to our standards.”

After Nicholls, the Cowgirls will be at New Orleans on Saturday before finishing the regular season Monday night at home against Stephen F. Austin.