The McNeese State women’s basketball team will highlight their pre-conference schedule with a trip to Baton Rouge to take on the defending national champs in mid-December.

The Cowgirls will play 13 games before the Southland Conference opens with just three of them set away from the Legacy Center.

McNeese will travel to LSU on Dec. 12 as part of two straight road games against Power 5 Conference programs. The trip down the I-10 will come six days after the Cowgirls play at Kansas State on Dec. 6, their first road game of the season.

“It is a great opportunity for our players and our program,” said third-year head coach Lynn Kennedy. “It is fun for our fans and is great exposure for our program. To play the national champs and a legendary coach (Kim Mulkey), you can’t ask for a better game.”

The final road game will be at Baylor on Dec. 20 and will be the last game before Christmas. All three of those games have yet to have a time set.

“For us to want to be an NCAA Tournament team we have to play these teams and see where we are,” Kennedy said.

Otherwise, the Cowgirls will be home for 10 contests as they try to bounce back from a disappointing 12-19 season a year ago. That will include hosting a Multi-Team Event (MTE) in mid-Novemeber.

Two of the games are still waiting for contracts to be signed but agreements are in place Kennedy said, adding he expects the deals done soon.

McNeese will be joined by Mississippi Valley State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Louisiana-Monroe for a round-robin of games Nov. 16-18 in Lake Charles. It is the same format the men’s team hosted last season.

“I thought it (MTE) was a great way to get some quality teams down here and showcase both our program and our facilities,” Kennedy said.

The Cowgirls will open the season with a morning tipoff on Nov. 7 against Dillard University at 11 a.m. It will once again be Kids Day in the Legacy Center.

After the MTE McNeese will host North American University (Nov. 21) and Ecclesia (Nov. 26) before finally hitting the road to Manhattan, Kansas. Centenary and Tarleton State come to Lake Charles after LSU on Dec. 14 and Dec. 16 respectively.

The two games pending would be played on Nov. 12 and New Year’s Eve once the schedule is finalized.

 Kennedy also announced that he picked up guard Ana Cabanas Llorens to complete the Cowgirl roster. Llorens played in 16 of 30 games as a freshman for Detroit Mercy last season.

“She is able to get to the basket and distribute the basketball to the open player,” said Kennedy.