Talk about making a strong first impression.

McNeese State introduced itself to the college basketball world Monday night in a big way.

The new-look Cowboys, playing without their head coach Will Wade for the first of 10 games to open the season, went into hostile territory and served notice that they are not the Pokes of old.

With assistant coach Brandon Chambers filling in on the bench, the Cowboys started fast and then held off a late frantic barrage of three points to open their season with a big victory.

McNeese knocked off national brand Virginia Commonwealth 76-65 in the first meeting ever between the two programs. And for the most part, it wasn’t even that close as the Pokes entered the game 11-point underdogs.

“I’m really pleased with how we played,” Wade said Tuesday. “I’m really happy for our players and the community. They have been through a lot in recent years so it’s their win as well.”

The Cowboys also got rave reviews from their opponents as well.

“Can’t say enough about McNeese State and the basketball they played tonight, they were not afraid, they came in with an excellent game plan, got us back on our heels initially,” VCU head coach Ryan Odom said.

The win was the first in a season opener over a Division 1 program since the Cowboys beat Houston to start the 1995-96 season.

“I thought our guys competed and came out ready to fight from the jump,” said Chambers. “VCU is a tough team and they’re going to win a ton of games.”

The Cowboys led by as many as 20 points in the first 18 minutes and the Rams never got closer than seven in the second half. When they did make that run the Pokes responded with an 8-0 spurt to restore order.

There were some of the old and some of the new leading McNeese as transfer guards Shahada Wells and DJ Richards both had big nights.

Wells, a TCU transfer, finished with a game-high 23 points, adding four assists and three rebounds to his resume. Richards, who came over from Texas-San Antonio, had 17 while hitting 5-of-6 from long range.

As a team, McNeese was 8-of-17 from beyond the 3-point line.

But there was an old reliable as well. Junior forward Christain Shumate was back to his old tricks of producing a double-double.

Shumate, who entered the transfer portal in the spring but elected to come back, finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds. He scored 16 after the break to hold off the Rams surge.

“He (Shumate) was huge,” said Chambers. “We challenged him to showcase what he can do. A lot of those scoring drives he took were purely physical.

“Down the stretch, he did what he does. He had a great end to the season last year and has carried it over.”

As for Wells and Richards, Chambers was just as pleased.

“They were tremendous, both of them;” he said. “You can look at their careers and see the highs and lows. Credit Coach Wade for putting this team together.

“He always tells them they don’t have a chip on their shoulder, they have a boulder. They bought in.”

Max Shulga led VCU with 22 points.

Shumate had a chance to add to his point total with a open dunk in the close seconds but chose not to take the shot, instead letting the clock run out.

“I thought that showed a lot of maturity and class,” Wade said. “You dunk there and you never know what might come of it. Then that takes away the focus of what we did. That was good to see.”

Amazingly, with all the new players the Cowboys turned the ball over just five times in the game while forcing 14.

“Our guys did all the little things right,” Chambers said. “We made great two-hand passes and protected against the pass. Can’t say enough about how we protected the ball.’

McNeese will be in the Legacy Center for its home opener Friday at 4 p.m. against the College of Biblical Studies.

It’s a second chance for the Cowboys to make a first impression, this time to its home fans.