Over the last five games, Emilia Tenbrock has been on a scoring surge.

The McNeese State transfer is averaging 24.6 points a game over that span, but Northwestern State had her number when the teams first met to open Southland Conference play.

During the Demons’ 78-54 win in Natchitoches on Jan. 4, Tenbrock was held to five points and one basket. She will need to be more like her recent self tonight if the Cowgirls hope to break their eight-game losing streak — fourth longest in program history — and earn their first Division I victory.

The last-place Cowgirls (4-15, 0-6 SLC) will host the Demons (7-10, 3-3) at 7 p.m. today hoping for some payback. Tenbrock leads the conference in scoring at 16 points a game after her recent hot streak.

“We just need to get more wins,” Tenbrock said. “We have been working hard and playing better. We just need to finish.”

“We just keep adjusting,” said McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy. “We just need a couple of things to go our way.”

Freshmen guards Boston Berry and Azjah Reeves led McNeese with 14 and 13 points, respectively, in the first meeting. They made four of the Cowgirls’ five 3-pointers.

Sharna Ayers led all scorers with 16 points, hitting 4 of 7 long-range shots. Four other Demons finished in double figures. Northwestern State made 50 percent of its shots from the floor (32-64) and 47 percent (8-17) on 3’s.

“We didn’t play very well in that game,” Kennedy said. “We gave up too many offensive rebounds and will need to block out better and mix up our defenses.”

As for Tenbrock, Kennedy said he expects she will have a better game.

“In that first game she was just figuring out the league,” he said. “She has really found her rhythm and is shooting the ball much better. We just need to find some others around her consistently.”

The Cowgirls will remain at home for a game against New Orleans starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.