Just when it looked like things might get interesting Saturday afternoon for the Cowgirls, they didn’t.

A McNeese State run midway through the third quarter cut a 15-point deficit to seven with 15 minutes left to play.

That’s when Southeastern turned on its jets.

The Southland Conference favorite went on an 18-1 over the last five minutes of the third quarter to roll to an 82-56 victory.

“I didn’t feel like we came out ready to play,” said McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy. “We have to match the intensity from the start.”

The game was McNeese’s first in the Southland while Southeastern improved to 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the league. The Cowgirls are 5-7 and will break until after the holidays when they travel to Northwestern State on Jan. 2.

“Conference is a different beast,” said Kennedy. “We did not seem ready for it.”

McNeese used a Paris Guillory 3-pointer and Azjah Reeves jumper to cut the Lions lead to 46-39. But after a timeout, Southeastern blew the game wide open.

Cheyanne Daniels scored all of her 10 points during the run, while Alexius Horne added five. Horne’s jumper at the buzzer gave the Lions a comfortable 64-40 lead after three quarters. The rest was just paperwork.

“We have to have people step up in those moments,” Kennedy said. “The lack of focus and determination at that point has got to get better.”

Horne finished with a game-high 19 while five other Lions scored in double figures. Southeastern pounded McNeese on the inside, outscoring the Cowgirls 50-18 inside the paint. 

“We have to be better inside,” said Kennedy

Guillory was the big story for McNeese. The local product made her first start for the Cowgirls and finished with a team-high 13 points in 19 minutes.

Guillory, a prep star at St. Louis Catholic, played many of her home games at the Legacy Center. After transferring from Louisiana Tech, she missed the first nine games of the season recovering from a knee injury.

“It took a little bit for me to get my rhythm,” said Guillory. “I felt like the energy was good and pretty electric from the crowd.”

Mireia Yespes added 10 for McNeese.

McNeese committed 21 turnovers, which resulted in 21 SELA points. The Lions started fast, leading 24-13 after one quarter and 42-28 at the half.

The loss was the eighth straight in the series for the Cowgirls and 10th in the last 11 meetings.

The game marked the return of Kaili Chamberlin, who played her first two seasons for McNeese. Chamberlain scored 10 points for the Lions.

In 2022, Chamberlin was named Freshman of the Year in the SLC while playing for the Cowgirls.

“It was good to see her out there healthy and playing,” said Kennedy.