Having found their stride a bit, the Cowgirls will look to take a big step forward Saturday inside the Legacy Center.

McNeese State’s women’s basketball team will host Nicholls at 1 p.m. with a chance to jump back into things in the Southland Conference.

The Cowgirls won 61-51 against Christian Christian on Thursday night, giving them two straight road wins in the league. 

McNeese never trailed while improving to 7-8 overall and 2-2 in the league. The Huskies fell to 4-10, 1-4.

The seven wins tops last year’s total for the Cowgirls, who are trying to make the Southland postseason tournament after missing it last season.

Nicholls will enter Saturday’s game 9-5 and just behind McNeese at 2-3 in the SLC.

The Cowgirls used their defense to hold HCU to just 25.4 percent shooting, as the Huskies hit just 17 of 67 from the floor. That helped offset the 34 turnovers McNeese committed. 

Sophomore Paris Guillory led the way for the Cowgirls, who finished with four double-figure players. Guillory scored 19 points and missed a double-double by one rebound. 

She made all eight of her free throws, four in the final minutes, as the Cowgirls held off any HCU rally.

Wilney Joseph, a transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette, had a double-double, the first of her career. She finished with 10 points and 11 boards. Kyaria Ellis also scored 10 points, while Tyrielle Williams added 13. 

HCU’s Erin Maguire led all scorers with 22 points, but McNeese held the rest of the Huskies to just 8 of 48 (17%) shooting.

McNeese jumped out to an early lead, grabbing an 18-7 lead after the first quarter and 30-18 at the half. HCU didn’t hit a shot from the field in the game’s first nine minutes.

HCU made a couple of runs at McNeese in the fourth quarter but never got within one possession.

Now, the Cowgirls hope to continue their winning ways when they return home, where they have posted a 4-2 record.

“We have to play better at home, especially if we want to do anything in the tournament,” said McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy. 

McNeese will host the conference tourney for the third straight year this March.

Nicholls will be coming off a 68-57 win over Incarnate Word Thursday night in which Lake Arthur product Deonna Brister finished with 13 points. 

If the Cowgirls pull off the victory, it will be their longest conference win streak (3) in the last two seasons.