There’s definitely a new kid on the block now.

McNeese welcomed back the old rulers of the Southland Conference Monday afternoon and promptly sent them back home with their tails between their legs. 

Making their first appearance since 2019 inside the Legacy Center, Stephen F. Austin, the former big boys in the league, found out just how much has changed since they left and came back.

The Cowboys, now the top dogs, ran the Lumberjacks out of the gym with a 79-59 victory, their ninth straight. The win keeps McNeese (14-5, 8-0) atop the Southland standings, while SFA fell to a surprising 8-11, 1-7.

“That was a good win for us,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “We had a lapse in the first half and another in the second, but overall, it was a good game.”

The Cowboys also introduced a new dunk to accompany Christian Shumate’s Shu-Slam. On Saturday, McNeese gave us the Selebang-bang.

Forward Bryant Selebangue, making his first start of the season for injured Joe Charles, had not one, not two, but three dunks while finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds.

“I’m an energy guy coming off the bench, and I wanted to sustain that by starting,” said Selebangue. “I know what my role is. We have lots of scorers, and I just have to be physical and do my job.”

Shumate had his one slam for good measure and ended with a double-double, his second of the season and 36th of his career. He finished with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.

“Always nice to get that,” Shumate said of his double-double. “I just try to go out and play to my standards.”

The two guys and Brandon Murray helped control the inside for McNeese. 

“Our front-court guys did a nice job in Joe’s absence,” Wade said. “Shumate was really aggressive, Murray did a good job on defense, and Bryant gave us physicality and a presence down low.”

Sincere Parker came off the bench to score 15 points, and DJ Richards added 14, 11 in the first half to get the Cowboys started. 

“When we can get him off to a fast start, it’s good for him and us,” Wade said of Richards.

Javohn Garcia gave McNeese five players in double figures with 10. Nana Antwi-Boasiako finished with 15 to lead the Lumberjacks.

The victory was McNeese’s 19th straight against league competition, a school record, and tops in the nation. The Cowboys won 26 of their last 27 games in the league and at home.

McNeese never trailed, as Richards scored the game’s first six points. They led 43-26 at the half, thanks largely to making seven of 16 3-point shots. Garcia, Richards, and Parker each had two.

“Most of those were good shots,” said Wade. “We will live with those.”

The Lumberjacks tried to make a run late in the game, cutting the lead to 14 twice in the final 10 minutes, but Selebangue’s dunk with 3:25 remaining sealed the deal, putting the Cowboys up 73-53.

That sent a clear message there was a new sheriff in the Southland.

“We try to make a statement every game,” said Shumate. “But yes, they ran the league once, but that was in the past.”

McNeese will play a pair of games in South Texas this weekend. The Cowboys will get their first look against Texas-Rio Grand Valley on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., then head to Corpus Christi for a showdown with the Islanders on Monday. Both games can be seen on ESPN+.

McNeese got a boost when Houston Christian upset Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday night, 76-72 to extend the Cowboys’ lead in the conference to two games.