Big turnout witnesses Cowboys defeat Colonels, 86-75

LAKE CHARLES – Roydell Brown scored a career-high 25 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while four other McNeese Cowboys scored in double-figures as the grand opening of the new Health & Human Performance complex rang in a grand performance by the Cowboys in an 86-75 Southland Conference win over Nicholls in front of 2,778 fans with nearly 800 of those McNeese students.

“It was unbelievable (the energy from the crowd),” said guard Kevin Hunt. “From about the 12 minute mark, you could just feel it. Energy is contagious and to see it from the students and to see the stands filled up, it just made us compete harder.”

“Tonight showed how much they (university, students, community) embraced us,” said head coach Heath Schroyer. “I believe the students play a huge part in everything we do and I just want to thank them.”

To go along with his ninth double-double on the season, Brown hit two critical three-point baskets and converted on a three-point play – the first at the buzzer to end the first half and the next two after Nicholls cut a 17-point McNeese advantage to just one point with less than five minutes to play. Brown hit a layup and free throw then connected on his second true three-pointer to make it a 7-point advantage with less than four minutes remaining.

“I really don’t take 3s but the guys are always telling me to take the shot,” said Brown. “That gives me the confidence to shoot it when they have the confidence in me.”

The win improved the Cowboys to 6-12 overall but more importantly, 2-3 in league play while Nicholls fell to 10-8 and 3-2.

McNeese opened the game up on a 5-0 run and led wire-to-wire for the exception of the game being tied once early on and was broken with a 10-0 run by the Cowboys which was capped off by a Trey Touchet layup to make it a 15-5 advantage.

Touchet ended the night with 10 points and a career-high seven assists but it was the two charges he took and a steal late in the game that played a bigger part than his scoring.

“TT’s a winner,” said Schroyer. “He makes a lot of winning plays that don’t show up on stat sheets. The best thing he does is he connects us.”

Hunt and James Harvey added 15 points each while Malik Hines scored 13. Sha’Markus Kennedy added eight points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

After McNeese went into the break leading 41-34, Hunt sparked a blaze in the first five minutes of the second half with a dunk right off the bat. A couple of Touchet baskets followed by two Brown scores and a Harvey layup opened up a 54-38 lead for the Cowboys with 15:31 to play.

McNeese managed that distance for the next few minutes until Nicholls began to chip away and cut a 15-point deficit with 10:39 left to one point at 72-71 with 4:49 remaining.

That’s when Brown got his And-1 three-point play and second three-point basket of the night to snap the skid and build a 6-point lead with 3:28 to play. Hines then connected on back-to-back scores to put McNeese up 82-73 with 1:44 to play after the Colonels cut the margin to five points, and Harvey sealed the win by making four straight free throws.

Gavin Peppers led three Colonel double-figure scorers with 20 points.

The Cowboys will continue their four-game home stand on Saturday when they host Southeastern Louisiana at 1:30 as the second half of a double-header with the Cowgirls, who will tip at 11 a.m.

Game Notes:
• McNeese connected on 50.7 percent for the game (34 of 67) and 60.7 percent in the second half (17 of 28)
• Nicholls attempted 34 three-point shots, making 13.
• The Cowboys held the Colonels to zero offensive rebounds in the first half and just eight for the game.
• Brown’s 25 points is a new career high, bettering his old high of 24 points he scored against Campbellsville-Harrodsburg.
• The 21 team assists are the second-most in a game this season for the Cowboys.
• It’s the second time this season McNeese had five players score in double-digits in the game (vs. Loyola).
• In addition to his career-high 7 assists, Touchet played a career-best 39 minutes.
• Brown recorded his third 20-point game of the season and it was the 10th time this season a McNeese player scored 20 or more in a game.
• McNeese held a 43-31 advantage in rebounds and 50-26 lead with points in the paint.