Heading into Monday night’s matchup versus UT Rio Grande Valley, the McNeese Cowboys were coming off a six-game win streak. The Pokes midway into the first half went on a 30-6 run. That run and a strong second half elevated the Pokes to a 23-6 record with the 100-65 win inside the Legacy Center. The win gave Will Wade’s group their 17th win in Southland Conference play and 23rd overall. The victory also secured the regular season title for McNeese.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The visiting Vaqueros had a game plan to begin Monday night’s contest. UT Rio Grande Valley’s first seven shots as a team were from three-point range, and they knocked down four of their attempts. Howie Fleming Jr, Trey Miller, DK Thorn, and K.T. Raimey scored from downtown to put them ahead of the Cowboys 12-6 five minutes into the game.
Christian Shumate scored the first points for McNeese on a dunk with Quadir Copeland assisting on the play. Copeland then made back-to-back layups.
Brandon Murray also knocked down a pair of shots to cut it to a three-point game. Those field goals by Murray sparked a 30-6 run for the Pokes to take a sizable lead. It was a group effort for McNeese as nine players scored during the run. Joe Charles and Shumate scored from behind the arc within a minute of each other and Copeland finished the run with a layup to go ahead 41-20 with 4:34 remaining in the first half. The Vaqueros missed well over 10 shots and turned the ball over numerous times during the nine-and-a-half-minute run.
UT Rio Grande Valley ended the half on a high note, going on a 14-2 run. Raimey and Thorn were the contributors with Raimey hitting a pair of threes and Thorn driving into the paint multiple times.
Heading into the break, McNeese still held a 43-34 lead.
Coming out of the break, the Cowboys made it a point of emphasis to attack the basket. Six out of their first seven makes to begin the second half were scored in the paint. Shumate and Copeland had a dunk with DJ Richards hitting a three in between both jams at the rim. Richards followed that with another make from behind the arc to put McNeese up 61-42 five and a half minutes into the half.
McNeese continued to dominate through the next seven minutes of play, outscoring UT Rio Grande Valley 18-11. Parker took over for a couple of those minutes, scoring 10 straight points with two threes, a midrange jumper, and a layup. Murray then assisted on a couple of shots, including a fast break dunk by Shumate to force a timeout by the Vaqueros.
The only shots UT Rio Grande Valley was making were contested layups in the paint with guys like Fleming Jr making a majority of them. With seven minutes to go, the Pokes were ahead by 26.
It was all McNeese the rest of the way. The Pokes ended the game on an 18-9 run over the final seven minutes. Over the final moments, coach Wade wanted his team to reach triple digits and they did just that as Lamont Evans banked in a three with less than 16 seconds before the final buzzer.
By the end of it all, McNeese dribbled out the final moments to secure the 100-65 win over UT Rio Grande Valley. The win put McNeese at 23-6 overall, 17-1 in Southland play, and cemented the Pokes as back-to-back regular season conference champs.
BIG NUMBER: 100
The McNeese Cowboys men’s basketball team dropped 100 points on the Vaqueros of UT Rio Grande Valley and did so in dominant fashion. Six Cowboys scored in and the team knocked down 12 out of 23 attempts from three-point range as Will Wade’s group got the 35-point victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Christian Shumate
Shumate had a super-efficient night in the Legacy Center on Monday evening, scoring a game-high 19 points on 9-11 shooting. Most of his points came in the paint and on dunks but also knocked down a three midway into the first half. The senior forward also secured 10 rebounds in the 100-65 win over UT Rio Grande Valley, improving McNeese’s record to 23-6 and 17-1 in conference play.
UP NEXT: The McNeese Cowboys will pack their bags and head to Beaumont, Texas to take on the Lamar Cardinals. Tipoff in the Montagne Center is set for 6:00 on Saturday, March 1st.
