The McNeese Cowboys fell to the Vanderbilt Commodores 78-68 on Thursday afternoon in the NCAA Tournament First Round in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The loss ends the Cowboys’ season with a record of 28-6.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
McNeese got off to a hot start, beginning with the first two points from Tyshawn Archie. Later in the half, McNeese went on an 8-0 run to take a 16-5 lead.
The Cowboys would continue to control the pace, leading 26-16 at one point. However, Devin McGlockton got Vanderbilt going. He helped launch a run that eventually led to Vanderbilt’s first lead after a Tyler Nickel made three. That made it 30-28 Commodores.
Down the stretch of the half, McNeese kept it close but Vandy led. They took a 38-35 lead into the break.
Early in the second half, Vanderbilt extended their lead. Nickel hit another three to make it a double-digit lead at 45-35. The Cowboys were fighting uphill the entire half.
McNeese did have four double-digit scorers in this game, including senior Javohn Garcia. Garvey Dual led the way with 16 points, but he did have to miss stretches of the game with foul trouble.
As the Cowboys worked their way back into the game, DJ Richards made a run of his own. He made a three to cut the lead down to one possession and then made three free throws on the next possession to do the same.
Despite the effort, McNeese never got closer than three points down. Tyler Tanner did plenty of his work in the second half, scoring 26 for the game and leading Vanderbilt to a 78-68 win.
BIG NUMBER: 86
McNeese’s historic three-year run has seen 86 wins and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Tyler Tanner
Tanner led the way for Vanderbilt. He scored 26 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists.
UP NEXT: McNeese’s season comes to a close with the loss.
