Box Score LAKE CHARLES – Jeffery Ricard scored a team-high 17 points while
Onochie Ochie added 12, but it was not enough as Southeastern Louisiana dropped a 65-58 Southland Conference decision at McNeese State on Tuesday at Burton Coliseum.
Dontae Cannon scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half as McNeese State (11-13, 5-9 SLC) led by as many as 10 points in the game while making four free throws in the final 48 seconds to preserve the win. Southeastern, coming off a dramatic 54-50 win over Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, fell to 10-14 overall and 8-6 in Southland Conference play.
Desharick Guidry scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half as McNeese State led 27-24 at halftime. The Cowboys opened the game with an 11-3 run before Southeastern battled back, taking a 19-18 lead on a four-point play by Ochie with 7:48 remaining in the first half.
The Lions took their biggest lead of the game when Ricard, who went 6-for-9 from the floor, scored on a layup for a 21-18 lead with 6:46 left before McNeese came back and took the lead for good, 23-22, on a 3-pointer by Kevin Hardy with 3:14 remaining.
Southeastern closed to within 48-45 on a basket by
Roger Woods with 8:11 remaining in the game, but McNeese State would score the next five points as Cannon sank a pair of free throws and Hardy drained a 3-pointer for a 53-45 advantage at the 5:29 mark.
Hardy finished with 14 points for McNeese State, which finished 23-for-51 (45.1 percent) from the floor while going 15-for-19 from the free throw line. The Cowboys held a commanding 38-26 advantage on the boards as Craig McFerrin pulled down 10.
Brandon Fortenberry added 11 points for Southeastern on 2 of 11 aim while
Roosevelt Johnson finished with five points after finishing 2-for-9 from the floor. The Lions finished 19-for-50 (38.0 percent) from the floor and 8-for-20 (40.0 percent) from behind the 3-point line with Ochie going a perfect 3-for-3 from long distance.
Southeastern will return to action on Saturday when it visits Big South Conference opponent Winthrop in the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters at Winthrop Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST.
