KATY, Texas – With four seconds left and the possibility of a second overtime in the opening game of the 2015 Southland Conference Tournament, McNeese State forward Austin Lewis blocked
Cedric Jenkins' shot to clinch a 62-60 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday at the Merrell Center.
No. 8 seed Southeastern (9-23) sees its season, the first under head coach
Jay Ladner, come to an end. Fifth-seeded McNeese State (15-15) will now play No. 4 seed Northwestern State on Thursday at 5 p.m.
"Look at the scores, we were so close to having won so many games over the last three, four weeks," Ladner said. "Not once were we ever really out of the basketball game. Lose by two, or one, and today by two in overtime. Just hurts, and they're hurting because they battled their tails off and the coaching staff is hurting. What bothers me the most is our three seniors because they wanted to win and it's never easy in that locker room in the end after that last game. Whether you're in high school or junior college or division one. It's never easy unless you win that last game."
Tied at 27-27 at intermission, Southeastern wore down McNeese on the glass and used that advantage to take a 44-35 lead when
DeVonte Upson converted a layup with 11:45 in regulation.
Less than four-and-a-half minutes later, the Cowboys had pulled with one on a Shaun Johnson 3-pointer. Southeastern pushed its lead back up to six, but McNeese tied the game with 2:30 left in regulation on Lance Potier's layup.
In overtime,
Jimmie Duplessis put the Lions up, 60-57, with 1:56 to play, but McNeese's Keelan Garrett scored the final five points of the game.
Jenkins, a senior from LaPlace, Louisiana, scored a game-high 27 points, his fifth straight game with at least 20 points.
Onochie Ochie (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Upson (10 points, 10 rebounds) each turned in double-double performances. Duplessis, a junior from New Orleans, Louisiana, tied a career high with nine assists.
The Lions shot 38.6 percent from the floor (23-of-63), including 20 percent from 3-point range (3-of-15). Southeastern converted 13-of-18 from the free throw line (72.2 percent) and out-rebounded McNeese, 44-37.
Garrett (14) led four Cowboys in double-digit scoring. Desharick Guidry, Kevin Hardy and Johnson all contributed 11 points apiece. Lewis grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked six shots.
The Cowboys shot 36.5 percent from the floor (23-of-63), including 24.1 percent from 3-point range (7-of-29). McNeese converted 9-of-13 from the free throw line (69.2 percent).
SOUTHEASTERN LA. (9-23)Jenkins, Cedric 10-28 6-8 27; Ochie, Onochie 4-7 4-5 12; Upson, DeVonte 4-6 2-3 10; Grieves, Daniel 3-4 1-2 9; Duplessis, Jimmie 1-9 0-0 2; Maggio, Dylon 0-3 0-0 0.
Totals 22-57 13-18 60.MCNEESE STATE (15-15)Garrett, Keelan 5-16 0-0 14; Johnson, Shaun 3-8 2-3 11; Hardy, Kevin 5-14 1-2 11; Guidry, Desharick 4-10 3-3 11; Lewis, Austin 3-6 1-3 7; Burr, Jamaya 1-5 2-2 4; Potier, Lance 2-3 0-0 4; Moss, Matthew 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 23-63 9-13 62.Southeastern La.............. 27 28 5 - 60
McNeese State................. 27 28 7 - 623-point goals--Southeastern La. 3-15 (Grieves, Daniel 2-3; Jenkins, Cedric 1-9; Duplessis, Jimmie 0-3), McNeese State 7-29 (Garrett, Keelan 4-15; Johnson, Shaun 3-7; Guidry, Desharick 0-3; Burr, Jamaya 0-2; Hardy, Kevin 0-2).
Fouled out--Southeastern La.-Grieves, Daniel, McNeese State-Guidry, Desharick.
Rebounds--Southeastern La. 44 (Ochie, Onochie 11), McNeese State 37 (Lewis, Austin 10).
Assists--Southeastern La. 12 (Duplessis, Jimmie 9), McNeese State 11 (Hardy, Kevin 4).
Total fouls--Southeastern La. 13, McNeese State 17.
Technical fouls--Southeastern La.-None, McNeese State-None.
2015 Southland Conference Championships - Game 1
