Courtesy: Brandon Scardigli C.J. Collins puts in a three-pointer.
Natchitoches, LA – The McNeese State Cowboys snapped a two game losing skid as they beat the Northwestern State Demons here 92-85 Wednesday night.
The one-two punch of Patrick Richard and Diego Kapelan proved too much for the Demons to handle. Richard finished up with a team high 18 points while Kapelan had 17, including four three-pointers.
P.J. Alawoya picked up his third double double of the season as he grabbed a career high 16 rebounds and put in a total of 13 points.
The Cowboys were up by 20 points with 7:05 left in the game before costly turnovers brought the Demons with in two of tying it up. Solid defensive play in the final minute, however, would seal the deal for McNeese (8-14, 3-4) .
“We rely on C.J. (Collins) a whole lot and I think he was just getting tired down the stretch there,” said McNeese head coach Dave Simmons of the Demon run. “Everybody was a little tense not wanting to be the guy to have to go to the free throw line but C.J. is our point guard and he really stepped up and made some big ones down the stretch for us.”
McNeese started the game off with a bang as Will Morning put in a dunk followed by a quick Diego Kapelan three pointer that put the Cowboys ahead in a game that they never trailed in.
After scoring just 17 first half points against Stephen F. Austin in their last outing, the Cowboys went into the intermission holding a 48-42 advantage over the Demons.
Alawoya had nine points to go with his eight rebounds while Diego Kapelan and C.J. Collins put nine on the scoreboard as well in the first period. Kapelan would also walk away with three first half three-pointers.
The Cowboys enjoyed as much as a 13 point advantage with 2:20 left in the first half before a 7-0 Demon run to end the intermission cut into the big McNeese lead. Two free throws and a jumper by Kapelan would put the Cowboys back on the right track as they picked up their second conference road win of the season.
McNeese played one of its most physical match ups of the year, scoring 50 of its 92 total points in the paint while earning seven blocked shots and 10 steals. The Cowboys would also force 13 Demon turnovers leading to 18 McNeese points.
“We knew they would try to wear us down and play at a high speed,” added Simmons. “But I feel we have enough depth to play with anybody if they want to play like that against us.”
The Cowboys outscored the Demons from the bench by a 29-19 margin. Preston David led the way with his career high 11 points while Daniel Richard had eight of his own.
“Preston is a guy who hasn’t played a lot of minutes so this was a great night’s work for him,” said Simmons. “He’s definitely the guy we need to be patting on the back.”
Up next the Cowboys will travel to San Marcos, TX for a 4 p.m. match up against the Texas State Bobcats on Saturday, February 6.
Courtesy: Brandon Scardigli
