McNeese State's Cowboy basketball team will be out to snap a three game losing streak when it opens its home season Saturday by hosting Louisiana College.

         Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in Burton Coliseum and the game will follow a women's contest between the Cowgirls and Samford University which will start at 11 a.m.

       The Cowboys are just back from appearing in Hawaii's Rainbow Classic where they dropped three straight games, bowing to Northern Colorado 101-73, to Hawaii 73-65 and to Southern Utah 68-59.

       Louisiana College opened its season Monday with a 90-68 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.

       The game will be the 58th meeting between the two schools.  McNeese holds a 43-14 edge in the series and  has won the last five contests. The Wildcats last won in the series in the 1991-92 season.

       Junior guard Stephan Martin leads the Cowboys in scoring with a 16.3 average and popped in a career high 23 points against Northern Colorado.  He had to step in for C. J. Collins at the point guard when Collins was injured.

        Collins is questionable for Saturday's game so Martin could start at that post again.

        Also scoring in double figures for the Cowboys are Diego Kapelan with an 11.7 average and Patrick Richard with an 11.3 mark.  Both will be in the starting lineup along with P. J. Alawoya who leads the team in rebounding.  At the post Coach Dave Simmons has used Preston David, Jamarcus Little and Will Morning thus far and will  probably have one of those in the starting rotation.

        Freshmen Brandon Regis and Dontae Cannon saw a good bit of playing time in the Hawaii tournament and are expected to see substantial time on Saturday.  Regis is averaging 6.7 points per game and Cannon 4.7.

        Collins had played 20 minutes in the season opener before he went down.

        A year ago the Cowboys beat the Wildcats by an 88-59 score in the team's only meeting.  IN that game Richard pulled a game high nine rebounds.

        Following this game the Cowboys will hit the road for a Monday outing at Samford University and then return home for a Nov. 28 meeting with Louisiana-Lafayette.