Courtesy: McNeeseSports.com Stephan Martin puts in a lay up against Tulane.
New Orleans, LA. – The McNeese State Cowboys picked up their first road win of the season as they knocked off the Tulane Green Wave here 61-57.
In a game that saw 12 lead changes and six ties, a Diego Kapelan three-pointer with :57 left in the contest would seal the deal for the Cowboys as they coasted to the win. The shot was Kapelan’s only field goal on the night.
“We did a much better job of executing our game plan down the line,” said McNeese head coach Dave Simmons. “Our guys did a great job of coming in here and beating a very good Tulane team.”
The Cowboys led by as many as 11 points with six minutes left in the second half before a Tulane (3-6) run would chip away at the McNeese lead. The Green Wave tied it up at 51 before a clutch P.J. Alawoya free throw would put the Cowboys up by one before the big Kapelan three-pointer put the game out of reach.
Three Cowboys found themselves in double digit scoring. Alawoya led the team with 18 points to go with his seven rebounds while Stephan Martin, who fouled out late in the game, had 15. Sophomore Patrick Richard put in 10 points of his own during the win.
“The one stat I was very pleased with was outscoring them 24 to eight from the paint,” said Simmons. “Elbryan (Neal) and Will (Morning) both came in and had some great minutes for us.”
Morning grabbed six rebounds and scored seven points while Neal had three rebounds and four points. As a team McNeese out rebounded the Green Wave 33-26, 22 of which were on the defensive side of the ball holding Tulane to just 10 second chance points.
“Overall we’re still not where we want to be,” added Simmons of the victory. “We gave up an 11 point lead at the end and that’s something that needs to be fixed. We did a great job out rebounding them but the 17 turnovers hurt us.”
Both teams went to the free throw line 19 times, the Cowboys making 10 while the Green Wave put in 14. In the first half both teams were 10-27 from the field and both took only two free throws, McNeese making both of theirs.
“It was a win that we definitely needed and the tough road kick will continue for us against a good LA Tech team,” said Simmons.
The Cowboys will wrap up their three game road trip in Ruston against Louisiana Tech on Dec. 19, at 7 p.m.
Courtesy: McNeeseSports.com
