TexSport Publications

Sunday, March 19, 2023

NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: March 19, 2023 Predictions

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 19, 2023) The second round of games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will continue at various sites around the United States. The eight games that will take place on Saturday, March 19, 2023 are listed below. My predictions, along with game times (EDT), and broadcast networks are also indicated.

No. 3 Xavier over No. 11 Pitt | 12:10 p.m. | CBS

No. 3 Kansas State over No. 6 Kentucky | 2:40 p.m. | CBS

No. 2 Marquette over No. 7 Michigan State | 5:15 p.m. | CBS

No. 4 UConn over No. 5 Saint Mary's | 6:10 p.m. | TNT

No. 3 Baylor over. No. 6 Creighton | 7:10 p.m. | TBS

No. 9 Florida Atlantic over No. 16 FDU | 7:45 p.m. | truTV

No. 4 Indiana over No. 5 Miami (Fla.) | 8:40 p.m. | TNT

No. 3 Gonzaga over No. 6 TCU | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

Saturday, March 18, 2023

RESULTS: Second Round, Day 1 Results from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships.

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 18, 2023) The first slate of eight games in the second of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 18 are completed. My predictions saw five correct outcomes, broken down by correct predictions and three upsets (My picks. They are underlined).

CORRECT SELECTIONS

No. 5 San Diego State 75, No. 13 Furman 52

No. 1 Houston 81, No. 9 Auburn 64

No. 2 Texas 71, No. 10 Penn State

No. 2 UCLA 68, No. 7 Northwestern 63

No. 1 Alabama 73, No. 8 Maryland 51

INCORRECT SELECTIONS

No. 4 Tennessee 65, No. 5 Duke 52

No. 8 Arkansas 72, No. 1 Kansas 71

No. 15 Princeton 78, No. 7 Missouri 63

Houston Dynamo FC downs in-state rival Austin 2-0

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography

By Robert H Kelly

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 18, 2023) Two second half goals gave Houston Dynamo FC a lead that Austin FC was unable to and led Houston to a 2-0 win at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday night. The win gave Houston their second victory over Austin at home and their second win against theor in-state rival in the all-time series.

The first goal came in the 71st minute when forward Amine Bassi scored with a penalty spot as a results of the video assistant referee confirming that an Austin defender handled the ball with his arm inside the box. It was the first goal for the Dynamo from the French native.

The second Houston goal came 15 minutes later, in the 86th minute, when captain Hector Herrera switched the ball at the edge of the box. His pass to defender Griffin Dorsey created space for the captain to run between two defenders and beat the Austin shot stopper with a one-touch finish toward the near post.

Head coach Ben Olsen stated in the post-game press conference:

“Almost as important it is to put up shutouts, so it's great all around. Defensively, we don't tell those guys enough. I felt Teenage (Hadebe) was really good, and Ethan (Bartlow) had his best game. I’m proud of those guys to keep a high, high scoring team off the board. For Hector (Herrera) to score a goal and to get on the board and also Bassi is a big deal one out of the run of play, you know, another set piece – PK. So all in all, good night, we're gonna enjoy it because it's our first one. It's nice to get that monkey off our back and then we're gonna get back to work and hopefully get better.”

The win also gave Olsen his first victory with the Dynamo and further gave Houston their 186th win in regular season play and their 138th win in regular season play at home.

Herrera also was questioned after the game about the changes in the second half. He stated:

“I thought we did a good job of controlling the match. They nearly scored a goal and that is what makes us lose a lot of games. At the half we knew that we were managing the game correctly. We also needed to increase the intensity and energy to get the result we wanted. We came out in the second half with that mentality, and we took advantage from that point on. We could have scored more transition goals.”

The win raises the Dynamo's record to 1-2 for the season before a Saturday, March 25 match at home against New York City FC (2-1-1).

Readers may click here to view photos from the match by Darla Tamulitis of La Vita Loca Photography.

NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: March 18, 2023 Predictions

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 17, 2023) The second round of games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will continue at various sites around the United States. The eight games that will take place on Saturday, March 18, 2023 are listed below. My predictions, along with game times (EDT), and broadcast networks are also indicated.

No. 5 San Diego State over No. 13 Furman | 12:10 p.m. | CBS

No. 5 Duke over No. 4 Tennessee | 2:40 p.m. | CBS

No. 1 Kansas over No. 8 Arkansas | 5:15 p.m. | CBS

No. 7 Missouri over No. 15 Princeton | 6:10 p.m. | TNT

No. 1 Houston over No. 9 Auburn | 7:10 p.m. | TBS

No. 2 Texas over No. 10 Penn State | 7:45 p.m. | CBS

No. 2 UCLA over No. 7 Northwestern | 8:40 p.m. | TNT

No. 1 Alabama over No. 8 Maryland | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

Friday, March 17, 2023

RESULTS: First Round, Day 2 Results from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships.

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 17, 2023) The second slate of 16 games in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday, March 17 are completed. My predictions saw 12 correct outcomes with four of my selections fall. The results of these games are below, broken down by correct predictions and five upsets (My picks. They are underlined).

CORRECT PREDICTIONS

No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10 USC 62
No. 3 Xavier 72, No.14 Kennesaw St. 36
No. 3 Baylor 74, No.14 UC Santa Barbara 56
No. 5 Saint Mary's 63, No. 12 VCU 51
No. 2 Marquette 78, No. 15 Vermont 61
No. 4 UConn 87, No. 13 Iona 63
No. 6 Kentucky 61, over No. 11 Providence 53
No. 5 Miami 63, No.12 Drake 56
No. 3 Gonzaga 82, No. 14 Grand Canyon 70
No. 3 Kansas St. 77, No. 14 Montana St. 76
No. 4 Indiana 71, No. 13 Kent State 60
No. 6 TCU 72, No. 11 Arizona State 70

INCORRECT PREDICTIONS

No. 11 Pitt 59, No. 6 Iowa State 41
No. 6 Creighton 72, No. 11 NC State 53
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58
No. 9 Florida Atlantic 66, No. 8 Memphis 65

NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: March 17, 2023 Predictions

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 17, 2023) The first round of games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will begin at various sites around the United States. The sixteen games that will take place on Thursday, March 17, 2023 are listed below. My predictions, along with game times (EDT), and broadcast networks are also indicated.

No. 7 Michigan State over No. 10 USC | 12:15 p.m. |CBS

No. 3 Xavier over No. 14 Kennesaw St. | 12:40 p.m. | truTV

No. 3 Baylor over No. 14 UC Santa Barbara | 1:30 p.m. | TNT

No. 5 Saint Mary's over No. 12 VCU | 2 p.m. | TBS

No. 2 Marquette over No. 15 Vermont | 2:45 p.m. | CBS

No. 6 Iowa State over No. 11 Pitt | 3:10 p.m. | truTV

No. 11 NC State over.No. 6 Creighton| 4 p.m. | TNT

No. 4 UConn over No. 13 Iona | 4:30 p.m. | TBS

No. 1 Purdue over No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson | 6:50 p.m. | TNT

No. 6 Kentucky over No. 11 Providence | 7:10 p.m. | CBS

No. 12 Drake vs. No. 5 Miami | 7:25 p.m | TBS

No. 3 Gonzaga over No. 14 Grand Canyon| 7:35 p.m. | truTV

No. 8 Memphis over No. 9 Florida Atlantic | 9:20 p.m.| TNT

No. 3 Kansas St. over No. 14 Montana St. | 9:40 p.m. | CBS

No. 4 Indiana over No. 13 Kent State | 9:55 p.m. | TBS

No. 6 TCU over No. 11 Arizona State | 10:05 p.m. | truTV

Thursday, March 16, 2023

RESULTS: First Round, Day 1 Results from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships.

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 16, 2023) The first slate of 16 games in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships are completed My predictions saw 11 correct outcomes with five of my selections fall. The results of these games are below, broken down by correct predictions and five upsets (By MY picks. They are underlined).

CORRECT PREDICTIONS

No. 7 Missouri 76, No. 10 Utah State 65

No. 1 Kansas 86, No. 16 Howard 58

No. 1 Alabama 96, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 74

No. 5 San Diego State 63, No. 12 College of Charleston 57

No. 8 Arkansas 73, No. 9 Illinois 63

No. 5 Duke 74, No. 12 Oral Roberts 51

No. 2 Texas 81, No. 15 Colgate 61

No. 7 Northwestern 75, No. 10 Boise State 67

No. 1 Houston 63, No. 16 Northern Kentucky 52

No. 4 Tennessee 58, No. 13 Louisiana 55

No. 2 UCLA 86, No. 15 UNC Asheville 53

UPSETS

No. 9 West Virginia 65, 8 Maryland 67

No. 4 Virginia 67, No. 13 Furman 68

No. 2 Arizona 55, No. 15 Princeton 59

No. 8 Iowa 75, No. 9 Auburn 83

No. 7 Texas A&M 59, No. 10 Penn State 76

The biggest upset of the day was No. 15 Princeton knocking off No. 2 Arizona by the score of 68-67. The last time the Tigers won a NCAA Tournament was 1998, when they defeated UNLV 69-57 in the first round.

NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: March 16, 2023 Predictions

By Robert H Kelly

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 16, 2023) The first round of games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will begin at various sites around the United States. The sixteen games that will take place on Thursday, March 16, 2023 is listed below. My predictions, along with game times (EDT), and broadcast networks are also indicated.

12:15 p.m. — No. 9 West Virginia over No. 8 Maryland (CBS)

12:40 p.m. — No. 4 Virginia over No. 13 Furman (truTV)

1:40 p.m. — No. 7 Missouri over No. 10 Utah State (TNT)

2 :00p.m. — No. 1 Kansas over No. 16 Howard (TBS)

2:45 p.m. — No. 1 Alabama over No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi (CBS)

3:10 p.m. — No. 5 San Diego State over No. 12 College of Charleston (truTV)

4:10 p.m. — No. 2 Arizona over No. 15 Princeton (TNT)

4:30 p.m. — No. 8 Arkansas over No. 9 Illinois (TBS)

6:50 p.m. — No. 8 Iowa over No. 9 Auburn (TNT)

7:10 p.m. — No. 5 Duke over No. 12 Oral Roberts (CBS)

7:25 p.m. — No. 2 Texas over No. 15 Colgate (TBS)

7:35 p.m. — No. 7 Northwestern over No. 10 Boise State (truTV)

9:20 p.m. — No. 1 Houston over No. 16 Northern Kentucky (TNT)

9:40 p.m. — No. 4 Tennessee over No. 13 Louisiana (CBS)

9:55 p.m. — No. 7 Texas A&M over No. 10 Penn State (TBS)

10:05 p.m. — No. 2 UCLA over No. 15 UNC Asheville (truTV)

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

NCAA March Madness: First Four Results

By Robert H Kelly

DAYTON, OHIO (March 15, 2023) The results from the First Four (play-in games) of the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament.

#16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 75, #16 SE Missouri State 71 (next opponent: #1 Alabama on Thursday, March 16)

#11 Pittsburgh over #11 Mississippi State (next opponent: No. 6 Iowa State on Friday, March 17)

#11 Arizona State 98, #11 Nevada 73 (next opponent: No. 6 TCU on Friday, March 17)

#16 Fairleigh Dickinson 84, #16 Texas Southern 61 (next opponent: #1 Purdue on Friday, March 17)

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

NCAA March Madness First Four Picks

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 14, 2023) Below are my picks for the First Four games of the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

#16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi over # 16 SE Missouri State

#11 Pittsburgh over #11 Mississippi State

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

#11 Arizona State over #11 Nevada

#16 Texas Southern over #16 Fairleigh Dickinson

Houston Texans to sign UH ex Case Keenum

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved
By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS It is being reported by Gallery Sports and Sports Radio 610 writer John McClain that the Houston Texans have agreed to sign former Houston Cougar Case Keenum to a two-year contract as their backup quarterback. The deal can't become official until the start of free agency on Wednesday. This will be Keenum's third tour with the Texans. He played in 2012-13 under Gary Kubiak and in 2014 under Bill O'Brien.

Monday, March 13, 2023

Chris Beard named head basketball coach at Ole Miss

Photo by SneakinDeacon - Flickr,
CC BY-SA 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.
php?curid=90042438
By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

UNIVERSITY, MISSISSIPPI (March 13, 2023) It is being reported by various news outlets that former University of Texas at Austin head basketball coach Mike Beard had been hired as the new men's head coach at Ole Miss.

It was reported last week by ESPN the he was the leading candidate for the job to replace Kermit Davis wh0 was terminated on February 24. Davis went 74-79 over five seasons and failed to reach the NCAA tournament after his first season in the position.

Beard was fired by the Longhorns in January following an arrest December 12. His fiancée, Randi Trew, called 911 and told officers that he choked and hit her when the two got in an argument, according to authorities in Austin. Charged were dropped on February 15.

You can read the press release from Ole Miss announcing his hire by clicking here.

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Memphis Wins American Men’s Basketball Championship

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 12, 2023) Kendric Davis scored 31 points, including 14 in a big run before halftime, and second-seeded Memphis held on to beat No. 1 Houston 75-65 in the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game Sunday.

DeAndre Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds for coach Penny Hardaway and the Tigers (26-8), who got the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. They are going to March Madness for the second year in a row.

The Cougars (31-3) beat Memphis 71-53 in last year’s AAC tournament championship game, and won both regular-season matchups this season.

J’Wan Roberts had 12 points and 20 rebounds for Houston. Jamal Shead had 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting, and Jarace Walker had 13 points before fouling out.

The Cougars trailed by 18 at halftime, but got within 55-50 with 11:03 left after Shead scored eight points in a row for them in a two-minute span. His 3-pointer capped a 12-1 run, and he made another long-range shot before two free throws, but that was the closest Houston would get.

Memphis had taken control with a 16-2 run in the first half. Davis had all but two of those points and made two 3-pointers only 9 seconds apart.

That big spurt started on a fast-break layup by Davis with just under eight minutes left. Davis made a 3, and then Alex Lomax made a backcourt steal and passed to Davis at the top of the key for another 3. By time Davis made another fast-break layup with 3:36 left, the Tigers had doubled up Houston, 40-20.

Houston was selected as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and will open the NCAA Tournament against No. 16 seed Northern Kentucky (22-12) in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 16 at 9:20 p.m. ET/8:20 p.m. CT on TNT. The Cougars are the first squad from The American to earn a No. 1 seed.

Memphis will be headed to Columbus, Ohio as the No. 8 seed in the East Region and will take on ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic (31-3) on Friday, March 17 at 9:20 p.m. ET/8:20 p.m. CT on TNT.

Friday, March 10, 2023

HCU Huskies to host Southland Showcase beach volleyball tourney

HOUSTON, TEXS (March 10, 2023) The HCU Huskies will host five schools beginning on Saturday, March 11 at Third Coast Volleyball in the Southland Showcase Beach Volleyball Tournament. The Huskies will face fellow Southland Conference beach volleyball teams from Nicholls State, San Jose State, Boise State, Southeastern, and New Orleans to the sand courts in southwest Houston.

The Huskies (2-6) will first face Nicholls State (2-6) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, followed by San Jose State (4-0) at 3 p.m. On Sunday, they kickoff at 9 a.m. against Boise State (6-2) with a matchup against Southeastern (3-6) at 1 p.m. They will close out the action against New Orleans (5-3) at 3 p.m.

HCU is coming off a 2-3 loss to Boise State on March 5.

Saturday, February 18, 2023

The Woodlands High School girls win 2023 6A swimming and diving state title

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 18, 2023) San Antonio Johnson's Jada Scott and Mansfield's Elise Clift both claimed double gold with The Woodlands High School (shown above) claiming the overall team title at the 2023 UIL 6A Girls State Swimming and Diving Championships at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on Saturday.

Scott won the 50-yard freestyle with the time of :22.42. She followed that up about two hours later with a victory in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:00.59). The senior announced this past May that she will attend the University of Alabama and swim for the Crimson Tide in 2023. Clift, who is a junior, took top honors in the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.44) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:46.23).

The Woodlands, who won just a single relay, claimed the team title with 300 points over second place Southlake Carroll (284) and third place Mansfield (163). The team champions based their team title on placing many swimmers in the finals to score vital points in route to the title.

In fact, the Highlanders picked up 58 of their points in the 500-yard freestyle placing four girls in the championships finals and placing second, third, fifth, and eighth in the event. Their single victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:33.67), garnering 40 points. They also picked up 66 points with a second place finish in the 200-yard medley relays and third in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Southlake Carroll won the 200-yard medley relay (1:42.84) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:25.80) to lead them to their second place finish.

In the other individual events, three senior finished out their high school careers with state titles. Hannah O'Leary (Round Rock) won the 200-yard individual medley (2:00.52), with Vista Ridge's Paula Warren taking the gold in the 100-yard backstroke (:55.24). College Park's Chloe Sharpe topped the field in winning the 1-meter springboard diving event (335.05 pts).

Two sophomores made their way to the top of the medal stand; Marin Clem (Southlake Carroll) in the 100-yard freestyle (:49.07) and San Antonio Reagan's Montserrat Spielman in the 100-yard butterfly (:53.42).

Friday, February 17, 2023

Top seeds advanced in UIL 6A girls state swimming and diving championships

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February17, 2023) Southlake Carroll High School garnered the top seeds in all three relays and Mansfield High School gained top seeds in four individual events in the prelim session of the 2023 UIL 6A Girls Swimming and Diving Championships in Austin.

The fans in attendance saw the Dragons finish first in the 200-yard medley relay (1:42.84), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:25.67) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:25.73) to set them up as the top seed in all three events for Saturday's finals.

Mansfield earned to seed in the finals with junior Elise Clift in the 200-yard freestyle (1:48.10) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:49.33). They also had top qualifiers in the 200-yard individual medley when Gracie Walker posted the time of 2:00.45. She was join by Katie Walker in the 100-yard butterfly (:54.04).

Fort Bend Clements junior Kayla Fu was tops in the 100-yard freestyle (:49.84) awhile Cedar Park Vista Ridge was the top qualifier in the 100-yard backstroke (:55.24).

Diving Chloe Sharpe 12 Conroe Woodlands College Park 355.05, Senior Jada Scott of San Antonio Johnson finished first in the 50-yard freestyle (:22.51) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.41).

The finals of the 6A division will kickoff on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

Record falls in prelims of UIL 6A swimming and diving championships in Austin

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 17, 2023) Fort Bend Clements senior Logan Brown swam his way to a new state record at the UIL 6A State Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday afternoon. In the third heat of the boys 100-yard breaststroke, Brown blasted past the competition; posting the time of 53.03 seconds, earning him the top seed in Saturday's finals at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

The previous 6A and overall state record of :53.39 was established by Brown at the 2022 state meet, and lasted for 364 days. He also captured the top seed for the finals in the 200-yard individual medley with the time of 1:45.09.

Also gaining the top seed in two events for the finals was Keller High School's Cooper Lucas. The junior qualified first in the 200-yard freestyle (1:36.76) and 500-yard freestyle (4:24.53). Keller also earned the top seed in all three relays; 200-yard medley relay (1:30.75), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:22.28), and 400-yard freestyle relay (3:00.33).

Seniors Hayden Bellotti (Fort Bend Clements), Sonny Wong (Round Rock Westwood) and Logan Pack (Katy Taylor) all qualified first in the 50-yard freestyle (:19.95), 100-yard freestyle (:43.52), and 100-yard backstroke (:48.23), respectively,

Junior Jacob Wimberly (Prosper) earned the top seed in the 100-yard butterfly (:46.99) with Prosper Rock Hill's Luke Sitz leading all divers with the score of 412.65 after the semi-finals.

The 6A finals will kickoff at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Saturday, January 21, 2023

HCU Huskies overcome Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 90-78

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 21, 2023) Using the combination of three-pointers and five players scoring in double digits, the HCU Huskies cruised to a 90-78 win over the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The victory pushed the Huskies to a 4-3 record in the Southland Conference, along with three other conference programs.

Those Huskies scoring in double digits: Maks Klanjscek (20), Bonke Maring (16), Pierce Bazil (15), Sam Hofman (14), and Brycen Long (11) accounted for 76 of HVU's 90 points. Klanjscek and Maring each pulled down six rebounds, to lead the Huskies, with Hofman adding five. HCU shot 53 percent from the field, 76 percent from the free throw line, and 50 percent from three-point range.

Terrion Murdix had 17 for the Islanders and Ross Williams finished with 13. TAMUCC shot just 37.1 percent (23-of-62) from the field and 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from three. The Islanders were solid from the line, making 24-of-29 (82.8 percent).

Next up for the Huskies is a matchup against Northwestern State on Thursday, January 26, and Texas A&M-Commerce in Commerce, Texas on Saturday, January 28.

HCU falls to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 57-42 in women's basketball action

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 21, 2023) The HCU Huskies dropped a 57-42 decision to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (11-7, 6-1 SLC) at Sharp Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies (8-10) were leading by a slight margin (three points) after three quarters of play, but could not match the offensive punch of the Islanders in the fourth quarter; being outscored 24-6.

N'Denasija Harris lead the HCU scoring with 17 points followed by Abbey Southland, Marilyn Nzoiwu, and Kennedy Wilson with six points each. Wilson also led the Huskies with seven rebounds. For the Islanders, Alecia Westbrook tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. She has achieved six of her double-doubles in conference games this season. In addition, it was the senior's 27th double-double of her career.

HCU lost two-of-three meetings against the Islanders in 2021-22 season. The teams squared off in non-conference play where Corpus won, before splitting the conference series. Overall the Huskies are 8-13 against the Islanders dating back to 2011. In the lone Huskies win of last season, Nzoiwu posted a 13-point 13-rebound double-double. Wilson also dropped 12 points in the win.

In other Southland Conference women's action on Saturday, Southeastern (10-7) defeated Texas A&M-Commerce (6-11) by the score of 46-42 while McNeese (7-11) outlasted Nicholls (4-14) 70-62.

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Cowgirls Drop SLC Opener Against Lamar

BEAUMONT, TEXAS (December 31, 2022) McNeese women’s basketball jumped out to an early four point lead but Lamar caught fire from three-point range on its way to an 82-61 Southland Conference opening win here Saturday.

The loss drops McNeese to 3-9 overall and 0-1 in league play while Lamar improves to 7-5 overall and 1-0 in the SLC.

Stephanie Guihon was the only Cowgirl to score in double figures, ending the game with 17 points. Thirteen of Guihon’s 17 points came from the free throw line as she finished the game making 13 of 15 from the charity stripe.

McNeese was held to a 33.9 shooting percent (19-56) including 18.8 percent (3-16) from three-point range while Lamar ended the game shooting 44.1 percent (30-68) and a blistering 54.5 three-point percent (12-22).

The Cardinals also outrebounded the Cowgirls 44-38, something McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy said the Cowgirls needed to improve on. Turnovers have also been an issue for the Cowgirls this season. McNeese turned the ball over 18 times in the game resulting in 24 Lamar points.

Lamar had three players score in double figures with Sabrina Dean leading all players with a game high 20 points. Dean was 8 of 13 from the field and 3 of 4 from behind the arc. Akasha Davis chipped in 16 points and Portia Adams ended the game with 12 points, all coming from three-point range.

McNeese will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 5 to host Northwestern State in its SLC home opener. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Legacy Center.