Incarnate Word hands McNeese Women's Basketball its first home loss of the season

Staff Reports
The Contraband

Incarnate Word handed the McNeese women’s basketball team their first home loss of the season in a 68-55 Southland Conference contest Wednesday night. The loss drops McNeese to 11-7 overall and 3-3 in the SLC. Incarnate Word improves to 5-11 and 2-3 in league play.

“We knew it was going to be a tough challenge and we just didn’t guard very well,” said head coach Brooks Donald Williams.

McNeese placed three players in double figures with Allison Baggett leading the way with 20 points. Jayln Johnson, despite fouling out late in the game scored 11 points and moved into a second place tie in career assist with Tiffany Green with three on the night, giving her 472 for her career. Keara Hudnall pitched in 10 points.

You could almost see early on that the game would be a challenge as the Cowgirls picked up two quick fouls in less than a minute into the game and three Cowgirl starters Frederica Haywood, Johnson, and Jasmyn Carswell were in early foul trouble with two apiece midway through the second quarter. The foul trouble aided in the loss, but the Cowgirls, who enter the game with a 74.5 free throw percent, were 8 of 16 on the night. McNeese ended the game outrebounding UIW 43-36 but McNeese gave up four offensive rebounds on UIW’s first possession of the game and missed four of their first five attempts of the game.

“I think everything was difficult tonight. We were in foul trouble early in the game but that is part of the game and we have to adjust to it,” said Williams.

The Cowgirls held a slim one point lead after the first quarter until UIW’s Yvonne Maosa tied the game at 16 apiece early in the second quarter. UIW took the lead for good on a three pointer by Aricka Adams with 6:53 left in the quarter and never looked back.

McNeese trailed by three points at the half thanks to a three-pointer by Hudnall as the buzzer sounded.

The Cowgirls continued to struggle on offense after the break, scoring only eight points in the third quarter and trailed by 11 (47-36).

McNeese did cut the lead to five twice in the fourth quarter following a three-point play by Johnson with 3:37 to play and then again on another three point play, this time by Baggett with 1:38 to play. The Cowgirls missed a chance to cut the deficit to two points but Johnson missed a layup and Maosa grabbed the rebound.

Incarnate Word made their free throws count and ended the game making 20 of 29 attempts and scored their final eight points of the game from the charity stripe, all coming from Brianna Williams. Williams ended the night with a double double (24 points, 10 rebounds). Adams led all players with 25 points on 8 of 15 from the field and 7 of 8 free throws.

McNeese will host Northwestern State at 1 p.m. Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader with the Cowboys.