Desharick Guidry scored 29 points and hauled down 16 rebounds as McNeese State used a late first half run to open up a ten point lead and made it stand up, as the Cowboys defeated Louisiana 80-70 before an announced crowd of 1,086 in Burton Coliseum.

Kevin Hardy also had a double double with 13 points and 11 boards.  The two combined for 13 offensive rebounds in the contest.  Hardy also added six assists, two blocked shots and five steals.

Point guard Jamaya Burr scored 14 points and Keelan Garrett added eleven.

Louisiana (3-4) was led by Shawn Long, who had his first double double of the year and 37th of his career as he scored 18 points on 8-16 shooting.  He pulled down eleven rebounds and blocked five shots.  Brian Williams had 15 points as the other Cajun in double figures.

Louisiana had three more field goals than McNeese, but the Cowboys had a big advantage at the firee throw line, hitting 24-29, while the Cajuns could only manage 9-19.

The Cowboys (4-2) trailed 27-24 with 4:22 to play in the first half.  Guidry's three pointer tied the game and sparked a 17-4 run that gave McNeese a 41-31 halftime lead. The Cajuns got to within two points, 53-51 after a Williams follow up.  But the home team went on an 11-1 run to open the lead to 64-52 and the Cajuns never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

The game was another frustration for the Cajuns, who haven't won at Burton Coliseum since 1999.  The Cajuns' only win since then in Lake Charles was at the Civic Center during the 2004-05 season.

The Cajuns open a three game homestand Wednesday night when the host Louisiana Tech at the Cajundome in a 7:05 contest.

 

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