HOUSTON – McNeese State's Ledrick Eackles made one out of two free throws with 19 seconds left to put the Cowboys up by two, and HBU freshman forward Colter Lasher's three-pointer from the elbow at the buzzer just missed as McNeese escaped with a 79-77 win in the Southland Conference season finale Saturday night at Sharp Gym.
 
Lasher led the Huskies (6-25, 2-16 SLC) with 13 points and 10 rebounds, recording his first career double-double. Sophomore forward Cody Joyce had 12 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Rob Lewis also had 12 points. Junior guard Tyler Russell came off the bench for 11 points, junior guard Marcel Smith had nine and five assists, and freshman guard Reveal Chukwujekwu had eight points and six boards.
 
Eackles went 7-for-16 from the field, 4-for-10 from 3-point range, and 7-for-14 from the line to lead McNeese (11-19, 9-9) with 25 points. Kevin Hardy tallied a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Craig McFerrin also had 16 and Desharick Guidry had 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
HBU shot 44 percent, including 9-for-21 from 3-point range. McNeese shot 50 percent and 5-for-17 from long distance. The Cowboys went 24-for-41 from the free throw line, while the Huskies went 12-for-16. HBU outrebounded McNeese, 39-31, including 13-6 on the offensive glass, leading to an 18-6 advantage in second-chance points.
 
McNeese led by nine early within the first five minutes and held a 23-16 advantage with 10:40 remaining. HBU answered with a 12-0 run to take a five-point lead at the 5:45 mark. Russell ignited the spark, coming off the bench to knock down a jumper, then back-to-back threes to give the Huskies their first lead, then Joyce capped the spurt with a pair of layups.
 
The Huskies led by seven when Lasher buried a three with 2:53 to go in the opening frame and took a 37-31 lead into the break.
 
HBU shot 44 percent in the first half, 4-for-9 from behind the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line, while McNeese shot 40 percent, only 1-for-10 from three, and 6-for-13 from the line. Lasher had nine points and eight rebounds at the break for the Huskies, while Hardy and Eackles had eight apiece for the Cowboys.
 
The Cowboys scored the first eight points of the second half to regain a two-point lead, but Lasher tied it with a layup, and Russell buried a three to put the Huskies back on top. HBU led by seven at 60-53 with 8:50 left after a three-point play by Chukwujekwu, but Shaun Johnson answered with a three for McNeese.
 
Lewis knocked down a pair of free throws to put HBU ahead by six with 4:34 to go, but Eackles scored seven points during a 9-0 stretch for McNeese to put them up by three with 1:52 remaining. Joyce made it a one-point game with a layup with 1:37 on the clock and after Hardy hit a pair of free throws, Smith drilled a three to tie the game with 1:00 left. Guidry hit a free throw with 46 ticks left, then Lewis had a layup spin off the back of the iron with 32 seconds left.
 
The Huskies played this season without any season, so all 14 members of the team are eligible to return for the 2014-15 campaign.