LAKE CHARLES, La. – Junior guard
Meghan Shank hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to cut HBU's deficit to one, but McNeese State's Jalyn Johnson made both free throws and the Huskies couldn't score the equalizer at the buzzer, as the Cowgirls got by HBU, 60-57, Monday evening from Burton Coliseum.
Shank was one of three Huskies to score in double figures for HBU (6-7 overall, 2-0 SLC), as she finished with 12 points. Senior forward
Shanice Steenholdt earned her eighth double-double of the season with game highs of 19 points and 15 rebounds. Junior guard
Rachel Arthur scored 14 points with a game-high six assists. As a team, HBU had 10 blocked shots, the most against a conference opponent since the 2005-06 Huskies blocked 15 shots against Texas College March 4, 2006, and the most in the NCAA Division I era.
Johnson, the Southland Conference Player of the Week, led McNeese State (8-5 overall, 2-0 SLC) with 16 points, while Amber Donnes chipped in with eight. Ann Nwosah and Jasmyn Carswell each pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
After McNeese took a 3-2 lead early following a trey by Johnson, HBU rattled off eight-straight points to take a 10-3 lead with 15:11 remaining in the first half. Following a Cowgirl turnover, Neal hit a jumper to give the Huskies a 10-point advantage, 16-6, with 12:07 remaining in the opening half. HBU continued to outscore McNeese, 9-6, culminated by a Steenholdt three-pointer, for the Huskies' largest lead of the game at 13, 25-12, with eight minutes to go.
McNeese closed the first half with a 12-6 run to cut the deficit to single digits at halftime, 31-24. Steenholdt scored a half-high nine points for HBU, while Allison Baggett had five points for the Cowgirls. HBU shot 50 percent from the floor compared to just 27 percent for McNeese.
HBU maintained a double-digit lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half before the Cowgirls scored 10-unanswered points in a three-minute span to turn an 11-point deficit to just one, 43-42, with 7:41 to go in regulation.
The final seven-and-a-half minutes would be back and forth action, with HBU not leading more than three points. The two teams had their first tie of the game at the 1:24-mark of the second half, as Mercedes Rogers' layup knotted the game at 52-all.
Following a layup by Steenholdt, Donnes hit a three to give McNeese its first lead since the first minutes of the game. Three made free throws pushed the Huskies' deficit to four, 58-54, with 19 seconds remaining. Shank's three pointer cut the deficit to one, 58-57, with 10 ticks to go. The Huskies intentionally fouled, but Johnson made both free throws, giving McNeese a three-point advantage. HBU had two three-pointer attempts to send the game to overtime, but neither would fall.
Steenholdt scored 10 second-half points for HBU, while Arthur added eight. Johnson scored 13 points for McNeese. HBU shot 33 percent from the floor in the half compared to 41 percent for the Cowgirls.
HBU continues its Louisiana trek with a Thursday meeting at Nicholls. Tipoff is set for a 6 pm start. The Huskies conclude the road trip Saturday at Southeastern Louisiana at 4:30 pm.
