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HOUSTON – In a game that featured eight ties and eight lead changes, HBU trailed by three with 3:27 left in regulation, but McNeese State scored five unanswered points en route to a 9-5 game-ending run and a 71-64 victory over the Huskies Monday evening from Sharp Gym.

HBU (5-7 overall, 0-2 SLC) had three players score in double figures, led by Monet Neal's 16 points. Rachel Arthur dropped 13 points, with four rebounds and a season-high three steals. Anna Strickland scored 12 points and had a game-high 17 rebounds and three blocks. As a team, the Huskies shot 40 percent from the floor in the game.

Jayln Johnson scored a game-high 23 points to lead McNeese State (9-5, 1-1), while Amber Donnes and Allison Baggett chipped in with 18 and 13, respectively. Frederica Haywood was the top rebounder for the Cowgirls, with 14 boards. As a team, the Cowgirls shot 41 percent from the floor.

McNeese led by as many as five midway through the first quarter before HBU scored six unanswered to take a 10-9 lead with 3:12 remaining. After Donnes' layup gave the Cowgirls a one-point lead, HBU closed the quarter on a 9-0 run, highlighted by three pointers by Bria Johnson and Lisa Zderadicka, for a 19-11 lead.

Donnes swished a trey to start the second quarter, but consecutive buckets by Arthur and Zderadicka gave HBU its largest lead of the game, 23-14, two minutes into the second quarter. The Cowgirls used a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to three, 23-20, but Neal's jumper halted the rally. Johnson's three pointer with 2:25 remaining cut the deficit to one and forced an HBU timeout, but HBU weathered the storm, doubling up the Cowgirls, 4-2, to take a 34-31 lead in the locker room.

Neal led HBU with nine first-half points, while Strickland had 12 rebounds. Johnson paced McNeese with 11 points. HBU shot 50 percent in the first half compared to 39 percent for the Cowgirls.

There were seven ties in an up-and-down third quarter. Johnson started the quarter with a three pointer, knotting the game at 34-all. The Cowgirls led by as many as five in the quarter, but HBU answered with five unanswered to tie the game at 46-all with 3:23 to go, highlighted by an Arthur steal and layup to tie the game. There would be three more ties in the final 3:23 before Johnson's two free throws and Baggett's layup gave McNeese a three-point lead heading to the fourth quarter.

McNeese increased its lead to seven four minutes into the final quarter, prompting an HBU timeout. HBU cut the deficit to three following a pair of free throws and a jumper by Neal, but McNeese answered back. After Strickland's jumper cut the deficit back down to three, Mercedes Rogers came back with a back-breaking three-pointer to give the Cowgirls a six-point advantage, 65-59, with 3:10 left in regulation.

HBU hosts Nicholls Thursday at 7 p.m.