McNeese women’s basketball advanced to the Air Force Reserve Southland Conference Championship game after defeating the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) 67-52 in the semifinal on March 11. The Cowgirls will face Stephen F. Austin, who defeated Lamar 64-59 in the other semifinal, at 4 p.m. Thursday in the Legacy Center. The championship game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
This marks the first time in 14 years that McNeese has reached the conference championship game. The team extended its winning streak to 21 games, which is currently the third longest in the nation this season.
Sophomore Tyreona Sibley and Carley Hamilton led McNeese with career-high performances, scoring 24 and 13 points respectively. Sibley made 11 of her 19 shots from the field and collected six rebounds. Lexi Alexander recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and tied her season high with 11 rebounds.
The game was closely contested in the first half, with both teams exchanging leads before McNeese secured a one-point advantage at halftime following a layup by Sibley as time expired. In the second half, UTRGV briefly took a five-point lead before McNeese responded with a decisive run to take control of the game.
The win against UTRGV also marked head coach Ayla Guzzardo’s 150th career victory. McNeese capitalized on turnovers, scoring 27 points off UTRGV’s mistakes and recording a total of 40 points in the paint.
McNeese has previously won two Southland Conference Tournaments in program history, in 2011 and 2012. The Cowgirls have now won 24 of their last 26 games as they prepare for their next matchup against Stephen F. Austin.
