March 11, 2008

McNeese State's women's basketball team, the tournament's seventh seed will face second seed Texas-Arlington at noon today in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament held at the Merrell Center in Katy, Tx. The Cowgirls ended the regular season with a 10-20 overall record and 8-8 Southland Conference record. The Cowgirls are making their first appearance under first year head coach Brooks Donald Williams and first appearance since the 2005-06 season.

McNeese ended the season winning its last two games and four of its last five to clinch the seventh seed. McNeese enters the tournament on a two game winning streak with its last two wins coming on a road victory at Southeastern La. and its final regular season win at home against Nicholls State.

Courtnee' Hollins, Brittany Boone and Shante' Perry will all lead the Cowgirls into the tournament, all averaging in double figures.

Hollins is averaging 15.3 ppg. overall and 18.5 ppg. in SLC games only. Hollins is also ranked fourth in the league in scoring.

Perry, enters the tournament with a 11.0 scoring average and has scored in double figures in the Cowgirls' last six games and 12 of the last 14.

Boone is averaging 10.3 ppg. overall and averaged 11.7 ppg. in southland games only. Boone has scored in double figures in nine of the lat 12 games.

Texas-Arlington enters the tournament with a 18-9 overall record and 13-3 conference record. The Mavericks defeated the Cowgirls 43-42 in Lake Charles in the only meeting between the two teams this season. UTA is the team that eliminated the Cowgirls from the SLC tournament in the 2005-06 season when the Cowgirls fell 61-46 in Arlington, Tx.