Sibley’s Career Night Lifts Cowgirls to Share of Program’s 3rd Southland Title

Lake Charles, Louisiana (KNGT-FM) - One of the biggest turnarounds in Women’s College Basketball history hit another milestone on Thursday night in Lake Charles as the McNeese women captured the program’s third Southland Conference Championship with a 60-53 win over UTRGV.

Coming into Thursday night’s game, the Vaqueros were three games back with just five games to play. UTRGV was one of just two teams standing in the way of McNeese capturing at least a share of the title.

In the first half, UTRGV dominated McNeese on the boards; the Cowgirls still held a slim 1-point lead going into the halftime break, 25-24. Jalencia Pierre led McNeese at the break with 12 points, all of which she scored in the second quarter.

McNeese was able to stretch the lead out to nine in the third quarter, but timely shots from the Vaqueros, specifically by Kayla Lorenz, who knocked down two triples in the quarter, cut the Cowgirl lead to just one, 46-45, at the quarter break.

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Ty Sibley Leads 2nd Half Charge For Cowgirls

Ty Sibley stepped up in a big way for the Cowgirls in the third quarter, knocking down three 3-pointers and shooting an efficient 6-of-7 from the field. She poured in 15 points in the quarter alone.

The scoring didn’t stop for Sibley in the 3rd Quarter; she poured in another 8 in the 4th. Sibley ended up finishing with a career high of 26 points.

“She’s always been capable of making those shots,” Guzzardo added. “She’s just had to play different roles. When other players struggle, someone else on this team can step up.”

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McNeese Cowgirls Capture First SLC Championship Since 2011

With the victory, McNeese improves to 23-4 overall and 17-1 in Southland Conference play, extending the Cowgirls’ program-record winning streak to 16 straight games

The victory secures at least a share of the program’s third Southland regular season championship, joining the 1986 and 2011 squads in the record books.

Even with the win clinching at least a share of the conferences regular season crown, Cowgirl Head Coach Ayla Guzzardo has her sights set on a bigger prize.

“This program deserves this win,” Guzzardo said. “It’s a big achievement, especially in year one, but there’s still so much more we want.”

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For UTRGV, the Vaqueros fall to 16-11 and 13-5 in Southland Conference Play, and they remain tied for second place in the conference standings with four games to play. The Cowgirls couldn’t find an answer for Charlotte O’Keefe, who dominated for UTRGV with 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 assists.

With just two weeks until the tournament, winning on their home court against a top Southland team was key.

“We don’t lose at home,” Guzzardo said. “We came here to win championships on our home floor, and that means protecting this arena.”

The Cowgirls will return to action on Saturday as they face Texas A&M Corpus-Christi at 1:00 inside Townsley Law Arena. McNeese would win the Conference Regular Season Title outright with a win against the Islanders.