The McNeese Cowboys have made history!
For the first time in men’s basketball program history, the Cowboys have won an NCAA Tournament game.
The Midwest Region’s 12th seed led Clemson 31-13 at halftime and held on at the end for a 69-67 win over the region’s fifth seed.
“Luckily, we gave ourselves enough (of a) margin in the first half that we could withstand their run in the second half,” Head Coach Will Wade said after the game. “But to outscore them by 20 in the paint (and) outrebound them, (it’s) just phenomenal.”
Senior guard Brandon Murray led all Cowboys with 21 points off the bench, including 14 in the first half.
“Have an aggressive mindset and everything,” said Murray. “Players (and) coaches telling me, ‘Just go, just go.’ Just having that confidence, honestly.”
Senior forward Christian Shumate says it’s surreal.
“It still feels like a dream. I’m sure in a couple days or whenever this is all over, I’ll finally wake up and look back at it like, that really did happen,” said Shumate.
Junior guard Quadir Copeland had lost to Clemson four times while at Syracuse before getting his first win over the Tigers with McNeese.
“To beat them in this situation on this stage, it’s amazing,” Copeland said after the game.
Head coach Will Wade says the exposure that the NCAA Tournament provides is invaluable to both the school and the City of Lake Charles.
“$25 million worth of free advertising the last couple weeks, our stuff is going through the roof,” said Wade. “It’s going to change our area. It changes our five-parish area. It changes everything.”
After the game, Wade jumped into the stands in celebration.
“My president and athletic director here who have been incredible (were there),” Wade said. “Our biggest supporters were right there on the front row, so why not?”
Copeland says he’s looking forward to a huge welcome home celebration upon returning to Lake Charles, but he wants to do so with more basketball to play.
“I think it would be better if we go to the Sweet 16,” Copeland said. “I think it would be better on the campus then. Our goal is not to win (just) one game. That’s not the goal.”
But to achieve the goal of going to the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis, McNeese will have to beat Purdue Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Boilermakers beat High Point in the first round Thursday, 75-63.
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