LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Myka Perry scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half, Harmanie Dominguez made five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, and No. 3 seed Stephen F. Austin beat top-seeded McNeese 71-59 on Thursday to win the Southland Conference Tournament and clinch an NCAA Tournament berth for the second consecutive season.
Stephen F. Austin (25-9), which lost both regular-season matchups against the Cowgirls, have won nine of the last 11 in the series which the Ladyjacks lead 52-15.
McNeese (28-5), which set the program’s single season wins record, saw its 21-game win streak — the longest in school history — come to an end.
Kaylinn Kemp made a layup and then a 3 before Perry added a layup that capped a 7-1 spurt to open the fourth quarter and give the Ladyjacks an eight-point lead with 6:39 remaining. Dakota Howard answered with a three-point play but Dominguez made a layup and a 3-pointer to make it 62-42 with 4:28 left.
Ashlyn Traylor-Walker and Dominguez hit 3-pointers and Perry converted a three-point play down the stretch to hold off the Cowgirls.
Howard finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals for the Cowgirls. The freshman went into the game leading the team in scoring (12.5 per game), rebounding (6.0), and total steals (80). Arianna Patton and Jalencia Pierre added 11 points apiece.
The Cowgirls, who went 10-21 last season, won the conference’s regular-season title under first-year coach Ayla Guzzardo.
Up next
McNeese: The Cowgirls have an automatic berth into the WNIT.
Stephen F. Austin: Awaits its seeding and opponent in the NCAA Tournament.
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