Jan. 6, 2005

Box Score

LAKE CHARLES, La. - Darris Manciel scored 10 points and blocked four shots as McNeese State opened Southland Conference play Thursday with a 69-57 win over Texas State.

With the win, McNeese State evened its record to 6-6 and is now 1-0 in the SLC. Texas State is also now 6-6 and 0-1 in conference play heading into Saturday's game at Lamar. Tip-off Saturday is slated for 7 p.m. The schools' women's teams will play at 2 p.m. in the Montagne Center.

On Thursday, Texas State jumped out to an early 7-0 lead before McNeese State went on a 14-5 run to take the lead with 10:58 to play in the first half and would never trail again. The Cowboys' early run began with a three-pointer by Ronald Dorsey, a pair of treys by Jamelle Juneau and a fast-break dunk by Manciel. J.T. Williams' three-pointer gave McNeese a 14-12 lead.

McNeese State built a 30-26 by the break. A three-point play by Anthony Dill to start the second period cut the Cowboys' lead to one before going on a 13-2 run over the first 10 minutes of the half. Texas State went 1-for-8 from the field and committed 10 turnovers during the stretch. The Bobcats committed 22 turnovers on the night after committing 23 turnovers Monday against TCU.

Texas State held McNeese State's leading scorer Edward Garriet scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting. The senior sharpshooter came into the game averaging better than 14 points for the Cowboys. However, McNeese had six players score seven or more points, including nine by Williams and Andrew Queen off the bench, to pick up the slack.

Anthony Dill registered his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and pulling down 13 rebounds for the Bobcats. Josh Naylor added 14 points including a 4-for-5 performance from three-point range while Rory Green scored 13 points off the bench in just his second game at Texas State.