
McNeese Cowboys at Clemson Tigers
· Men's Basketball Championship - Midwest Region - 1st RoundNo. 12 seed McNeese holds off late Clemson charge to earn first March Madness victory

The 12th-seeded Cowboys used a stifling first half to open a 24-point lead, and then held off late-charging No. 5 seed Clemson for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory, a 69-67 win in the opening round of the East Region on Thursday.
“We have broken every record in the book," said Wade, who led the school to its first back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament and now its first victory. “This was the last one to get. We want to keep this going. We want to keep this going.”
McNeese earned a matchup on Saturday with fourth-seeded Purdue, a 75-63 winner over High Point earlier in Providence.
Brandon Murray scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half, when the Southland Conference school from Lake Charles, Louisiana, held Clemson to 13 points. After falling behind by as many as 24 in the second, the Tigers rallied, erasing most of a 12-point deficit in the final minute before running out of time.
“We went out there and took the first punch and they didn’t know how to react to that, honestly,” Murray said. “Coach tells us to be ourselves, play with swag. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Chris Shumate added 13 points and 11 rebounds for McNeese, which has been best-known this March for its viral, rapping manager and a renegade coach who has reportedly already lined up his next job — at NC State.
The Wolfpack will have to wait at least another 48 hours, because Wade is still needed in Providence.
Wade celebrated by running into the stands join the McNeese crowd — though even the neutral observers were rooting for the Cowboys against the Tigers from the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference. When he arrived in the locker room, his players doused him with water.
“Coach Wade made this plan. This is not something that started just now,” guard Quadir Copeland said. “This is something that’s been a goal the whole way and it's been amazing.”
A 7½-point underdog, McNeese (28-6) held the Tigers to one basket over almost eight minutes during a 17-2 first-half run that turned a tie game into a 23-8 lead. After Clemson (27-7) scored the first three points of the second, the Cowboys ran off nine in a row and led by as many as 24 points.
Jaeden Zackery scored 24 points, Chase Hunter had 21 and Viktor Lakhin grabbed 10 rebounds for Clemson before fouling out with six minutes left in the game.
But Zackery hit a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to make it a nine-point game, Jake Heidbreder hit one to cut the deficit to six, and then, after Sincere Parker’s reverse dunk brought the crowd to its feet, Zackery hit another 3 to make it 67-62.
After McNeese missed a free throw — one of six missed foul shots in the final six minutes — Chauncey Wiggins hit a long 3 to make it a three-point game. Another missed free throw gave Clemson the ball with 10 seconds left, down four.
Hunter drove to the basket, but scored as time expired.
Clemson was 1 for 15 from 3-point range in the first half and made just five baskets before the break.
How can I watch McNeese vs. Clemson?
Recent Plays
2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 69 - 67 |
2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 69 - 67 |
2nd 0:00 | Chase Hunter made Layup. | 69 - 67 |
2nd 0:00 | Chase Hunter Offensive Rebound. | 69 - 65 |
2nd 0:04 | Jaeden Zackery missed Three Point Jumper. | 69 - 65 |
Statistics
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27-62 | FG | 21-57 |
43.5 | Field Goal % | 36.8 |
4-19 | 3PT | 9-30 |
21.1 | Three Point % | 30.0 |
11-22 | FT | 16-19 |
50.0 | Free Throw % | 84.2 |
43 | Rebounds | 36 |
18 | Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
25 | Defensive Rebounds | 23 |
12 | Assists | 9 |
7 | Steals | 5 |
6 | Blocks | 0 |
11 | Turnovers | 13 |
1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
11 | Total Turnovers | 13 |
0 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
0 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
19 | Points Off Turnovers | 15 |
6 | Fast Break Points | 4 |
44 | Points in Paint | 24 |
19 | Fouls | 16 |
24 | Largest Lead | 2 |
Game Information

Location: Providence, RI
Attendance: 11,441 | Capacity:
2024-25 Southland Conference Standings
TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
---|---|---|---|
McNeese | 19-1 | - | 28-7 |
Lamar | 14-6 | 5 | 20-13 |
Nicholls | 13-7 | 6 | 20-13 |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | 12-8 | 7 | 20-14 |
SE Louisiana | 12-8 | 7 | 18-14 |
Northwestern State | 12-8 | 7 | 16-16 |
Incarnate Word | 9-11 | 10 | 19-17 |
Houston Christian | 9-11 | 10 | 12-20 |
UT Rio Grande Valley | 8-12 | 11 | 16-15 |
Stephen F. Austin | 7-13 | 12 | 14-17 |
East Texas A&M | 3-17 | 16 | 5-26 |
New Orleans | 2-18 | 17 | 4-27 |
2024-25 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
---|---|---|---|
Duke | 19-1 | - | 35-3 |
Clemson | 18-2 | 1 | 27-7 |
Louisville | 18-2 | 1 | 27-8 |
SMU | 13-7 | 6 | 24-11 |
Wake Forest | 13-7 | 6 | 21-11 |
North Carolina | 13-7 | 6 | 23-14 |
Stanford | 11-9 | 8 | 21-14 |
Georgia Tech | 10-10 | 9 | 17-17 |
Florida State | 8-12 | 11 | 17-15 |
Pittsburgh | 8-12 | 11 | 17-15 |
Virginia | 8-12 | 11 | 15-17 |
Notre Dame | 8-12 | 11 | 15-18 |
Virginia Tech | 8-12 | 11 | 13-19 |
Syracuse | 7-13 | 12 | 14-19 |
California | 6-14 | 13 | 14-19 |
NC State | 5-15 | 14 | 12-19 |
Boston College | 4-16 | 15 | 12-19 |
Miami | 3-17 | 16 | 7-24 |