SIOUX FALLS, SD. (KPLC) – The McNeese men’s basketball team opened its highly anticipated 2024-25 season in Sioux Falls, South Dakota against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits Monday night in the part of the season opener Field of 68.

The Cowboys entered this season coming off the best season in program history and entered the 2024-25 season with higher expectations than they have ever had entering a season. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, they didn’t see the team they were hoping to see this season in the first game as McNeese lost 80-73 to the Jackrabbits.

McNeese fell behind by 10 twice in the first half, before ending the half on a 17-7 run to tie it at 33 entering the half, including two threes in a span of 21 seconds play by DJ Richards Jr. to close the first half.

The Pokes started the second half strong, going on an 8-3 run in the first two minutes of the half, before dropping a 23-8 run to the Jackrabbits over the next eight minutes and fall behind by 10 again.

Despite falling behind and trailing by just two points with 45 seconds left, McNeese would lose 80-73 to South Dakota State.

“We need to get better with our attention to detail, especially with the scouting report, we need to get better in our movement on offense and creating double gaps and we need to get better at driving and contact play, all areas who we were below average tonight,” head coach Will Wade said after the loss “But we’ll get there, they’re a good team, we’re a good team and we’ll be fine. We need to be tested and we were tested in a really, really tough environment and it revealed some things that I already knew were going to be faults on our part and we will improve and we will learn from that.

The Cowboys will look to bounce back Thursday for their home opener against the College of Biblical Studies at 7:30 p.m., before traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday, November 11 .

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