LAKE CHARLES — A fitting rivalry matchup took the spotlight in the Southland's first nationally televised men's basketball contest of the 2025-26 season with Lamar and McNeese sharing the court in the latest installment of the Battle of the Border. However, the night belonged two-time defending conference champion Cowboys who rode away with an 82-70 victory over the Cardinals.

Freshman Larry Johnson led the way for McNeese with 19 points while reigning Southland Player of the Year Javohn Garcia had 15 and Tyshawn Archie scored 13. Lamar's Andrew Holifield led all scorers with 21 points on six made threes. Holifield's scorching start helped the Cardinals race out to a lead in the opening minutes where the Lamar senior connected on three shots from deep including one that put Lamar up 27-26 with 4:31 to play in the first half.

But Johnson would counter with a jumper of his own to return the lead to the home team, an advantage they would not concede the rest of the way. 15 of Johnson's 19 points would come in the first 20 minutes, helping McNeese enter halftime with a 39-34 lead. 

The Cowboys' depth flexed its muscle in the second frame as nine different McNeese players contribited to the scoring. McNeese's lead expanded to as many as 15 points when Garwey Dual netted a step-back jumpshot to give the Cowboys a 75-60 lead with 3:36 to play. McNeese has won 19 games in a row at Townsley Law Arena dating back to last season. 

This marked the first of five Southland games to be featured on CBS Sports Network this season and the first of six set for a national audience during the regular season. The Southland returns to CBS Sports Network on January 26 when SFA hosts Northwestern State.