LAKE CHARLES, La.  – Senior LiAnn McCarthy became the 14th player in Nicholls State University women's basketball history to reach 1,000 points for their career, but the Colonels fell behind early at McNeese State and could never recover as they were defeated, 96-62, on Saturday afternoon at Burton Coliseum.
 
Nicholls dropped to 9-17 on the season and 7-9 in league play, while McNeese State improved to 19-10 and 11-6.
 
McCarthy entered the game with 998 career points, but did not score her first points until the second half due to early foul trouble. The New Orleans native reached the milestone at the 5:13 mark in the third quarter after she scored off an offensive rebound. McCarthy, who started her career in 2010-11 but missed two seasons due to injuries, joined current teammate Emani White along with former teammates Jenny Nash, KK Babin and Alisha Allen as 1,000 point-scorers.
 
The game got out of hand quickly as McNeese raced out to a 22-7 lead after a 3-pointer by Jayln Johnson. Two of Nicholls' top scorers, McCarthy and Tia Charles, were sent to the bench early after picking up two fouls. McCarthy finished with just six points and Charles had seven.
 
The Cowgirls ended the quarter with a 23-10 advantage and extended the lead to 45-27 at the break. Karrington Brown had a big first half, scoring 13 points off the bench en route to her career-high 17.
 
The second half was much of the same as the Colonels were unable to slow down McNeese's offense. The Cowgirls shot 50 percent from the field for the game, hit 11 3-pointers and scored 22 or more points in each quarter.
 
Brown did most of her scoring at the free throw line as she made 7-of-8. Taylor Morrison was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Hope Pawlowski added 11 points. Nicholls shot just 36.7 percent from the field and had 26 turnovers.
 
McNeese dominated the glass, out rebounding the Colonels 50-32. The Cowgirls grabbed 22 offensive rebounds, leading to a 33-8 advantage in second chance points.
 
The Cowgirls had six players score in double figures, led by Victoria Rachal, Keara Hudnall and Mercedes Rogers with 13 points each.
 
Nicholls will play its final road game on Wednesday, March 2, at Central Arkansas. Tipoff in Conway is scheduled for 7 p.m.