Patrick Richard scored 21 points and Jeremie Mitchell added 19 to help McNeese State rout NAIA Bacone 86-45 on Saturday night.
McNeese State (4-4) built a 10-point lead, 20-10, 8 minutes into the first half and wouldn't look back from there, taking a 40-26 lead into halftime.
Richard shot 60 percent (9 of 15) from the field. Mitchell shot 50 percent (5 of 10) from the field and made five 3-pointers in the win.
The Cowboys pulled away in the second half, outscoring Bacone (3-6) 46-19 and shooting 52.5 percent (31 of 59) from the field during the period. Bacone struggled shooting the ball, hitting only 33.3 percent (9 of 27) from the field in the first half and 16 percent (4 of 25) in the second half.
McNeese scored 40 points in the paint, compared to just 10 for Bacone.
The Cowboys forced 23 turnovers.
