LAKE CHARLES, La. (Interstat) — A surging McNeese State squad looks to continue its dominant run through the Southland Conference when it hosts a Texas-Rio Grande Valley team seeking revenge on Thursday night. The McNeese State Cowgirls (22-4, 11-2), winners of nine straight, welcome the UTRGV Vaqueros (16-10, 9-4) to Burton Coliseum in a key late-season league matchup. McNeese State, which boasts one of the nation’s top records, handily defeated UTRGV 70-54 in Edinburg just over a month ago on Jan. 17. That loss is part of a recent stumble for the Vaqueros, who saw a seven-game winning streak snapped in a narrow 72-70 home loss to Stephen F. Austin last Saturday. UTRGV will lean heavily on do-everything guard Jalayah Ingram, who is coming off a 13-point, 15-rebound, 7-assist performance in that defeat. Over her last nine games, Ingram has averaged a near triple-double, posting lines of 16.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per contest. McNeese State counters with its own star in forward Dakota Howard. She recorded a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds in a 71-64 road win at Texas A&M-Commerce last time out. Howard has been a model of efficiency, scoring in double figures in every game during the Cowgirls’ current win streak while averaging just 27 minutes per game. The Cowgirls have been nearly unbeatable at home this season and their defense has been stifling, holding conference opponents to an average of 52.2 points during their nine-game surge. UTRGV, which had been rolling prior to the SFA loss, will need to solve that defensive puzzle and find secondary scoring behind Ingram to challenge the conference front-runners. Thursday’s result will have significant implications for the Southland tournament seeding, with UTRGV aiming to solidify its standing and McNeese State fighting to maintain its grip on first place. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CST.