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RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to tie the game late, but a costly mental mistake allowed McNeese State to hit two clutch free throws as the Cowgirls hung on for a 74-71 win over the Lady Techsters at the Thomas Assembly Center Tuesday night.

Freshman Kierra Anthony knocked down a corner three-pointer with 15 seconds to play to tie the game at 71-71 -- the first tie since it was 6-6 in the opening few minutes. However, on the ensuing inbounds play, Anthony intentionally fouled in the backcourt, sending Jalyn Johnson to the free throw line.

"I haven't asked Kierra yet what she was thinking," said Tech head coach Tyler Summitt. "We talked about the scenarios in the timeout with 19 seconds to play. We said if we don't get a three-pointer and only make a two or miss, we have to foul. Maybe she thought her shot was only a two-pointer. We haven't talked about it yet.

"She hit a clutch shot to tie it. It was a tough shot with a defender right there. Unfortunately, she then committed the foul. However, we didn't lose the game on that one play. We lost this game in the first half. You can't play like we played for 20 minutes against well-coached teams like McNeese State and expect to win."

It was an opening 20 minutes of basketball that Summitt would like to forget, but won't. The Lady Techsters came out of the starting blocks lethargic while McNeese State played like world beaters.

The Cowgirls (8-4) hit shot after shot and turned 15 first half LA Tech turnovers into easy buckets while building a 44-23 halftime lead.

"I could tell in the first two minutes of this game we weren't ready mentally," Summitt said. "It was obvious. McNeese State played great. They played inspired. They took it to us. We talked before the game about how it's every coach's nightmare right before Christmas break. You don't know how your team will respond. We didn't and McNeese State did. That was the difference."

When McNeese State's guards weren't knocking down three-pointers, they were driving deep into the lane and knocking down short jumpers or dumping it off to open teammates for layups. The Lady Techsters defensively were a step slow.

And on the offensive, Tech shot only 29 percent (8-27) from the field while committing the 15 turnovers. It was a recipe for a 44-23 halftime deficit.

The second half was different. Tech came out of the locker room and started to find its groove offensively behind the play of Ashley Santos and Brandi Wingate. However, every time Tech tried to make a run, McNeese State responded. Tech trailed 59-41 heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Trailing 61-43 with 9:13 to play, Tech put it into another gear. Freshmen Reauna Cleaver and Jasmine LeBlanc ignited a 12-0 run as LeBlanc's three-pointer with 8:02 to play cut the deficit to 61-53 and gave the Lady Techsters life.

"I was most proud of the way those kids played in the fourth quarter," Summitt said. "They hit some big shots. That group with (Rochelle) Vasquez at point and Santos and those freshmen, they started to get stops on the defensive end and that started our momentum on the other end."

After a pair of free throws by Santos with 2:04 to play cut the McNeese State lead to 68-66, the Cowgirls responded with three straight points to go back up 71-66 with 60 seconds to play. An offensive rebound and putback by Santos made it 71-68 and then a stop on the defensive end gave Tech the basketball with 19 seconds to play, setting up the wild ending.

"Until we figure out that we have to play for 40 minutes, we are going to struggle," Summitt said. "This group has the talent to be good. However, we have a lot of work to do."

Santos led Tech with 19 points and seven rebounds while Wingate added 16 points and eight boards. Cleaver scored a career-high 11 points and added five boards.

Tech returns to action Jan. 2 with its Conference USA opener against Southern Miss.