NATCHITOCHES, La. (AP) — Lance Potier scored seven of his nine points in overtime to lift McNeese State over Northwestern State 79-72 on Saturday in a Southland Conference opener.

The game was tied at 68 with 3:17 to play. Potier then scored seven of the next nine points for the Cowboys to give them a 77-72 lead with a minute left. Potier blocked a layup attempt on Northwestern State's next possession, and Howard Thomas made a pair of free throws to seal it.

Stephen Ugochukwu scored 19 points to lead McNeese State (4-8, 1-0).

Josh Boyd had 26 points, including 14-of-18 shooting from the line, for Northwestern State (6-6, 0-1), which made just 30 of 44 free throws (68 percent).

The Cowboys took the lead three minutes into the game and held it until Boyd split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 66 with 21 seconds left in regulation. The Cowboys' Kalob Ledoux missed a 3 for the win with five seconds to play and the game went to overtime.

Copyright 2017 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.