McNeese St. 60, Stephen F. Austin 56

Caitlyn Baggett came through on her chance for atonement, and McNeese State is headed to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

The junior guard made two free throws after missing two in the closing seconds, and finished with 21 points to lead the Cowgirls to a 60-56 win over Stephen F. Austin in the Southland Conference championship on Friday night.

Caitlyn's twin sister Ashlyn Baggett had 14 points and five assists, and Kendra Wells grabbed 12 rebounds, including the offensive board that may have saved the season for McNeese State (26-7).

Caitlyn Baggett, an 80 percent free-throw shooter, missed a pair with 17 seconds left and the score tied at 56. The second miss ricocheted toward the corner, Wells chased it down.

''I was so grateful that Kitty (Wells) got that rebound,'' Caitlyn Baggett said. ''I was extremely happy.''

Wells passed back to Baggett, who drove into the lane again and drew another foul with 5.6 seconds to go. She made both attempts this time, pumping her fist and screaming after the second one swished through the hoop.

''I just knew that we had to get that rebound,'' Wells said. ''We had to go after it with everything we had.''

The Ladyjacks (23-9) turned it over on their last frantic possession, and Baggett tacked on two more free throws at the end.

The Cowgirls mobbed each other on their side of the court, as colored balloons showered down from the rafters. McNeese will march into the NCAA tournament on a nine-game winning streak.

''This was a real stubborn team,'' McNeese coach Brooks Donald-Williams said. ''That's an extremely good attribute to have when you're trying to win a championship, because their stubbornness prevailed tonight, when it looked like maybe they couldn't get it done.''

Brittney Matthew and Annette Davis scored 12 points apiece and Ashlee Mells and Porsha Roberts each had 11 for Stephen F. Austin, which was in the tournament championship game for the first time since 2007.

The Ladyjacks slipped to 15-3 in the championship match. They have only three seniors on their current roster, and coach Brandon Schneider says that watching McNeese celebrate provides perfect incentive this offseason.

''I promise you, when you're a returning player, and you're watching balloons drop, and they're not for you,'' Schneider said, ''that's a highly motivating factor.''

Stephen F. Austin went 10 minutes without a field goal in the first half, and were lucky to trail only 29-24. The Ladyjacks found their touch in the second half, and used an 11-5 spurt to take a 40-36 lead.

McNeese State turned to full-court pressure to regain control, and Ashlyn Baggett's layup tied it at 41-all. Caitlyn Baggett swished another 3 to give the Cowgirls the lead again.

McNeese stretched the lead to six before Matthew hit an off-balance bank shot. Stephen F. Austin kept alive its next possession with two offensive rebounds, and Annette Davis sank a free throw with 3:12 remaining to pull the Ladyjacks within three.

Tammara Marion swished a 3 to tie it with 1:27 remaining, and neither team could score on their next possessions before Caitlyn Baggett drew the first of two fouls that put her on the line, where she eventually won the game.

McNeese played a challenging early schedule, including games at UCLA, Baylor and Texas A&M. The Cowgirls lost them all, but gained enough confidence to march through their regular-season conference slate with only three losses.

They lost to eventual NCAA champion Texas A&M in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament, and they'll go up against another power team next week.

''We just want to play,'' Donald-Williams said. ''I think we've proved, against quality teams, that we can play with them. We're certainly excited about whatever opportunity we get.''

McNeese State started the game 1 for 6 from the floor and committed four turnovers in the first 5 minutes. The Cowgirls averaged only 14 turnovers per game during the regular season.

Ashlyn Baggett converted a three-point play to trim McNeese's early deficit to 10-7, and Caitlyn swished two 3s to put McNeese in front. The Baggetts averaged 30 points together during the regular season.

Caitlyn Baggett cut inside the Ladyjacks' zone defense again, and converted another three-point play with 7:27 left in the first half for a 20-16 McNeese lead. She sank another 3, this one from 6 feet behind the line, to stretch the gap to seven.

After the solid start, Stephen F. Austin missed 11 consecutive shots and went 10 minutes without a field goal. Mells ended the drought with a driving layup with 3:56 left before halftime.