ALEXANDRIA, LA – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria men's basketball opened 2026 with a 67-61 win over Red River Rival Louisiana Christian University.
 
"A good win, ugly obviously," LSUA Head Coach Dimario Jackson said. "Somewhat what we expected due to a 10-day layoff for both teams. We have to be better in a lot of different areas. A positive I would say is that this same game, a month ago, we would have found a way to lose and [tonight] we found a way to win."
 
The Generals' (8-5, 5-2 RRAC) and Wildcats' (2-11, 1-6 RRAC) played an evenly matched contest, featuring 10 lead changes and six tied scores.
 
LSUA was led by four players with double digit points. EJ McQuillan led the Generals with 18, while Jordan Decuir (13), TJ James (10, and Norman Beckford (10) also reach double digits. Johnny DeWalt recorded a team-high eight rebound. LSUA recorded 36 points in the paint and the bench chipped in 35 points. The Generals shot 45.5 percent from the field but made just three shots from long range.
 
Drew Tebbe led the Wildcats with 23 points. He finished 8-for-10 from the field, including a 7-for-8 mark from beyond the arc.
 
Midway through the first half, the Generals lead by eight, 19-11. The Wildcats chipped away at their lead to take a 28-27 lead with 2:47 left in the period on a three from Tebbe. A dunk from Bedford in the half's final 30 seconds put the Generals ahead 29-28 heading into the locker room.
 
A pair of threes from Tebbe and Jalani Bell to open the second half put LCU ahead 34-29. The lead swung back and forth until a 9-3 run from the Wildcats gave them a 53-47 lead with 8:33 left on the clock. They reached their largest lead, 57-50, with 6:08 left in regulation.
 
The Generals notched a 7-0 run to erase the deficit. A three-point play from McQuillan took a sizeable chunk from the Wildcats' lead, before Decuir knocked down a pair of free throws. A layup from James levelled the score at 57-57 with 4:23 to play.
 
 LSUA and LCU exchange buckets until a dunk from Terrence Marco with 1:17 left to play gave the Generals a 63-61 lead. McQuillan knocked down a layup 40 seconds later to cushion the Generals lead, 65-61. Decuir iced the game away with a pair of free throws.
 
The Generals are on the road next week as they travel to Our Lady of the Lake and Texas A&M-San Antonio.