A pivotal weekend of Red River Athletic Conference basketball begins with round two of this season’s Red River Rivalry tonight as LSU Alexandria heads to Pineville and H.O. West Fieldhouse to match up against Louisiana Christian.

The doubleheader starts with a 5:30 women’s game. The men’s contest follows, targeted for a 7:30 start.

Both teams are on their homecourts Saturday afternoon. LCU hosts I-49 rival LSU Shreveport, while LSUA goes back to the Fort and takes on Xavier of New Orleans.

Tonight’s games have plenty of sizzle but the men’s game is undeniably the headliner.

LCU and LSU Alexandria bring impressive winning streaks into the game. The Wildcats (9-9 overall, 8-6 in the RRAC) are riding a six-game high while the Generals (17-1, 14-1) are winners of 11 in a row and rank fourth nationally in the NAIA Top 25.

The first meeting this season was an 82-62 LSUA victory on Dec. 2.

“Huge game for us Thursday,” LSUA coach Dimario Jackson said. “LCU is playing some really good basketball. They have gotten better since the last time we played. It’ll be a tough environment and our guys will be ready for the challenge.

Devin Carter leads the Wildcats’ scoring, averaging 19.8 points per game. He knocks down shots from deep at a 42.1 percent clip. He is converting 83.6 percent of his chances at the free throw line.

Bryce Weinmunson sits in second on the LCU scoring chart, averaging 10.6 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, with a 40.5 percentage from long range.

Chukwuemeke Nwaoshi leads LCU in rebounding, hauling down 6.8 rebounds per game. He is the only player averaging over five rebounds.

The Wildcats are averaging 72.8 points per game and shooting 43.7 percent as a unit.

LSUA is averaging 10 points more per game, hitting 44.1 percent of its shots. All-American Kashie Natt tops the Generals with averages of 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds, hitting 46 percent from the floor and 83 percent at the free throw line.

E.J. McQullan provides 13.4 points per game and has rained in 46 3-pointers at a 43.4 percent rate.

The women’s contest will reward the winner with a slump-busting W. LCU has a chance to break a string of three straight losses to the Generals of LSUA, who are 0-2 playing at H.O. West Fieldhouse.

Louisiana Christian is 6-10 overall and 6-8 in RRAC play, led by one of the league’s top players, Princis Goff. LSUA is 14-5 overall and 11-4 in conference games.

The Generals won the first meeting of the season on their home court Dec. 2, 80-68.

Goff leads the Wildcats, and the RRAC, in scoring. She averages 20.8 points per game and is shooting 43.9 percent from the field. At the free throw line, she is knocking down 81.8 percent of her shots.

McKayla Price (9.3) and Kylei Leblanc (8.2) round out the top three scorers for the Wildcats. Price is shooting 44.4 percent, while Leblanc is knocking down over half her shots at 50.4 percent.

Leblanc leads Louisiana Christian in rebounding, hauling in 8.4 boards per game. Goff is second at 7.9.

LSUA has a four-woman attack, with balanced scoring among the leaders. Jewel Jones averages 13.4 per game, hitting 80 percent of her free throws and with 50 3-pointers and 36 percent aim behind the arc. Dannah Martin-Hartwick has a 13.3 scoring average including 40 3-pointers.

The Generals’ inside punch comes in a 1-2 combo from Benedetta Peracchi, scoring 12.1 per game and snagging a team-best 8.6 rebounds, and Amani Gray, with averages of 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds.