University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, March 14
Baton Rouge, La.
6 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
27-7
76
at
84
LSU
18-14
1
2
3
4
F
Louisiana
15
13
25
23
76
LSU
18
22
21
23
84
Louisiana Falls To LSU In First Round Of NIT, 84-76
3/14/2018 11:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ragin' Cajuns end historic season with 27-7 record
BATON ROUGE – Frank Bartley scored a team-high 21 points, including tying a season-high with five 3-pointers, but LSU used a 22-13 second quarter to take a 12-point lead at halftime and earn an 84-76 victory over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Duop Reath posted a double-double for third-seeded LSU (18-14), scoring a game-high 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds with Brandon Sampson adding 18 points and Skylar Mays 11. The Tigers advanced to face No. 2-seeded Utah in the second round. Louisiana, the No. 6 seed and making its sixth appearance in the NIT, ended its historic season with a 27-7 record.
In the first meeting between the schools in the postseason and just the sixth meeting between the schools since the end of World War II, Louisiana jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead as Bartley sank a pair of 3-pointers with Johnathan Stove scoring on a pair of layups. LSU responded with a 12-0 in the quarter that was capped by a dunk by Mays with 1:35 remaining for a 14-10 lead before the Ragin' Cajuns got as close as 16-15 on a 3-pointer by freshman Cedric Russell.
Mays started a 9-2 run for LSU in the second quarter with a bucket before a jumper by Aaron Epps and two free throws by Sampson gave the Tigers a 30-21 lead with 4:29 left in the second quarter. Sampson gave LSU a 33-23 lead with a bucket with 3:21 left in the period before a 3-pointer by Reath gave the Tigers a 40-28 lead heading into intermission.
Louisiana, which outscored LSU, 48-44, in the second half, chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 46-43 on a bucket by Stove with 6:15 remaining in the third quarter. The Ragin' Cajuns scored six straight points after LSU took a 54-45 lead on a bucket by Wayde Sims at the 4:30 mark.
JaKeenan Gant, who was limited during the Sun Belt Conference Championships due to a respiratory infection, opened the run with a bucket before a free throw by Marcus Stroman and a three-point play by Stove got Louisiana to within 54-51 with 2:48 left in the period.
LSU pushed its lead to 72-61 on a runner by Tremont Waters with 4:37 remaining, but Louisiana would go on an 11-1 run. Stove, a Baton Rouge native playing his final game in his hometown, opened the run with a pair of free throws for the Ragin' Cajuns before Stroman sank a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 72-65 with 3:59 left.
Stove converted on a three-point play for the Ragin' Cajuns, cutting LSU's lead to 72-68 at the 3:35 mark. Waters sank one of two free throws to give LSU a 73-68 lead before Bartley sank a jumper and Stroman made one of two free throws to get Louisiana to within 73-72 with 1:39 left.
But LSU would pull away over the final 1:16, making five free throws to push the lead to 78-72 and not let Louisiana get closer than five points the rest of the way.
Bartley, who joined Stove as Baton Rouge natives playing their final collegiate game in their hometown, finished 8-for-17 from the floor with three steals. Stove added 17 points and six rebounds for the Ragin' Cajuns with Stroman flirting with a triple-double after scoring 12 points with a career-high 13 rebounds and team-high seven assists.
Russell came off the bench to score 10 points for Louisiana with Gant adding nine and Bryce Washington seven points and seven rebounds.
Duop Reath posted a double-double for third-seeded LSU (18-14), scoring a game-high 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds with Brandon Sampson adding 18 points and Skylar Mays 11. The Tigers advanced to face No. 2-seeded Utah in the second round. Louisiana, the No. 6 seed and making its sixth appearance in the NIT, ended its historic season with a 27-7 record.
In the first meeting between the schools in the postseason and just the sixth meeting between the schools since the end of World War II, Louisiana jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead as Bartley sank a pair of 3-pointers with Johnathan Stove scoring on a pair of layups. LSU responded with a 12-0 in the quarter that was capped by a dunk by Mays with 1:35 remaining for a 14-10 lead before the Ragin' Cajuns got as close as 16-15 on a 3-pointer by freshman Cedric Russell.
Mays started a 9-2 run for LSU in the second quarter with a bucket before a jumper by Aaron Epps and two free throws by Sampson gave the Tigers a 30-21 lead with 4:29 left in the second quarter. Sampson gave LSU a 33-23 lead with a bucket with 3:21 left in the period before a 3-pointer by Reath gave the Tigers a 40-28 lead heading into intermission.
Louisiana, which outscored LSU, 48-44, in the second half, chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 46-43 on a bucket by Stove with 6:15 remaining in the third quarter. The Ragin' Cajuns scored six straight points after LSU took a 54-45 lead on a bucket by Wayde Sims at the 4:30 mark.
JaKeenan Gant, who was limited during the Sun Belt Conference Championships due to a respiratory infection, opened the run with a bucket before a free throw by Marcus Stroman and a three-point play by Stove got Louisiana to within 54-51 with 2:48 left in the period.
LSU pushed its lead to 72-61 on a runner by Tremont Waters with 4:37 remaining, but Louisiana would go on an 11-1 run. Stove, a Baton Rouge native playing his final game in his hometown, opened the run with a pair of free throws for the Ragin' Cajuns before Stroman sank a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 72-65 with 3:59 left.
Stove converted on a three-point play for the Ragin' Cajuns, cutting LSU's lead to 72-68 at the 3:35 mark. Waters sank one of two free throws to give LSU a 73-68 lead before Bartley sank a jumper and Stroman made one of two free throws to get Louisiana to within 73-72 with 1:39 left.
But LSU would pull away over the final 1:16, making five free throws to push the lead to 78-72 and not let Louisiana get closer than five points the rest of the way.
Bartley, who joined Stove as Baton Rouge natives playing their final collegiate game in their hometown, finished 8-for-17 from the floor with three steals. Stove added 17 points and six rebounds for the Ragin' Cajuns with Stroman flirting with a triple-double after scoring 12 points with a career-high 13 rebounds and team-high seven assists.
Russell came off the bench to score 10 points for Louisiana with Gant adding nine and Bryce Washington seven points and seven rebounds.
Team Stats
LA
LSU
FG%
.365
.527
3FG%
.250
.222
FT%
.789
.733
RB
40
35
TO
16
16
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
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