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2/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CAJUNS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS IN HOME SEASON FINALE ... Feb. 19, 2000
LAFAYETTE -- Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun Lonnie Thomas posted 14points
with 12 rebounds to lead five Cajuns in double digits in a 75-69 win over Florida
International at the Cajundome on Saturday.
The Cajuns, winners of 15 of their last 16 games, closed out their 2000 home schedule with a 12-2 mark, tying the 1995-96 squad for the best winning percentage in school history, in front of more than 8,000 fans, a season high at home.
It also gave UL Lafayette its 15th win -- fifth consecutive -- in
the last 16 games and tied for the eighth-highest win total in
school history.
A native of Leesville, La., Thomas ended the night 7-of-7 from the
field in posting his team-leading sixth double-double of the season and the 12th of his
career.
After FIU scored the first basket of the game, UL Lafayette (21-6, 12-1) scored the next 11 points to take control in the first half and went into the locker room with a 40-37 lead at the break.
The Cajuns built a five-point halftime lead at the 16:46 mark on
Reggie DeGray's jumper in the lane. However, FIU took off on a 13-4 run over the next 4:11
to overcome the deficit and take a 52-48 lead. Carlos Arroyo, who finished the night with
a team-best 19 points, highlighted the rally with a long three-pointer and a basket
off a steal.
The two teams went basket-for-basket over the next 2:50 as FIU
built a five-point lead -- its biggest of th enight -- on
Arroyo's two free throws at the 9:20 mark.
UL Lafayette responded with a run of its own, outscoring the Golden Panthers 15-4 over a six-minute span to build a 67-61 lead, its largest lead of the second half. During the Cajun rally Orlando Butler and Reggie DeGray each paced UL Lafayette with five points apiece. The Cajun duo ended the game with 12 and 11 points respectively.
The two teams then went basket-for-basket again for the remainder of the game. After a Marshod Fairweather three-pointer for FIU, Thomas tipped in a Cajun missed shot.
When Jabahri Brown dunked a missed FIU shot, Billy Jones was fouled on a drive to the basket and hit both free throws with only 1:43 remaining.
FIU's Sylbrin Robinson was fouled on a inside jumper and hit the
free throw to complete the old-fashioned three-point play and cut the Cajun lead to 71-69
with 1:22 left, but Thomas again rebounded a
missed UL Lafayette shot and put it back up for a 73-69 lead with just under a minute
remaining.
The Cajuns shot 46.4 percent in the game's final 20 minutes while limiting FIU to only 35.5 percent shooting in the second half.
Playing in his final game in a UL Lafayette uniform at the
Cajundome, senior center Kendall Regis added 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Blane Harmon
also poured in 10 points to lead the Cajuns.
Fairweather scored 18 points, with four 3-pointers, for FIU, and Darius
Cook added 16 points.
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