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2/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CAJUNS FALL AT LOUISIANA TECH ... Feb. 21, 2000
RUSTON, La. -- Craig Jackson drilled two free throws with 21 seconds
left to give Louisiana Tech a four-point cushion as the Bulldogs handed Louisiana's Ragin'
Cajuns an 80-75 loss at Thomas Assembly Center on Monday.
It was only UL Lafayette's second loss in its last 16 games and snapped
a five-game losing streak for the Cajuns.
UL Lafayette maintains a one-game lead over Tech and South Alabama in
the Sun Belt Conference race and now travels to Mobile, Ala., on Thursday for a 7:05 p.m.
showdown with the Jaguars. One win in its last two regular-seson
games gives UL Lafayette at least a share of the conference title, while a clean sweep
give the Cajuns both the regular season title and the No. 1 seed entering the Sun Belt
Conference Tournament in Little Rock, Ark., on March 3-7.
Louisiana Tech (19-6, 11-3) held a 14-point lead at 60-46 midway
through the second half, but the Cajuns rallied with 14 straight points over the next 3:34
and tied the game at 60-all on Orlando Butler's three-pointer.
But the Bulldogs responded with a run of its own, scoring the game's
next nine points with Gerrod Henderson scoring five of his team's points during that
rally. Tech would never trail again in the contest.
The Cajuns pulled to within two points at 75-73 on another basket by
Butler, but Jackson buried his two free throws with only 14 seconds remaining. Brett Smith's jumper was then off the mark for UL Lafayette with 11 seconds left and Jackson hit
two more free throws with Curtis Williams adding another for the final margin of victory.
Blane Harmon led UL Lafayette with 20 points, including 4-of-10 shooting from behind the
three-point line, while Lonnie Thomas and Butler each added 14 points in the losing
effort.
Henderson led all scorers with 21 points and topped five Bulldogs in
double digits. Craig Jackson, Antonio Meeking and Williams poured in 14 points apiece and
Kendrick Spruel came off the bench to tally 10 points.
The first half proved to be a tale of runs for both teams. The Cajuns
took an early 10-9 lead six minutes into the game on Kendall Regis' jumper. But over the
next 4:21, Tech took off on an 11-0 to grab a 20-10 lead.
The teams traded baskets until Tech eventually held a 28-20 lead. But
then that's when the Cajuns took off on a run of their own, outscoring the Bulldogs 12-1
run in a 4:20 span for a 32-29 lead.
However, Tech closed out the half with an 8-0 run in the final 94
seconds and took a 37-32 lead into the locker room on
Henderson's jumper off an inbounds pass at the buzzer.
