University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Middle Tennessee
Cajuns Take Over SBC Lead, Defeat MT 71-65
1/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Saturday, Jan. 25, 2003
LAFAYETTE – Michael Southall scored a game-high and season-high 23 points and Brad Boyd added 18 as Louisiana-Lafayette's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team overcame a sluggish performance from the free throw line in posting a 71-65 win over visiting Middle Tennessee here Saturday night at the Cajundome.
With the win, UL Lafayette (12-6, 4-1 Sun Belt) extended its Cajundome-record winning streak to 17 games and won its third straight Sun Belt Conference game. Coupled with a Denver loss to New Orleans, the Ragin' Cajuns moved into first place in the SBC West Division by one-half game over the Pioneers (12-8, 4-2 Sun Belt).
Southall was 10-for-16 from the floor and made two key baskets down the stretch for the Cajuns. Southall took a feed from Kenneth Lawrence, who created a steal with 52 seconds, and stuffed it home giving Louisiana-Lafayette a 66-60 lead with 50 seconds remaining.
Boyd, appearing in his first game since Thursday, Jan. 9 at South Alabama, was 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range.
The Cajuns who struggled from the free throw line during the game, shooting 11-of-24 from the charity stripe, nailed six freebies down the stretch to seal the six-point win. A pair of free throws from Laurie Bridges gave the Cajuns the final margin after the Blue Raiders had trimmed the lead to four points, 69-65, on a John Humphrey three-point basket with eight seconds left.
The Cajuns trailed 56-55 with 3:50 left in the game following a William Pippen basket. A Cedric Williams layup following a Eric Parham turnover added to a Brad Boyd three-pointer after another Parham turnover gave the Cajuns a 60-56 lead with 2:21 to play.
After MT (8-11, 4-3 Sun Belt) cut the lead to two points, 60-58, the Cajuns opened up a six-point advantage with baskets from Southall and Williams.
The Cajuns defense forced Middle Tennessee into 27 turnovers including 15 in the first half alone. UL Lafayette committed only 16 turnovers for the game.
MT was led by Pippen and Tommy Gunn who each scored 18 points. Gunn posted a double-double, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. The Blue Raiders outrebounded the Cajuns 37-30, the second straight game in which UL Lafayette has been outrebounded.
Southall and Williams each led the Cajun with eight boards. Southall added five steals and four blocks in his 34 minutes of action. The Cajuns as a team had 14 steals and six blocked shots.
UL Lafayette led by eight points at halftime, 37-29, but went scoreless from the field in the first four-plus minutes of the second half, as the Blue Raiders used a 13-0 run to open the second half and take a 42-37 lead. A Southall layup at 15:13 put the Cajuns on the board for the first time in the second stanza.
A 13-4 run over the next four minutes helped Louisiana-Lafayette open up a four-point advantage with 11:06 left in the game, 50-46.
After trailing most of the first half, Louisiana-Lafayette ended the half on a 9-0 run to take the 37-29 lead at the break. MT had led by as many as nine points, 21-12, in the opening frame. The Blue Raiders used a 16-3 run midway through the opening stanza to erase an early 9-5 deficit.
The Cajuns evened the all-time series with MT at 3-3 and remained unbeaten against the Blue Raiders in the Cajundome.
Louisiana-Lafayette will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 30 for a 7:05 p.m. game at North Texas in Denton, Texas, before moving on to face Denver Saturday, Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. (CST).
-Ragin' Cajuns-
