University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Nicholls State
Petrakova Sets New Career High, Leads Cajuns Over Colonels
12/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
THIBODAUX- Junior center Anna Petrakova scored a
career-high 29 points to go with 14 rebounds, and tied a
career-high with five blocks to lead Louisiana's Ragin'
Cajuns to a 57-38 victory over Nicholls State Friday
night here at Stopher Gym.
The last time the Cajuns held an opponent to fewer
points on their home
court was February 25, 1988, when UL Lafayette defeated
Texas-Pan
American 82-36 in Edinburg.
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-2) defeated their third in-state
rival following
victories at Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 25 and at
Centenary on Dec. 8.
Nicholls State drops to 1-5 on the season.
The Cajuns out rebounded the Colonels 41-32. NSU shot
just 27.3 percent, marking the fourth game this season
that the Cajuns have held an opponent to under 35
percent from the floor.
NSU's Cristin Burdette knocked down a three-pointer with
1:11 remaining in the second half to cut the Cajuns'
lead to eight points, but UL Lafayette's Ashley Blanche
and Petrakova combined to hit nine free throws down the
stretch to secure the Cajuns' victory.
The Cajuns outscored the Colonels 11-5 in the first 9:02
of the second
half to add to their five-point halftime lead.
As in the first half, the Cajuns' relied on consistent
scoring from
Petrakova, who tallied nine straight points in the
second stanza, to
see their lead stand at 11 points with 8:44 remaining in
the game.
Nicholls State cut the lead to eight points, 41-33,
thanks to
four-minute scoreless drought by the Cajuns. Bernette Tolston scored her first points of the game, on a
three-pointer in the corner to give back the Cajuns'
their 11-point edge with 3:11 remaining in the game.
Ashley Blanche scored nine points for the Cajuns, while
Tiffany
Washington grabbed 10 boards.
The teams battled for the first eight minutes of the
ball game
exchanging the lead four times. A basket by Petrakova
gave the Cajuns a 9-8 lead with 13:20 left in the first
half.
Petrakova would score seven consecutive points to
increase the Cajuns
lead to 14-8 with 9:40 to play in the opening period.
A bucket by Washington and a lay-up and three-pointer by
Alexandra
Kotta capped the Cajuns' 14-0 run.
Nicholls State's Kaci Fulton ended the Colonels
seven-minute scoring
draught with a pair of free throws at the 6:13 mark to
trim the Cajuns lead to 21-10.
The Colonels responded with a 7-0 run of their own to
decrease their
deficit to 23-17, but Sharee Glenn hit a three-pointer
for the Cajuns to up the difference to nine points.
Nicholls State scored the last four points of the first
half to give
the Cajuns' a 26-21 halftime lead.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
