University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
NICHOLLS STATE
Cajuns Move to 6-1, Knock Off Colonels 57-56
12/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
December 11, 2004
LAFAYETTE- Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns are 6-1 for only the second time in school history following a sloppy 57-56 victory over Nicholls State on Saturday evening.
The Cajuns committed 23 turnovers, 13 in the second half, to only 13 by the visiting Colonels. NSU had only three miscues in the second half, which helped erase a seven-point halftime deficit.
The Cajuns host Prairie View A&M on Monday evening to conclude a four-game homestand. UL will attempt to become the first team in school history to start a season 7-1.
Both the 1983-84 and 1985-86 teams started 7-2.
Despite struggling from the field in the first half, the Cajuns took a seven-point lead into the second half.
NSU immediately scored six unanswered points after Anna Petrakova went to the bench with her third foul just two minutes into the second half, cutting the Cajuns lead to 30-29 with 16:35 left to play.
The Cajuns continued to push the ball inside, and found success with a pair of baskets from Sonora Edwards and one from Tiffany Washington to cushion their lead to 36-31.
Four straight free throws by NSU closed their deficit back to one, but a fantastic fast break outlet pass from Tobie Buford to Bernette Tolston gave the Cajuns a 38-35 edge.
A pair of Cajuns turnovers led to two NSU baskets and a tie game, 42-42, at the 7:39 mark.
Down 47-46, Onna Charles hit a three-pointer at the 5:07 mark to start an 8-2 run and give UL a lead that they would never relinquish.
Cristin Burdette's basket cut the Cajuns lead to 54-51, but Petrakova converted a three-point play to give Louisiana a 57-51 edge.
UL did not score the rest of the game as Burdette, Nkechi Nwachukwu and Katherine Plummer each scored baskets in the final 1:33 to cut the Cajuns lead to 57-56.
Ashley Blanche was fouled with 12 seconds remaining, but missed the front end of a one-and-one.
NSU tried to run a play for Burdette, but Alicia McDaniel stole the ball with three seconds remaining to seal the win for the Cajuns.
Charles, making her first career start, finished the evening with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, making 5-of-9 shots from the floor. Petrakova chipped-in 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in only 23 minutes.
The Cajuns failed to match the Colonels intensity in the first eight minutes, and consequently trailed 12-10.
UL momentarily found a 17-16 lead, thanks to five unanswered points from Ashley Blanche, but Sharise Richards quickly hit a three-pointer to give NSU back the lead, 19-17, with 6:42 to play in the first half.
Richards' basket would be the last by Nicholls State in a 6:26 span, in which the Cajuns outscored the Colonels 9-0 to take a 26-17 lead.
Richards and Petrakova traded buckets in the final 16 seconds, as the Cajuns kept their seven-point lead at the break.
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