University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Arkansas State
Cajuns Clinch No. 1 Seed For Sun Belt Tournament
2/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004
Unlike the two previous outings in which the Cajuns squandered double-digit leads in the second half and lost as a result, this time they would maintain the lead and claim the victory.
With the win the Cajuns (16-8, 11-3 Sun Belt) snapped a season-high, two–game losing streak, clinched the overall Sun Belt regular season championship and the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Aeropostale Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Louisiana-Lafayette also is guaranteed its first-ever outright Sun Belt championship, and second overall, since joining the league in 1991-92. UL Lafayette won the league in 1999-2000, but shared the title with South Alabama and was the No. 2 seed in the 2000 tournament.
The Cajuns held a 32-29 lead at the break and were ahead by just one point, 34-33, after a Kim Adams putback at 17:58.
Laurie Bridges answered for UL Lafayette on the other end with a triple that 17:44 gave the Cajuns a 37-33 lead.
An Adams free throw on the ensuing possession for ASU trimmed the lead to 37-34 with 17:24 left to play.
That would be the closest that the Indians would get the rest of the night.
Louisiana-Lafayette opened a 14-0 run over the next three minutes that vaulted the hosts into a 50-34 advantage with 14:20
Antoine Landry scored a team-best 17 points in leading five Cajuns that reached double-digits. Brian Hamilton pulled down a team-best eight boards.
UL Lafayette shot 60 percent from the floor (30-of-50) including 64 percent (18-of-28) in the decisive second half. The Cajuns outscored the Indians 50-33 in the second frame.
The Cajuns forced 20 turnovers and picked the Indians pocket 11 times led by four steals by Dwayne Mitchell.
ASU (15-10, 6-7 Sun Belt) received a game-high 20 points from Dewarick Spencer. Adams posted a double-double scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Cajuns defense limited the Indians to 38 percent shooting holding them to 36 percent in the second half.
Leading 37-34, Brian Hamilton rebounded his own miss and put it back in for a 39-34 lead. On the next possession, Dwayne Mitchell rebounded a missed three-pointer by ASU's Antonio Rambo and drove the distance of the court for a tomahawk slam that prompted a timeout by the Indians.
Following the timeout, Brad Boyd drained a three-point basket 20 feet to the right of the key as the Cajuns took their first double-digit lead of the second half at 44-34 with 15:40 remaining in the game.
The Cajuns deluge continued as Hamilton blocked a shot on the other end and Bridges grabbed the rebound and raced in for a fastbreak layup to make it 46-34.
Layups by Cedric Williams and Mitchell pushed the margin to 50-34. A jumper by Tevoris Thompson ended the run for ASU.
Trailing 61-44, ASU would use an 8-0 run to get the deficit back to single digits 61-52 with 6:44 left to play.
The Cajuns then got a free throw from Hamilton at 5:59 to stop the rally and a three-pointer from Landry 25 seconds later gave UL Lafayette a 65-52 edge.
The closest ASU would get the rest of the way was on the next possession when Spencer drove the lane to cut it to 65-54.
Louisiana-Lafayette led by as many as 11 points in the first half. A basket by Antoine Landry at 4:50 capped off a 5-0 run and put the Cajuns in front 28-17.
UL Lafayette would then go scoreless for the next two minutes as Spencer scored seven straight points to trim the Cajuns lead to 28-24 with 3:21 left in the half.
Boyd ended the Cajuns drought with a freebie at 2:35.
Spencer made it 10 consecutive points when he nailed a three-pointer 24 feet out at 1:59 to cut the margin to 29-27.
J.J. Montgomery ended the Indians rally with an inside basket at 1:05 that tied the game.
Boyd would hit a three on the next possession as the Cajuns took the lead for good 32-29.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
