University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
NEW ORLEANS*
Cajuns Win Fourth Straight, Cruise Past Privateers 89-50
1/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2005
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns are 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference for the first time following Thursday night's 89-50 victory over New Orleans.
UL improves its record to 12-3, while UNO falls to 0-13.
Louisiana's Onna Charles bested her former high school teammate Andrea Williams, as the two former New Iberia Senior High standouts clashed for the first time in their collegiate careers.
Charles tied her career high with 20 points, while adding seven rebounds and three steals. Williams was held to eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.
In her last 10 games, Charles is averaging 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Leading by nine points at the break, UL opened the second half with an 8-2 scoring binge thanks to a pair of three-pointers by Charles and an inside bucket from Anna Petrakova.
UNO scored two of the next three baskets, but then the Cajuns went on an offensive explosion. UL scored 16 points over the next five minutes, while holding the Privateers to just one basket en route to a commanding 64-37 lead.
Petrakova then dominated the contest after a sluggish start. The senior, who began the game 31 points shy of 1,000, scored 11 points in a 2:37 span to give the Cajuns a 77-44 lead with 6:11 remaining.
Petrakova scored 18 of her game-high 22 points in the second half, but posted a season-low four rebounds. Both Ashley Blanche and Bernette Tolston chipped in 13 points. Tolston added seven boards, while Blanche tallied seven assists to just two turnovers.
UL dominated the boards 49-32, including a 20-9 margin on the offensive glass. UNO committed 17 turnovers, to only seven by the Cajuns.
The Cajuns needed a few minutes to find their scoring touch, but then rattled off a 9-2 run to take an 11-7 lead at the 14:41 mark.
Joevone Markey's six points then boosted UNO to an 8-2 run and a 15-13 lead at 12:08.`
A long three-pointer by Tolston gave the Cajuns back the lead, 20-19, before Blanche converted a pair of baskets to up UL's lead to 24-19.
A triple by Kori Bledsoe closed the Privateers to two points, but the Cajuns used six more unanswered points to grab their largest lead of the half, 30-22, at the 5:00 mark.
Over the next few minutes, UNO cut their deficit in half, but UL responded by scoring five points in the final 1:07 to take a 38-29 lead at the break.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
