Cajuns Need Double Overtime to Top UTEP 65-61

Sunday, Nov. 27, 2005

LAFAYETTE ? It wasn't easy, but Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns home court winning steak lives on, thanks to a 65-61 double overtime victory over Texas-El Paso on Sunday afternoon.

The Cajuns have now won 18 consecutive games at home.

In the second overtime, neither team could score until Ashley Blanche's three-point play with 2:20 remaining.

Charnette Phelps scored on a short jumper 16 seconds later to cut the Cajuns lead to one point, 59-58, at the 2:04 mark.

Blanche drilled a three-pointer from the top of the circle at 1:37 to extend the Cajuns lead to four, 62-58, with 97 seconds to play.

Three straight defensive stands by the Cajuns led to three points from the free throw line, one by Blanche with 45.1 remaining and two by Yolanda Jones with 24 seconds remaining.

Blanche had a chance to win it in the first over overtime, but her three-pointer at the buzzer hit the front of the rim

In the first extra session, Sonora Edwards tied the game after UTEP momentarily took a two-point lead.

Blanche then gave the Cajuns a two-point cushion after converting a difficult off-balance lay-up after being bumped in lane.

Phelps tied the game for UTEP, but Blanche's two free throws put the Cajuns back in front with 25.7 seconds remaining. Phelps re-tied the contest on a pair of free throws with 11.5 seconds remaining to send the game into the second overtime session.

Blanche led all players with a career-high 23 points, including four consecutive free throws in overtime. Jones poster her second double-double of the season with 19 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. Edwards, making her second career start and first this season, added her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.

Phelps led UTEP with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

After not shooting well in the opening half, the Cajuns doubled their efforts in the second stanza.

UL shot better from the start of the second half, but could not cut into their deficit because four early fouls allowed the Miners five points from the free throw line.

The UTEP lead grew as large as six, 34-28, but five points from Jones, around a Kasia Krezel bucket, trimmed the deficit to three. Blanche's steal and lay-up brought the hosts within one point, and then Jones' 15-footer gave Louisiana their first lead since the 17:48 mark of the first half.

The teams then exchanged one-point leads three times over the next three minutes, until Blanche hit a three-pointer to give UL a two-point lead, 42-40, with 7:14 remaining.

Jones' lone free throw preceded an ally-oop pass from Alicia McDaniel to Jones, giving the Cajuns a 45-40 lead with 5:47 remaining.

Just 13 seconds later, Ana Valitierra's first basket of the game, a three-pointer from the corner, cut the Cajuns five-point lead down to two points.

Edwards' basket in the paint gave the Cajuns a four-point edge, but Krezel got the points back with a long jumper from the top of the key.

A steal from Edwards prevented the Miners from tying the game, but UTEP's defense stopped the Cajuns on consecutive possessions leading to a pair of free throws by Phelps that tied the game at 47-47 with 1:47 showing.

Whitney Dunlap, 0-for-7, from the floor up to that point, nailed a triple from the corner to give UL a 50-47 lead with 91 seconds remaining.

Sixteen seconds later Izabela Piekarska's jumper closed UTEP's gap to one, and Phelps' free throw with 32 seconds remaining tied the game.

Blanche had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but her 12-footer rattled around the rim.

Neither team shot well in the first half. UL made only 7-of-35 shots (20 percent), while UTEP was 9-for-34 (26.5 percent) from the floor.

The Cajuns 4-2 lead was short lived, as UTEP used a 9-0 run to take an 11-4 lead at the 12:52 mark of the first half. Louisiana was just 1-for-10 from the floor at that point.

Louisiana stormed back with a 7-0 push to tie the game. Sherita Anderson scored inside before Blanche followed with two straight buckets, including a three-pointer that tied the contest at 11-11 with 8:57 remaining in the opening 20 minutes.

The Miners took back the lead, but back-to-back baskets by Edwards tied the game at 17-17 with 2:40 remaining in the first half.

UTEP's Tay Hester scored the final three points of the half to give the visitors a 22-19 lead at the break.

The Cajuns return to Earl K. Long Gym on Tuesday to face Texas Southern at 7pm.

-Ragin' Cajuns-