University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Florida International*
Cajuns Struggle in Miami
1/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Saturday, January 21, 2006
MIAMI - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns couldn't muster the offense to compete with Florida International on Saturday, falling 72-47 at Pharmed Arena.
Louisiana (13-4, 3-2) scored just 18 second half points and tied a season low by shooting 20 percent (5-24) in the final stanza.
FIU (12-6, 5-1) opened the second half with a 19-5 run to push a two-point halftime lead to 16 points, eight minutes into the half.
Louisiana looked for offense, but couldn't find any, going scoreless from the floor for a 5:37 stretch. A lay-up by Alicia McDaniel broke the Cajuns drought, but UL still trailed 50-36 with 11:21 to play.
Two baskets and a free throw by Yolanda Jones was all offense for the Cajuns over the next 7:42 until two free throws by Ashley Blanche with 3:39 remaining in the game.
The Cajuns were outscored 41-18 in the second half.
Yolanda Jones led the Cajuns with 14 points. Onna Charles finished with 11 points and Sonora Edwards contributed a team-high 10 rebounds.
Lasma Jakabsone led the Golden Panthers with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Faeza Bouderra had 20 points and LaQuetta Ferguson rounded out a trio in double-figures with 11 points.
FIU out hustled the Cajuns in the opening minutes, converting four fast-break lay-ups to take a 10-2 lead at the first media timeout.
The Golden Panthers lead hit double figures, 12-2, before the Cajuns cut it in half. A 10-5 run by UL closed the Cajuns deficit to five points, 17-12, at the 11:16 mark. Charles scored three of the Cajuns five buckets on the surge.
FIU's lead was down to three points on a lay-up by Sonora Edwards, but the Golden Panthers came back with a 7-0 spurt to take their edge back to double-figures.
UL found themselves down 13 points, 29-16, at the 4:52 mark, but held FIU without a field goal the rest of the half to get back into the game.
A 10-0 run pulled the visitors back within three. A triple by Charles started the run and was followed by a triple from Jeanenne Colbert. Edwards scored in the paint before two free throws by Sherita Anderson closed Louisiana to 29-26 with 1:49 to play in the opening half.
The Cajuns deficit would be just two at the break, 31-29, as a Colbert basket trumped a free throw by Jekabsone in the final minute.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
