University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Texas-Pan American (DH)
Ragin' Cajuns at Texas-Pan American
11/18/2006 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EDINBURG, Texas-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team used excellent second half defense to stifle Texas-Pan American's offensive attack and come away with a 65-52 victory at the UTPA Fieldhouse in Edinburg, Texas. The Ragin' Cajuns trailed by as many as five in the second half, before going on a 22-4 run that spanned 9:27 to close out the game.
During the stretch, the Cajuns allowed just one field goal, which came with just 29-ticks left on the game clock.
For the game, UL's defense held UTPA to just 35-percent shooting, including 23-percent in the second half.The Cajuns offense shot 51-percent for the game, going 50-percent or better each half.
The Ragin' Cajuns out rebounded the Broncs 41-26. UL pulled down 28 defensive rebounds, twice as many as UTPA.Yolanda Jones paced the Cajuns with her 17th double-double in a UL uniform, netting 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
Jeanenne Colbert scored 19 as the only other Cajuns player in double figures.After the Cajuns lead off the game with a lay-up by Sonora Edwards, the Broncs responded with a jumper and a three-pointer to take a 5-2 advantage.
Jones pulled down an offensive rebound and made the put back to cut the lead to just one.Courtney Ratliff intercepted a UTPA pass and threw the ball ahead to Colbert who converted the fast break lay-up give UL a 6-5 lead.
After a pair of baskets made the score 8-7, the Cajuns went on an 8-0 run to increase their lead to 16-7.Texas-Pan American scored the next five points to cut the lead to 16-12, but Jones responded for the Cajuns scoring UL's next five points herself. She made a lay-up off of an offensive rebound. Jones followed with a three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Cajuns a 21-12 edge.
A 9-2 UTPA run cut the Cajuns lead to just two points at 23-21. Onna Charles drained a long jumper from just inside the arc to stop the Broncs run.A basket by Kina Miller and a free throw by Jones gave the Cajuns a seven point edge with just over four minutes to play in the first half.
Over the final four minutes of the half, Texas-Pan American used the three-pointer to cut into the Cajuns lead.UTPA's Teshay Winfrey used a pair of triples to off-set a pair of jumpers by Jones. Winfrey scored in the paint off of a UL turnover to cut the Cajuns lead to 32-30 with 1:40 on the clock.
Alicia McDaniel made the back end of a pair of free throws to boost the lead back to three points, but a triple from the top of the key by the Broncs' Aleeya Grigsby tied the score at 33-33.Texas-Pan American added a pair of free throws to take a 35-33 lead ? their first lead since the score was 5-4.
McDaniel's basket with just 20 seconds left in the first half knotted the score and sent the two teams into the locker room at intermission deadlocked at 35-35.The Ragin' Cajuns started the second half with a pair of baskets by Edwards and Charles, but the Broncs responded with a 13-4 run to build up a 48-43 advantage.
UL used a pair of baskets by Charles and Colbert, combined with a Ratliff free throw to tie the score at 48-48.Ratliff made a lay-up at the 8:34 mark to five the Cajuns back the lead.
The Cajuns closed out the game outscoring the Broncs 22-4 over the last 9:27 of the game.The Ragin' Cajuns held Texas-Pan American scoreless for 8:11 while on a 17-0 run. UTPA did not score a field goal for nearly nine minutes of the second half.
The Ragin' Cajuns return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 22 as they travel to Hampton, Va., to take on the Hampton Pirates. Tipoff for the game against Hampton is 5:00 p.m.
