University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Arkansas State
Ragin' Cajuns vs. Arkansas State
12/16/2006 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LAFAYETTE-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns simply ran out of gas.
Arkansas State trailed for nearly the entire game and never led in the second half, but had a little extra in overtime to defeat the Cajuns by a final score of 65-58.
ASU (7-4, 1-0) hadn't played in seven days, while UL (8-4, 1-1) played on Thursday night at New Orleans.
The difference in lay-offs was evident in overtime as the Indians scored the first nine points of the extra session.
Rudy Sims' three-point play was the first score of overtime and gave the Indians their first lead since a 7-5 edge at the 16:54 mark of the first half.
Adrianne Davie followed with a basket and then three free throws, giving ASU a 59-50 lead with just 1:02 left in overtime.
UL made three quick baskets inside to cut their deficit to 63-58, but time was a factor as just 11.5 seconds remained in the contest.
Davie led all players with 26 points and 15 rebounds in 39 minutes. Sims recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 41 minutes.
Four Cajuns starters played at least 40 minutes, led by Yolanda Jones with 22 points and 13 rebounds in 45 minutes. Onna Charles scored 19 points in 42 minutes.
The opening minutes of the second half went back-and-forth with increasing tension as the Cajuns held firm to their four-point halftime lead.
Leading 32-28, UL used a 7-2 run to take a nine-point lead at the 14:02 mark. Baskets by Jones and Kina Miller preceded a triple in the corner by Charles, giving the Cajuns their biggest lead of the game.
The Cajuns then couldn't hit a shot as ASU stormed back. The visitors used a 10-2 run to trim the hosts lead to 41-40 with 8:14 remaining.
UL scored four points in a two-second span to get some breathing room back. Alicia McDaniel scored on a partial breakaway lay-up with Jones fouled behind the play. Jeanenne Colbert converted off the inbounds pass to give the Cajuns a 45-40 lead with 6:32 left.
Once again, the Indians surged back with a 7-2 jolt and tied the game at 47-47 with 4:04 to play.
Three points by Jones temporarily put UL in front, but ASU came back to tie the game with a Davie basket and a free throw by Caroline Starr. The Indians had a chance to win the game in the final seconds of regulation, but terrific Cajuns defense prevented a final shot.
A good first half helped the Cajuns to a four-point lead after 20 minutes. It was the first time UL lost this season when winning at the half.
The Cajuns and Indians traded baskets during the game's first four minutes until consecutive baskets by Jones gave UL a 9-7 lead at the 15:09 mark.
A three-point play by McDaniel extended the Cajuns lead to 12-7 at 13:47.
Davie scored again for the Indians, her ninth point of the first half, to cut the Cajuns lead to 12-9 with 12:41 remaining in the opening stanza.
A lay-in by Colbert and two jumpers by Yolanda Jones around a basket from Ebonie Jefferson gave UL an 18-11 lead with 9:00 remaining.
ASU responded with three unanswered baskets to get within one point, but two free throws and a jumper by Onna Charles and three from the stripe by Jones helped the Cajuns to their biggest lead of the first half, 25-17, with 2:25 to play.
The Indians closed the half with six of the final eight points to get within four points, 27-23, at the break.
