University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Florida Atlantic
Cajuns Comeback Falls Short at FAU
1/24/2007 5:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns were right there in the final minutes once again, but once again the Cajuns came up a little short, falling 75-72 at Florida Atlantic.
The Cajuns clawed their way within two points, 66-64, thanks to a 10-4 run after FAU had just taken an eight-point lead at the 7:17 mark.
Ross Mouton started the run with a free throw, followed by two from the stripe by Courtney Wallace. Elijah Millsap and Wallace each added baskets before another Mouton free throw. David Dees scored to bring the score to 66-64 with 3:27 still to play.
The Owls scored five quick points to provide a seven-point cushion at the 2:22 mark, but a basket by Mouton and two free throws over two possessions by Dees made it a one-possession game with 1:12 remaining.
After the teams traded two points, a big steal by Millsap gave the Cajuns a chance to tie, but Millsap converted just one of two free throws.
Dees last-second baseline triple was offline.
The Cajuns shot 79 percent from the free throw line for the game, but made only 3-of-6 in the final 1:48.
Dees led all players with 30 points, while Mouton added 18 points and Millsap chipped-in 11 points.
Down 10 points at the half, UL scored the first six points of the second half to trim their hole to just four points. FAU quickly got five points back in a 22-second span.
The Cajuns needed time, but they finally got back into the game. Back-to-back baskets in the paint by Millsap and Dees started a 7-2 run that ended with a three-pointer by Mouton. It was the Cajuns first successful triple of the game on 13 attempts. The quick burst cut the Owls lead to 56-52 with 9:52 on the clock.
FAU countered with a 6-2 jaunt to double their lead, 62-54, with 7:17 remaining.
The Cajuns finished the game 1-for-15 from behind the arc, shooting 44.8 percent overall. The Owls finished with a 55.3 percent clip from the floor.
FAU got off to a good start in the early minutes, building a 9-2 lead at the 16:44 mark.The Cajuns came back with a jumper by Mouton and a three-point play from Dees to trim their deficit to two points, 9-7, at 14:47.
After Derek Gray's three-point play brought the Cajuns within one point, 13-12, FAU used a 12-2 run to build a 25-14 advantage. The Owls were connecting at 58 percent from the floor at this point, while the Cajuns were shooting only 26 percent. UL had missed all seven of its three-point attempts.
The Cajuns scored six straight points beginning with a Valentino Hart lay-up off a nice feed from Dees. Dees then added two jumpers to get the Cajuns within five points, 27-22, with 4:00 remaining in the first half.
The Owls finished the final 2:25 of the first half by outscoring UL 9-4 en route to a 38-28 lead after 20 minutes.
