University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Arkansas State
Most Recent Recap...Ragin' Cajuns at Arkansas State...Feb. 8, 2007
2/8/2007 5:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jonesboro, Ark. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns did something they hadn't done all season in defeating Arkansas State 76-70 for the Cajuns first road win of the season.
UL improves to 7-17, (5-9), while ASU falls to 12-13 (7-6).
The game was decided in the final minute as the Cajuns came-up with the plays needed to win. Valentino Hart's offensive rebound and put-back gave the Cajuns a 72-20 lead with 42.6 seconds remaining.
Stellar Cajuns defense forced the Indians into a long three-point attempt that came up short and was rebounded by David Dees. Dees was fouled and hit his first free throw with 17.7 seconds left. His second from the stripe missed but was boarded by Courtney Wallace. Wallace was fouled and also made one from the line.
Leading by four, 74-70, the Cajuns forced ASU into another bad shot and Derek Gray went to the line with 7.2 seconds remaining.
Gray's two free throws provided the final margin.
Dees led the Cajuns with 26 points. Ross Mouton finished with 11 points six rebounds and five assists. Elijah Millsap had 19 points before fouling out with 4:25 remaining.
Isaac Wells led a trio of Indians in double figures with 22 points.
Two quick baskets by ASU opened the second half and helped the host's lead grow to seven points.
UL responded with an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game. Three baskets by Dees and one by Adam James gave the Cajuns a 39-38 edge at the 15:30 mark.
Dees hit the Cajuns first three-pointer (on 11 attempts) to give UL a two-point lead at 14:28.
Millsap's three-point play gave the Cajuns back a two-point lead, capping a 3:02 stretch that featured nine lead changes.
Dees then scored four straight points to give the Cajuns their biggest lead, 53-47, with 11:29 remaining.
ASU came back with an 11-4 burst to recapture the lead, 58-57, with 8:50 to play.
An alley-oop dunk by Wells preceded two from the stripe by Wells which gave the Indians a 62-57 lead with 6:34 on the clock.
A free throw by Wallace and fast-break dunk by Millsap closed the Cajuns within one point, but the Indians countered with four straight from the free throw line.
Five straight points by the Cajuns tied the game at 68-68 with 3:10 left in the game. Another Wallace freebie, an offensive put-back by Mouton and Dees jumper knotted the game.
Mouton's basket gave the Cajuns a two-point lead at the 2:32 mark, but Wells tied the game with 1:18 remaining.
UL won the battle of the boards 41-28, including 17-5 on the offensive glass. The Cajuns shot 57 percent in the second half.
Louisiana was outplayed for most of the first half, but found themselves down just three points thanks to excellent play at both ends of the court for the final five minutes.
The Cajuns shot 33 percent in the first 20 minutes, compared to 52 percent by the Indians.
ASU took a six-point lead within the game's first 1:40. The Indians lead grew to eight points at the 11:58 mark as the Cajuns were just 2-for-15 shooting the ball.
The Cajuns made 3-of-5 field goals in the next four-plus minutes, but found themselves down 29-17 at the 7:34 mark.
Neither had scored more than two consecutive baskets until the Cajuns rattled off seven straight baskets to tie the game with 44 seconds remaining in the half.
A lay-in by James and three baskets from Millsap helped the Cajuns to eight unanswered points. One free throw by Wells couldn't slow the Cajuns, as baskets from Wallace and Gray and an offensive tip-in from Millsap tied the game at 31-31.
Wells' three-pointer closed the half and gave ASU a three-point edge at the break.
The Cajuns will travel to Charlotte for a late-season non-conference game on Tuesday before returning home to face in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday at the Cajundome.
