University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
LSU
Cajuns Push Tigers Until the End
12/2/2009 3:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team looked like they might be the team to end LSU's extensive win streak over Louisiana schools at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
However a field goal drought that spanned five minutes following a basket with 7:24 remaining coupled with LSU's inside presence allowed the Tigers (4-2) to hold on for a 66-58 victory Tuesday evening that extended the Tigers' winning streak over Louisiana schools at the PMAC to 76 games.
A Lamar Roberson triple on the left elbow tied the score at 43-all with 10:04 remaining. The Tigers answered as Chris Bass rimmed home a triple on the opposite end at 9:48. After a Cajuns miss, Warren drew a foul inside and made two freebies at 9:03 to up the lead to five points, 48-43.
Leading 48-45 with less than seven minutes remaining, the Tigers went inside to Storm Warren on back-to-back possessions for baskets that increased the lead to seven points by the 5:47 mark. Bass scored inside at 4:20 to up the lead to 54-45.
UL (1-4) didn't go away quietly, getting layups from Willie Lago and Travis Bureau to cut the deficit to 54-52 at 2:03. Tasmin Mitchell capped off his impressive night with a triple at 1:10 that pushed the LSU lead to 58-52.
Mitchell led the Tigers with 26 points. Warren joined him in double figures with 18.
Louisiana put forth a balanced effort as eight different players scored at least five points. Travis Bureau led the way with 10.
The Tigers posted 28 points in the paint and converted 19-of-28 free throws. The Cajuns were held to a season-low 11 free throw attempts making only eight.
The Ragin' Cajuns kept the Tigers from building a double figure lead the entire game. The only double-digit margin came with 15 seconds left at 66-56 after two Mitchell freebies.
The teams swapped scores in the first three minutes and were tied at 8-all. Mitchell scored six of the Tigers eight points and Bureau and Randell Daigle provided three-point baskets for UL.
The lead changed six times and the score was tied three times prior to the first media timeout.
After the quick start - 16 points combined in the first three minutes - the teams went silent the next four minutes. The only field goal makes were 10 seconds apart in the 13-minute mark. A Corey Bloom triple pushed the Cajuns in front 13-12 at 13:14.
Warren scored inside to return the lead to LSU, 14-13, with 12:12 on the clock. That's where the score remained until McCoy scored a quick layup off of a Tigers turnover at 10:14.
The Cajuns opened a 20-16 lead when McCoy grabbed a rebound, pushed the ball up the court and dished the ball to Tyren Johnson who drove the lane for a slam dunk at 6:52. That opened up the largest lead either team had held in opening minutes.
After a timeout, the Tigers responded with a 9-1 run over the next two minutes to take a four point lead of their own. Warren capped off the run with a one-handed stuff at 4:10 after a multiple loose ball scruff between the two teams.
UL could manage only one field goal following Johnson's dunk and weren't able to chip into the Tigers lead which grew to 28-21 at 2:47 after a Spencer triple at the top of the key. LSU held on to a 28-23 lead at halftime.
The first half saw 13 lead changes and five tied scores. The Cajuns' largest lead was four (20-16) and the Tigers' largest was seven (28-21).
LSU returned the lead to seven points twice in the first four minutes of the second half. Javan Mitchell hit a hook shot in the lane and Daigle stopped a popped a jumper in the right wing at 15:31 to trim the Tigers lead down to 36-33.
The teams swapped five points over the next four minutes and the LSU lead remained at three (41-38) with 11:26 remaining. A Colby Batiste tap-in at 11:00 drew UL within one point.
Louisiana wraps up its current three-game road swing on Saturday, Dec. 5 in Huntsville, Texas, facing Sam Houston State at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. Game time is set for 2 p.m. The Cajuns will look to avenge last season's last-second defeat to the Bearkats at the Cajundome.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
