University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Arkansas State (DH)
Chance at Victory Slips Away
2/14/2009 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LAFAYETTE ? Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns gave their strongest effort of the season leading for a 33-plus minute stretch, but a scoreless stretch of 4:17 late in the second half cost the team in a 74-66 loss to Arkansas State here Saturday evening at the CAJUNDOME.
Jasmine Barnes scored a layup with 8:13 left to play to put the Cajuns (3-22, 0-14 Sun Belt) up 58-54. That would be the squad's final points until a three-pointer by Alexis Green with 3:56 left
Arkansas State (12-13, 6-8 Sun Belt) followed Barnes' layup with a 12-0 run which vaulted the visitors into the lead and completed a comeback after trailing by as many as 10 in the second half.
The Red Wolves drew even at 58-all on a basket by Ebonie Jefferson at 6:56 and pulled ahead 60-58 with two free throws by Veronica Smith at 6:01. Baskets on three straight possessions beginning at the 5:27 mark and culminating at 4:15 pushed ASU into a 66-58 lead.
Green's trey at 3:56 made it 66-61, but Caroline Starr's fourth trey of the second half gave ASU a 69-61 lead and iced the game.
The Ragin' Cajuns were led by Green's 22. Barnes (19 points) and Mercedes Johnson (13 points) joined her in double figures.
ASU placed four in double figures led by Starr's 18. Starr shot 6-of-9 from three-point range.
The Cajuns shot 5-of-6 in the first four-plus minutes and held a 12-6 lead at the first media timeout.
Lyndsay Schlup came off the bench and scored six of the next eight points for the Red Wolves to allow the visitors to cut the Cajuns lead to 14-10.
The Cajuns lead reached 20-12 at 10:43 on a Nicole Morris layup ? the largest at that point in the contest. ASU got a triple from Starr to close within five points at 10:09.
UL was able to keep pace with the Red Wolves and as a result the lead was still seven points, 26-19, with seven minutes left in the half.
Layups on back-to-back possessions ? one from Green and then D'Mya Clay at 5:44 ? moved the Ragin' Cajuns' lead back out to eight points at 30-22. The Cajuns and Red Wolves each scored 12 points the remainder of the half and
The 42 points scored by
The Cajuns scored the second half's first basket for a 10-point lead. The teams played even through the 13:15 mark and UL's lead remained at 10 points, 50-40.
Starr made two triples between 13:15 and 11:42 with the latter cutting the UL lead to 52-48.
ASU got one free on two separate trips to the line to even the score at 54-all by the 8:53 mark. That's when Green responded with the plays to keep her team in front for a few more minutes.
Green broke through traffic for a layup at 8:40 and it was 56-54 in favor of UL. Green then stole the ball on the next possession and threw an outlet pass to Barnes for a quick layup which upped it the lead to 58-54 at 8:13.
In the next outing,
