University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
ULM
Perfect at the 'Dome in Sun Belt Play
2/21/2010 4:18:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Louisiana (13-14, 10-6 Sun Belt) finished the season undefeated at the Cajundome in Sun Belt play (9-0) for only the second time - and first since 2001-02 - since joining the league in 1991-92.
The Cajuns defense made Andrews' winning tally hold up by forcing a pair of turnovers on the Warhawks' next two possessions and with 11 seconds left Tommie Sykes missed two free throws.
Travis Bureau turned the ball over on the rebound following Sykes' misses then the UL defense fought off two inside shot chances by UL Monroe (11-17, 6-11 Sun Belt) to seal the victory.
UL was led by Tyren Johnson who scored 26 points and made 10 field goals. Johnson extended his string of double figure scoring games to 16 straight and notched his 11th, 20-plus point game.
Randell Daigle joined Johnson in double figures by scoring 19. Daigle made 5-of-8 three-point attempts.
As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns were 11-of-19 from three-point range compared to 4-of-8 by UL Monroe providing a 33-12 edge.
Sykes paced ULM with a game-high 27 points. He was 11-of-13 at the charity stripe before his two misses.
The win keeps the Cajuns within one game of Sun Belt West division leader North Texas (11-5 SBC). UL is currently tied for second with Arkansas State (10-6) as the Red Wolves lost to Western Kentucky in overtime in Jonesboro tonight.
Louisiana sent off seniors Corey Bloom, Johnson, Willie Lago, Lamar Roberson and Courtney Wallace out on a winning note in their Cajundome finale.
The Cajuns began the second half with two baskets from Johnson and long triples by Daigle and Lago to build a 49-43 lead less than three minutes in.
Three straight baskets from Johnson and a running lay-in by Daigle helped the Cajuns take their biggest lead, 57-47, at the 12:28 mark.
ULM came back with a 14-6 run, thanks in large part to nine free throws. The Warhawks grabbed a 71-70 lead on a Dynile Forbes three-point make at the top of the key with 2:47 remaining.
The Cajuns thrived behind the three-point arc in the first 20 minutes, connecting on 8-of-12 attempts.
Neither team held a lead greater than four points in the opening stanza until ULM's Lawrence Gilbert scored five straight to help the visitors take a 28-22 lead at the 7:30 mark.
The Cajuns quickly disposed of their six-point deficit thanks to an 8-0 run. Johnson started things with a triple from the wing, Chris Gradnigo followed with a free throw and Bureau added a fast break dunk. Johnson capped the run with a pair from the stripe to give UL a 32-30 lead with 3:23 remaining.
The opening half came to a close with the Cajuns holding a slim 39-38 advantage.
The Ragin' Cajuns wrap up the 2009-10 regular season with road games at North Texas (Feb. 25) and Denver (Feb. 27) next week.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
