University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
UALR
Cajuns' Upset Bid Falls Short at UALR
1/16/2011 12:18:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Down just one point with nine minutes to go, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team could not withstand a 15-4 run as UALR captured a 51-40 win in Little Rock, Ark. on Saturday afternoon.
The Cajuns (9-10, 2-4 SBC) were in the mix with the Trojans (11-5, 5-0 SBC) for most of the game, but scoring droughts in the first and second half proved to be the difference. The victory gave UALR their eighth consecutive win, while UL has lost their last three contests.
UL held a brief lead with less than six minutes remaining, but UALR went on a quick 8-0 run to secure the victory.
As a team, UL shot 29.1 percent for the game (16-55). UALR shot a 45.8 clip (22-48) while edging the Cajuns on the boards, 35-33.
Jasmine Barnes and Danielle Smith led UL with nine points each with Barnes pulling down a team-best seven rebounds.
Mercedes Johnson clipped the eight point mark, while tallying six boards and dishing out three assists. The Houston native moved into UL's top-10 scoring list with 1,065 career points, passing Charlotte Green's 1,059-point mark set in 2003.
Lyndra Bell and Michelle Brunker also notched six points against the Trojans.
In the first half, UL shot 25.9 percent (7-27) and endured a 10-minute stretch without a field goal, yet trailed by just two, 22-20.
After falling behind 6-0 in the opening minutes, Smith's three-pointer at 14:36 capped off a 9-2 run and gave UL its first lead of the game. During the run, Smith was responsible for five of the Cajuns' nine points.
The Trojans reclaimed a 12-9 lead as the Cajuns were unable to hit a shot from the floor for nearly a 10-minute stretch. The only points to be had came off of two free throws from Bell just under the 10-minute mark.
But UALR was unable to take advantage of the drought, building just a 15-11 lead with 7:20 left in the half.
The Cajuns were 0-for-9 from the floor until a lay-up by Josie West with 4:46 in the half snapped the field goal drought. Barnes followed with a three-point play to close in on the Trojans, 19-16, by the 3:50 mark.
UL closed out the half on a 4-0 run.
The Cajuns struggled through the first three minutes of the second half and were unable to light up the scoreboard. The Trojans took advantage and built up a five-point margin until a trey from Brunker and a lay-up from Barnes knotted the score at 29-29 with 13:46 to go.
Another lay-up from Barnes at 11:20 reclaimed the lead but UALR responded with a bucket of its own to tie the game back up at 31-31.
Four lead changes later, UL found itself trailing 37-36. A quick 8-0 run from the Trojans gave them their largest lead of the contest, 45-36, with 5:08 remaining.
The lead grew to as much as 11 points as the Trojans held on for the win. UL failed to score in the final 3:30 of the contest.
The Sun Belt's Preseason Player of the Year, Chastity Reed, scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds.
The Cajuns return to action on Jan. 22 as La.-Monroe visits Earl K. Long Gym for a Saturday Sun Belt matchup. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. CT.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
