University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Florida Atlantic (DH)
Barnes Lifts Cajuns over FAU
2/12/2011 7:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team captured a tough road win on Saturday, defeating Florida Atlantic 85-78 at FAU Arena.
Louisiana improves to 11-14 (4-8), while Florida Atlantic falls to 6-18 (3-10).
Jasmine Barnes proved to be the Cajuns much-needed offensive weapon, scoring a career-high 29 points.
A back-and-forth beginning to the second half saw the Cajuns eventually erase their five-point halftime deficit.
Mercedes Johnson entered the game for the first time following the first media timeout of the second half. Johnson had missed the previous game and sat out the first half due to an illness.
Her return immediately sparked a 12-4 run that helped the Cajuns establish a 53-47 edge at the 12:59 mark.
The lead would not last long, as FAU tied the game at 59-59 less than three minutes later. Johnson was unable to stay in the game for long stretches due to fatigue, but her surrounding cast continued to score in her absence.
Six different players, Johnson not included, would contribute to the scoring effort, as UL built a seven-point lead with four minutes to play.
Johnson then went to the line twice in a 90-second span, hitting all four free throws to extend the Cajuns lead to 78-69 with 2:05 to play.
Nicole Morris drilled two from the stripe to push the lead to 11 points, 80-69, with 1:34 showing on the clock.
FAU's Lyrell Barfield then scored seven points in the next 35 seconds to close the gap to just four points with one minute to play.
The Owls missed shots and Barnes hit 5-of-6 from the line to close out the win for the Cajuns.
Morris added 14 points and three other Cajuns scored nine points in Danielle Smith, D'Mya Clay and Danyell Oliver. Lyndra Bell scored just four points, but had a career-best nine assists to go along with a team-best six rebounds.
The Cajuns struggled to defend the lane in the opening minutes of the first half. FAU scored six times in the paint to build a 12-6 lead. Barnes provided the only spark for the sluggish Cajuns, as she accounted for all six points.
A few substitutions sparked the Cajuns to a 9-3 run that tied the game at 15-15 with 9:01 remaining in the opening stanza. Barnes continued her hot hand, hitting two more baskets during the run. She was 5-of-6 from the floor, while the rest of the team was 3-for-13.
The Owls responded with a 9-2 jaunt to build a seven-point lead.
A triple from Smith with 39.5 seconds remaining cut the Owls lead to 35-30 at the half.
UL returns home for a three-game homestand starting Wednesday vs. Arkansas State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm inside Earl K. Long Gym. Wednesday's contest will be Louisiana's annual WBCA PinkZone and Pack the House Challenge game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink as the Ragin' Cajuns will help raise awareness for breast cancer.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
