University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
La.-Monroe (DH)
Cajuns Stumble at La.-Monroe
2/26/2011 11:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team closed the regular season in Fant-Ewing Coliseum with a 70-55 loss at La.-Monroe on Saturday afternoon.
Unofficially, Louisiana (11-18, 4-12) will be the West No. 5 seed in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Cajuns meet the East No. 4 seed, most likely South Alabama, on Saturday, March 5 at 2:30pm. The SBC will officially release the championship bracket on Sunday.
Trailing by three to start the second stanza, the Cajuns tied the game thanks to five straight points by Jasmine Barnes.
La.-Monroe (15-14, 9-7) immediately responded with 10 unanswered points. Lyndra Bell snapped the Cajuns drought with two free throws, but the Warhawks hit two more baskets to build a 12-point lead with 8:15 left to play.
D'Mya Clay notched the Cajuns first field goal in a 6:51 span to cut the Cajuns deficit to 10 points with 8:01 remaining. UL was never able to get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Three Cajuns scored in double figures, as Barnes, Clay and Mercedes Johnson each finished with 10 points.
Johnson is now 13 points from fifth place on the Cajuns career scoring list. She has scored in double figures in 21-of-27 games this season.
La.-Monroe's Priscilla Mbiandja led all scorers with 17 points.
The Warhawks dominated inside with a 60-39 rebounding edge and 36 points in the paint. They grabbed 29 offensive rebounds, which led to 24 second chance points.
Despite four early turnovers, the Cajuns found themselves trailing by just two points, 11-9, after a three-point basket by Josie West at the 16:22 mark.
Johnson picked-up her second personal foul at the 13:47 mark and the Cajuns scored only one basket in almost a six-minute span. UL fell behind by a score of 20-13 with 10:43 remaining in the half.
The Cajuns defense helped them get back into the game. UL held ULM to just one basket in a four-minute span and the Cajuns used a 10-3 run to tie the game. A triple from Bell with 40 seconds remaining in the first half knotted the game at 31-31.
Mbiandja hit a triple with 20 seconds left to put the hosts up by three points at the break.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
