Turnovers Cost Cajuns as Comeback Attempt Falls Short

Box Score

The Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team left the Convocation Center in Jonesboro, Ark., on Saturday afternoon looking to give back a few turnovers which might have made the difference in a 55-52 loss to Arkansas State.

The final turnover was one that had the biggest impact, but finishing the contest with 22 total turnovers which led to 17 ASU points proved to be the difference in a three-point contest.

Krystal Motley connected on a three-pointer at the top of the key with 1:02 remaining to trim the Cajuns deficit to 53-52. Louisiana (5-14, 0-7 Sun Belt) was set up for a potential go-ahead basket after Brooklyn Arceneaux collected a steal near half court on the ensuing possession.

Arceneaux was driving toward the basket when she lost control of the basketball and it bounced out-of-bounds giving possession to ASU (8-12, 2-5 Sun Belt). The Red Wolves were able to lower the game clock to 13 seconds as the Cajuns had to commit two fouls to create a foul-shot opportunity.

Jane Morrill hit both free throws to give ASU a 55-52 lead and Megan Whittaker's three-point attempt at forcing overtime fell short allowing the Red Wolves to escape the Cajuns comeback attempt from a deficit as large as 13 points.

After Michelle Brunker hit a jumper to move UL within eight points, 43-35, with 9:47 left to play the Red Wolves answered on their next two touches with a Shania Hurst jumper and Meghan Lewis three-pointer at 8:30 that stretched the lead to 48-35.

The Cajuns outscored the Red Wolves 17-5 over the next seven-plus minutes to set the stage for chance at stealing a win on the road.

Motley and Whittaker led Louisiana with 11 points apiece. The Cajuns shot 42 percent (21-of-50) compared to 31 percent (20-of-64) for the Red Wolves and held a 38-36 edge in rebounds.

Morrill paced ASU with a game-high 16 points as the hosts broke a two-game losing streak.

The Ragin' Cajuns, still in search of their first Sun Belt win of the season, return home for a matchup with North Texas at the Cajundome on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

The Cajuns grabbed a 4-0 lead early with strong play on defense and a pair of Motley field goals during the 18-minute mark. UL forced ASU to miss its first four field goals and held the Red Wolves scoreless until a Morrill basket at 16:24.

ASU's defense stepped up and forced the Cajuns into five consecutive misses for four minutes following Motley's second make. The Red Wolves pulled ahead 5-4 on a triple by Quinishia McDowell out of the first media timeout and extended the lead to three points on a Hanna Qedan basket at 14:45.

A Whittaker three-pointer on the right wing at the 11:56 mark forged a 9-all tie.

The Red Wolves collected a momentum swing at 10:29 as a Qedan three-point play broke the tie and ignited a 9-0 run which opened an 18-9 advantage by the seven-minute mark.

Louisiana closed within five points starting with an Arceneaux triple at 6:57 that cut the deficit to 18-12. The Cajuns posted two defensive stops on the ensuing possession, and then Brunker buried a baseline jumper at 6:28 to make it 18-14.

ASU used its second 9-0 run of the opening stanza to stretch the lead into double figures. The Cajuns went quiet during the stretch, missing three field goal attempts and committing seven turnovers.

A Brunker layup with 1:07 remaining and Brown backdoor layup off a Morris feed with 35 seconds showing dropped the Cajuns deficit back to single digits, 27-18. A Morrill basket as the final seconds rolled off the clock gave ASU a 29-18 lead at the break.

The Cajuns made an early push to start the second half, scoring seven of the first nine points of the stanza following a Brunker triple at 18:47 and four free throw makes from Motley. That spurt moved UL within six points, 31-25, with 17 minutes remaining in the contest.

The Red Wolves responded with a 7-0 run to return the lead into double figures at 38-25 by the 15:28 mark.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Turnovers Cost Cajuns as Comeback Attempt Falls Short

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