Blue Raiders Best Cajuns in Defensive Battle

Box Score

In a matchup of the Sun Belt Conference's division leaders and top two defensive teams it was Middle Tennessee who made the last stand and it resulted in a 65-53 victory for the Blue Raiders over the Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team Saturday evening at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

J.J. Thomas buried a jumper at the top of the key with 6:03 remaining to cut the Cajuns' deficit to 49-48. Middle Tennessee responded with a LaRon Dendy layup through traffic following a timeout, then after a missed three-pointer by Darshawn McClellan a three-point play by Marcos Knight at 4:59 increased the Blue Raiders lead to 54-48.

The Blue Raiders (15-2, 4-0 Sun Belt) would hold the Cajuns (8-9, 2-1 Sun Belt) to one field goal make – an Elfrid Payton layup with 43 seconds remaining – and outscored the visitors 11-5 to finish the contest.

The loss snapped Louisiana's 12-game regular season win streak in Sun Belt Conference play, a streak that dated back to a win over La.-Monroe on Jan. 22 of last season.

Both defenses lived up to their billing. The Cajuns held the Blue Raiders – who ranked Top 10 nationally shooting over 50 percent – to 36.7 percent shooting (18-of-49). MT limited UL to 31 percent shooting (18-of-58).

Josh Brown led UL with 17 points and was joined in double figures by Kadeem Coleby who posted 10 points.

Four players reached double figures for MT led by Raymond Cintron who tied Brown for game-high scoring honors with 17 points on the strength of a 12-for-12 showing at the free throw line.

Cintron provided MT with a five-point burst to start the second half, netting a pair of free throws and a three-point make in the left corner to increase the lead to 30-22 by the 19:17 mark.

The Cajuns fell behind by 10 points at 36-26 after a two-shot foul by Cintron and technical foul on Bob Marlin resulted in four straight points for the Blue Raiders.

Louisiana closed within three points in a span of 33 seconds. Brown hit a triple at 16:33, then back-to-back Cajuns steals resulted in a pair of layups by Brown and Bryant Mbamalu that cut the deficit to 36-33.

A J.T. Sulton three-point play at 15:36 triggered seven unanswered by MT that opened a 10-point lead once again as the clock reached 13 minutes to play.

Brown drained his third three of the night with 12:03 left to play to make it 43-36 and the Cajuns hovered within six or seven points through the seven-minute media timeout.

The Ragin' Cajuns saw a three-game win streak snapped with the defeat and lost for the seventh consecutive meeting against Middle Tennessee. Louisiana returns home next week for meetings with South Alabama on Thursday and FIU on Saturday at the Cajundome.

After nearly two minutes of scoreless action, MT would notch the game's first points on a Sulton basket at 18:11. UL strung together seven unanswered points over the next two minutes to forge ahead.

Raymone Andrews broke a 2-all tie with a triple at the top of the key at 16:58 and after a blocked shot the Cajuns pushed the ball up to McClellan for a scoop shot in the lane at 16:29 that opened a 7-2 advantage.

The Cajuns went scoreless the next five minutes and MT reeled off a 12-0 run that put the hosts in front 14-7 by the 11:42 mark.

Payton snapped the Cajuns scoreless streak with a pair of freebies at 11:26. That was the start of the Cajuns second 7-0 run of the opening stanza which was finished off by a Brown three-pointer with 9:50 remaining and knotted the score a 14-apeice.

Dendy returned the lead to MT with a slam dunk off a loose ball rebound at 9:00. After an Alan-Michael Thompson jumper from the right wing at 6:06 pulled UL within two points, 22-20, defense dominated as neither team scored until a Dendy basket with 1:39 left in the half.

UL forced MT into five turnovers during outstanding display of defense, but couldn't take advantage as the Blue Raiders defense was up to the challenge forcing the Cajuns into four turnovers and seven missed shots.

Brown ended a nearly six-minute scoring drought by the Cajuns as he drove through traffic on a fastbreak following a Kentwan Smith block for a layup with nine seconds before halftime. That brought UL within three points at the break, 25-22.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Blue Raiders Best Cajuns in Defensive Battle

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