Balanced Attack Leads Louisiana Past SUNO, 71-49

LAFAYETTE, La. – Louisiana opened the game on a 20-0 run and used a balanced scoring attack to topple Southern-New Orleans, 71-49, Wednesday evening at Earl K. Long Gym.

Four Ragin' Cajuns turned in double-digit performances, led by freshman Sylvana Okde with 20 points. Fellow freshman Kia Wilridge turned in a solid line of 15 points, six steals, five rebounds, and three assists. With the victory, the Ragin' Cajuns snap a three game losing streak and improve to 3-3 on the season.

Also shining for the Cajuns was Jasmin Mills who stepped up in the post, turning in a 14-point, 10-rebound effort, while Robbie Brown turned in a steady evening with 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals.

“We tried working on a lot of different things tonight because we have a lot of room to improve,” said head coach Garry Brodhead. “I thought we turned over the ball a little too much in the first half. We talked about being a little more patient on our shots in the second half. We did, however, do some good things and we're always going to play hard. The players who are playing, are the ones who are giving the most effort in practice and I think that's how you build a program.”

Louisiana jumped ahead from the tip, as Okde hit a jumper to spark the 20-0 Cajun run in the first seven minutes.

The defense held the Knights (3-2) from scoring a point for nearly eight minutes until Sabrina Scott snapped the scoreless drought at the 12:41 mark. The Knights scored two more quick buckets to cut the deficit to 20-6, however sophomore guard Megan Whittaker knocked down a three-pointer as soon as she entered the game to put a stop to the Knights run.

Louisiana extended their lead to 30-13, thanks to four straight free throws by Kia Wilridge. SUNO composed a 5-0 run to end the first half however the Cajuns still held a 36-20 advantage heading into the intermission.

Heading into halftime, Okde led all scorers with 15 points, including a trio of triples, while Wilridge added six points and four steals.

The Cajuns picked up right where they left off in the second half as Ashley Benjamin scored a layup less than thirty seconds in. Four minutes later, six furious points by Robbie Brown gave Louisiana a 51-32 edge with just over 12 minutes remaining.

Sharilyn Reed scored a layup for the Knights, but two consecutive layups by Jasmin Mills and Wilridge gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 23 point cushion, leading 57-34.

Louisiana remained steady throughout the next seven minutes, never allowing SUNO to cut the lead to less than 20 points. The Ragin' Cajuns turned in an outstanding defensive effort, forcing 29 SUNO turnovers.

Louisiana travels to Denton, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 1 for a Sun Belt contest against North Texas at 5 p.m.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Balanced Attack Leads Louisiana Past SUNO, 71-49

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Team Stats

Sylvana Okde

Kia Wilridge

Jasmin Mills

Robbie Brown

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