Women's Hoops Comeback Turned Away by Arkansas State

Box Score

Unfortunately for the Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team another late second-half comeback fell short and as a result Arkansas State posted a 57-50 victory Saturday evening at the Cajundome.

The loss leaves Louisiana (5-20, 0-13 Sun Belt) still in search of their first Sun Belt win of the season and extended the squad's current losing streak to 15 straight games. ASU (10-15, 4-8 Sun Belt) completed the season sweep of the Cajuns with a win similar to the first meeting back on Jan. 21 in Jonesboro.

Starting at the 11:57 mark in the second half the Cajuns opened a 16-5 run that brought a double digit deficit down to two points at 52-50 following a Brooklyn Arceneaux leaner with 3:57 remaining.

The Cajuns couldn't get a shot to fall in the rest of the way and Jane Morrill made a basket at 3:46 and a triple at 2:29 to finish off the scoring.

Back on Jan. 21, the Cajuns had a 17-5 run capped off by a Krystal Motley triple trim a double digit deficit to 53-52, only to commit a turnover and miss a potential game-tying three-pointer in the final minute of a 55-52 loss. Saturday marked the second near miss with the Red Wolves for the Cajuns.

Michelle Brunker delivered a solid performance for Louisiana, posted a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Josie West, who scored six points in the game's first five minutes, scored a team-high 14 for UL.

Morrill paced the ASU efforts with a game-high 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Shania Hurst scored 17 as the duo recorded 39 of the Red Wolves' 57 points (68 percent).

UL is set to play its final road contests of the 2011-12 regular season next week with games at Denver on Wednesday and North Texas on Saturday.

Louisiana shot 50 percent in the first five minutes of the contest and carried a 10-9 lead into the first media timeout. West provided six points on the opening spurt, shooting 3-of-3 from the floor.

Nicole Morris hit a jumper in the wing and after back-to-back ASU misses it was Brunker knocking down a 10-foot jumper from the right baseline to extend UL's early margin to 14-9 by the 12:26 mark.

ASU answered with a layup from Hurst at 12:02 for the first of six unanswered that gave the hosts their first lead at 15-14 by the 10:58 mark

Motley returned the lead to the Cajuns for a brief moment with a basket at 10:39. Ashley Olvera hit a fadeaway jumper in the lane at 10:10 to return the lead to ASU.

The Red Wolves created separation in the nine minute mark using a Hurst basket after a Meghan Lewis block and a Hurst layup off a feed from Olvera at 9:02 to open a 21-16 lead.

The ASU advantage became eight points, 24-16, with 6:47 before the half on an Olvera triple at the top of the key.

The Cajuns cut the ASU lead to 31-26 at halftime with field goal makes from West and Motley on back-to-back possessions in the final 1:06 of the opening stanza.

Brunker scored two baskets and the Cajuns defense forced a turnover and missed shot in the first 1:20 of the second half to pull within one point, 31-30.

The Red Wolves rolled off a 7-0 run capped of by layups from Hurst at 17:35 and 17:02 to extend the lead to 38-30. UL broke the run with a West basket at 16:37, but ASU scored nine of the next 11 points and had the lead in double figures at 47-34 by the 12:27 mark.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Women's Hoops Comeback Turned Away by Arkansas State

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