Men's Hoops Handed Senior Night Defeat by La.-Monroe

Box Score

La.-Monroe shot a blistering 72 percent in the second half to overcome a halftime deficit and spoil Senior Night activities for the Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team by claiming a 78-60 victory in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday evening at the Cajundome.

The Warhawks (3-26, 2-14 Sun Belt) made four critical three-point baskets in the game's final 11:59 that sealed the upset victory over the Ragin' Cajuns (16-14, 10-6 Sun Belt).

UL was already eliminated from Sun Belt West Division championship hopes following UALR's win over Arkansas State. Despite the loss the Cajuns can still grab the No. 3 seed for the Sun Belt Tournament with a North Texas win over Denver on Sunday.

On back-to-back possessions, a Cajuns turnover and blocked shot led to a pair of Hugh Mingo triples that put La.-Monroe in front for good at 50-44 with 10:50 remaining.

The Cajuns dropped the deficit to 57-51 following a Josh Brown layup at the 6:40 mark. Steven McClellan made two free throws 16 seconds later, then after two missed opportunities by UL a triple by Charles Winborne came at 5:08 and upped the lead to 62-51.

It was Winborne with another critical three-pointer, this time coming with 3:40 remaining to push the Warhawks lead to 66-53.

The Cajuns moved within 11 points, 67-56, after an Elfrid Payton three-point play only to have Fred Brown drive in for a scoop layup at 3:00 to return the lead to 13 points.

Raymone Andrews brought the Cajuns deficit to 70-58 with a layup at 1:52, but the Warhawks scored the next six points to pull away.

Darshawn McClellan posted a team-best 11 points for the Cajuns. His brother Steven McClellan contributed 14 for the Warhawks after being shutout in Monroe on Jan. 28 in the first matchup of the siblings from Edison High School in Fresno, Calif.

La.-Monroe was led by a game-high 20 points from Winborne. The Warhawks shot 53.7 percent for the contest (29-of-54). The Cajuns didn't shoot particularly well, finishing below 30 percent in each half.

In the decisive second half, La.-Monroe hit 6-of-8 three-point attempts compared to a 2-of-13 showing for Louisiana.

The Ragin' Cajuns now head to Hot Springs, Ark., next weekend for the 2012 Sun Belt Basketball Championships scheduled for March 3-6 at the Summit Arena and Hot Springs Convention Center. UL will be seeded either third or fourth depending on the outcome of Sunday's Denver-North Texas contest.

The loss halted the Cajuns 26-game home winning streak over the Warhawks and was La.-Monroe's first win in the city of Lafayette since 1957.

Louisiana pulled into a 6-all tie with a thunderous Scottie Farrington dunk at 16:36, then took control for the rest of the opening half with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes.

David Perez started the ball rolling with a trey at the 15:36 mark. He was fouled at 15:03 and after the media timeout converted all three freebies to extend the lead to 12-6.

A Darshawn McClellan three-pointer following a Warhawks miss at 14:18 and a Payton dunk following a steal at 13:34 gave the Cajuns a 17-6 advantage.

La.-Monroe cut into a 21-8 deficit with a 9-1 run capped off by a Fred Brown triple at 6:44 which closed the deficit to 22-17.

Bryant Mbamalu scored a layup at 3:24 that pushed the Cajuns lead to 27-21, then a defensive struggle ensued until Kadeem Coleby broke a scoreless drought with a freebie at 0:24 to make it 28-21.

Fred Brown knocked down a jumper as the buzzer sounded to provide the halftime margin of 28-23.

The Warhawks stormed out of the locker room with a 7-0 run to claim a 30-28 lead with 18:02 remaining.

A Josh Brown layup at 17:43 stopped the La.-Monroe run and after Winborne gave the Warhawks a 32-30 lead on the ensuing possession, Darshawn McClellan knocked down a trey at 16:59 to give UL a 33-32 edge.

Another McClellan three-pointer returned the lead to Louisiana at 36-34 with 16:25 left to play. The lead was extended to 38-34 when the Cajuns followed a Winborne miss with a Josh Brown dunk at 15:50.

UL remained either ahead or tied until a Steven McClellan reverse layup evened the score at 44-all and jumpstarted a 10-0 run by the Warhawks that swung the momentum to their side.

Men's Hoops Handed Senior Night Defeat by La.-Monroe

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