First Five, Second Half Lead Cajuns Past Troy

LAFAYETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns shot 67.7 percent in the second half and exploded for 52 points in running past Troy, 91-64, on Saturday night at the Cajundome.

The Cajun (8-5, 2-0 SBC) starting five carried the bulk of the load, combining for 81 of the team's 91 points; however, it was a late run in the first half that carried over into the second half where UL hit 14 of their first 16 shots to blow the game open.

"We got off to a little bit of a slow start, but credit Troy. They played well and were active," Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin said. "We were able to push the lead out at the end of the first half, made some adjustments at the half and then were able to come out and score the ball. We had a lot of positive possessions early in the second half and were able to bust open the game."

Jay Wright pumped in 13 of his career-high 20 points in the second half, hitting three straight threes as part of a 20-5 run midway through the half for the Cajuns. He was one of four players to reach double figures for the Cajuns, followed by 19 points and three triples from guard Kasey Shepherd.

"Jay Wright and Kasey (Shepherd) were big, and our speed really made a difference in the second half," Marlin said. "Jay was super tonight. He was able to score the ball tonight, and we don't ask him to do that every game since he is our best on-ball defender."

Shawn Long finished with 18 points and six rebounds, and Brian Williams turned in 15 points and three blocks. Devonta Walker was the only Cajun starter not to reach double figures, but still hit four of his six shots for nine points, along with five rebounds, four assists and no turnovers.

It was the 11^th straight home win for Louisiana dating back to last season and the sixth win in six tries at the Cajundome this year. The Trojans (5-6, 0-2 SBC) were led by freshman guard Wesley Person, who scored a game-high 28 points, including all three three-point baskets for Troy.

The Cajuns closed the first half on an 11-3 run, capped by a long three by Long, just UL's second of the first period, to take its largest lead of the game into the break at 39-31. Troy scored the first four points of the game, but the Cajuns scored nine of the game's next 11 and did not surrender the lead back to the Trojans for the remainder of the half.

Long led the Cajuns with 11 points in the half in which they hit 9-for-11 from the foul line to offset canning just two of their 10 tries from beyond the arc. Person kept the Trojans close with 17 points, including all three Trojan threes.

In the second half Louisiana surged out on a 14-3 run to push the lead to double figures and never looked back. Shepherd, Walker and Williams provided the early scoring in the half before Wright and Long took over. Wright scored all 13 of his second-half points in just over a five-minute stretch of the period, while Long added a five points that included a three and a layup that upped the lead to 75-49 with less than 10 minutes to go.

Louisiana will look to go to 3-0 in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time since the 2007-08 season on Monday when they travel to Appalachian State for their trip to Boone, N.C. since 1990.

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Team Stats

Jay Wright

Kasey Shepherd

Shawn Long

Brian Williams

Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Kasey Shepherd

Devonta Walker

Brian Williams

Jay Wright