Comeback Falls Short For Cajuns In Loss To Troy

Box Score (PDF)

LAFAYETTE, La. – A furious 25-6 run over a span of eight minutes was not enough for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team as a three-pointer by Troy's Rachel Reid with 25 seconds to play lifted the Trojans to a 60-55 victory Saturday night at the Cajundome.

Trailing 46-27 with just under 12 minutes to play, a jumper by Cienna Rodriguez began a thrilling 25-6 spurt for the Cajuns late in the second half. Robbie Brown, who recorded a season-high 16 points with 14 points coming in the final 9:28, helped Louisiana (8-3, 0-2 SBC) with the comeback by knocking down two triples late in the contest and hitting two free throws to knot the game at 52-all with 3:06 remaining.

"It's funny how this team is," said head coach Garry Brodhead. "They're resilient. They fight. I think that comes with the effort we put in every day."

After both teams missed several opportunities to grab a lead, Reid recorded her first field goal of the game with a three-pointer with 43 seconds to play to give the Trojans a 55-52 advantage. Brown continued her hot shooting with an answer 12 seconds later to even the game at 55-all, but Reid wasn't finished yet as she connected from long range again to push Troy (6-5, 1-1 SBC) ahead at 58-55. An offensive foul on the Cajuns gave the ball back to the Trojans before Ashley Beverly-Kelley hit two free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory for Troy.

"Today was a big game and we needed it, but we didn't get it done," Brodhead said. "We keep working, encouraging and coaching, and try to move forward. I like the maturity we have."

Louisiana started 1-of-10 from the floor to begin the game as Troy jumped out to a 10-4 advantage in the first six minutes. The Cajuns were able to pull closer as Jaylyn Gordon knocked down a three-pointer and Adrienne Prejean added three points to make it a 14-12 Trojans advantage with nine minutes to play.

Troy used an 8-0 run in a span of 1:41 to stretch its lead to 24-14 before taking a 33-22 lead into the break.

After a free throw by Jasmin Mills made it 38-27 Troy with 15:41 to play in the game, the Trojans began to pull away from Louisiana with an 8-0 run for its largest lead of the game at 46-27.

Louisiana finished with 29.0 shooting percentage (18-of-62) while Troy shot 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the field. The Trojans held a 32-20 advantage in the paint while recording a 15-8 lead in second chance points, outrebounding the Cajuns with a narrow edge, 43-41. Louisiana totaled 19 points off 21 Troy turnovers, the sixth time this season a Cajuns opponent has committed more than 20.

Joining Brown to lead the Cajuns in scoring was Gordon and Kia Wilridge, each recording eight points. Wilridge finished with a team-high six boards while Gordon recorded a team-best three assists and three steals.

Louisiana heads to Appalachian State on Monday when the Cajuns take on the Mountaineers at 4 p.m. (CT) at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, North Carolina.

-- RaginCajuns.com --

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Team Stats

Robbie Brown

Kia Wilridge

Jaylyn Gordon

Simone Fields

Players Mentioned

Robbie Brown

Jaylyn Gordon

Jasmin Mills

Adrienne Prejean

Cienna Rodriguez

Kia Wilridge