Cajuns Overcome Sluggish First Half To Defeat Loyola, 94-60

LAFAYETTE – Bryce Washington and Frank Bartley each scored a game-high 19 points and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns used a 16-2 run midway through the first half to earn its seventh consecutive victory of the season with a 94-60 win over Loyola of New Orleans on Wednesday at the Cajundome.

Freshman P.J. Hardy scored a season-high 16 points off the bench while Jay Wright added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals as Louisiana (7-2) led 42-28 at halftime before outscoring Loyola (8-2), 52-32, in the second half.

Playing in the middle of exam week, Louisiana broke a 10-10 tie midway through the first half to take a 26-12 lead as Bartley scored seven points during the span. The Ragin' Cajuns shot 52 percent in the first half (14-for-27), but went 2-for-7 from behind the 3-point line while committing nine turnovers.

"The middle of exam week and we had a really good practice this afternoon, but then we came out tonight and we didn't move very well, we got out of rhythm and never got in sync in the first half. I was really disappointed … we didn't handle the ball well and had guys dribble into trouble a few times," head coach Bob Marlin said. "We addressed it at halftime and I felt we played much better in the second half. Overall, we did a good job in defending the 3-point shot, but we gave them too many easy buckets."

Louisiana never trailed in the contest against the Wolf Pack, but the Ragin' Cajuns had trouble putting them away early in the first half. Loyola trailed 10-4 after a bucket by Washington with 17:05 remaining in the first half before scoring six straight points to forge a 10-10 tie.

Washington would open a string of 11 straight points for Louisiana with a pair of baskets, Hardy nailed a jumper from the baseline, before Bartley converted on a three-point play and added two free throws for a 21-10 lead.

The Ragin' Cajuns would push their lead to 40-24 on a jumper by Washington with 2:40 remaining in the first half and Bartley would sink a pair of free throws with :02 seconds left that gave Louisiana a 42-28 lead at the break.

Hardy, who finished 6-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-5 from behind the 3-point line, hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 59-36 lead with 16:03 remaining in the game and the Ragin' Cajuns maintained at least a 21-point lead after Wright scored on a jumper for a 65-44 lead with 11:21 remaining.

Washington pulled down nine rebounds to lead Louisiana, which held a 41-26 advantage on the glass against Loyola, with Bartley pulling down six boards.

Johnny Griffin and Jalen Gray scored 16 points each to lead Loyola, which was playing the game as an exhibition and entered the contest ranked No. 22 in the latest NAIA Poll. The Wolf Pack finished 26-for-63 (41.3 percent) from the floor and 2-for-12 from behind the 3-point line.

Louisiana will return to action on Saturday when it hosts in-state rival Louisiana Tech in a 7:15 p.m. contest at the Cajundome. Tickets are available by contacting the Cajundome Box Office at (337) 25- 2357 or on-line at RaginCajuns.com.

Cajuns Overcome Sluggish First Half To Defeat Loyola, 94-60

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Team Stats

Bartley IV Frank

Bryce Washington

P.J. Hardy

Jay Wright

Players Mentioned

Frank Bartley

P.J. Hardy

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

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