University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, March 8
New Orleans, La.
5 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
21-11
78
vs
71
Little Rock
15-17
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock | 31 | 40 | 71 |
| Louisiana | 30 | 48 | 78 |
Louisiana Heads To SBC Quarters After Win Over Trojans
3/8/2017 8:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cajuns make 21 of 22 free throws down the stretch; will face Georgia State on Friday at 5 p.m.
NEW ORLEANS – Jay Wright scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns made 21 of 22 free throws in the final 5:44 to defeat Little Rock, 78-71, in the first round of the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Wednesday at Lakefront Arena.
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Justin Miller added 20 points, making his first seven shots of the game, while Bryce Washington added 12 points and Johnathan Stove 11 as No. 7-seeded Louisiana (21-11) won its seventh straight game and advanced to face No. 2-seeded Georgia State in the quarterfinals on Friday at 5 p.m. Little Rock, the defending SBC regular-season and tournament champion, ended its season at 15-17 overall.
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Louisiana trailed 31-30 at halftime before Miller hit a pair of free throws with 19:43 remaining that gave the Ragin' Cajuns the lead for good. Miller, who finished 7-for-9 in the game, sank a 3-pointer that gave Louisiana a 54-45 lead with 10:22 remaining before the Cajuns went nearly seven minutes without a bucket until Frank Bartley hit a jumper with 2:29 remaining for a 63-57 lead.
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The Ragin' Cajuns missed six straight field goal attempts during the nearly seven-minute span, but never let Little Rock get closer than four the rest of the night. Wright, who recorded his 12-for-13 performance from the free throw line this season, sank a pair of free throws with 5:44 remaining that gave Louisiana a 57-51 lead.
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That began a stretch of 15 straight made free throws for Louisiana, which went 27-for-31 (87.1 percent) from the free throw line in the second half and 32-for-38 (84.2 percent) for the game.
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The Ragin' Cajuns built an 11-6 lead in the first half as Washington scored on a layup with 12:15 remaining. Little Rock would respond by taking a 14-13 lead on a dunk by Jalen Jackson with 8:47 left before taking its biggest lead of the game – 31-28 – on a jumper by Deondre Burns with 1:36 remaining.
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Marcus Johnson, Jr., led Little Rock with 14 points with Kemy Osse adding 13. The Trojans finished 28-for-59 (47.5 percent) from the floor while going 3-for-12 (.250) from behind the 3-point line.
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Justin Miller added 20 points, making his first seven shots of the game, while Bryce Washington added 12 points and Johnathan Stove 11 as No. 7-seeded Louisiana (21-11) won its seventh straight game and advanced to face No. 2-seeded Georgia State in the quarterfinals on Friday at 5 p.m. Little Rock, the defending SBC regular-season and tournament champion, ended its season at 15-17 overall.
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Louisiana trailed 31-30 at halftime before Miller hit a pair of free throws with 19:43 remaining that gave the Ragin' Cajuns the lead for good. Miller, who finished 7-for-9 in the game, sank a 3-pointer that gave Louisiana a 54-45 lead with 10:22 remaining before the Cajuns went nearly seven minutes without a bucket until Frank Bartley hit a jumper with 2:29 remaining for a 63-57 lead.
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The Ragin' Cajuns missed six straight field goal attempts during the nearly seven-minute span, but never let Little Rock get closer than four the rest of the night. Wright, who recorded his 12-for-13 performance from the free throw line this season, sank a pair of free throws with 5:44 remaining that gave Louisiana a 57-51 lead.
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That began a stretch of 15 straight made free throws for Louisiana, which went 27-for-31 (87.1 percent) from the free throw line in the second half and 32-for-38 (84.2 percent) for the game.
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The Ragin' Cajuns built an 11-6 lead in the first half as Washington scored on a layup with 12:15 remaining. Little Rock would respond by taking a 14-13 lead on a dunk by Jalen Jackson with 8:47 left before taking its biggest lead of the game – 31-28 – on a jumper by Deondre Burns with 1:36 remaining.
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Marcus Johnson, Jr., led Little Rock with 14 points with Kemy Osse adding 13. The Trojans finished 28-for-59 (47.5 percent) from the floor while going 3-for-12 (.250) from behind the 3-point line.
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Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
LR
LA
FG%
.475
.477
3FG%
.250
.250
FT%
.750
.842
RB
33
31
TO
15
15
STL
9
7
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
12
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
7
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