University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, March 14
Baton Rouge, La.
6 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
27-7
76
at
84
LSU
18-14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 15 | 13 | 25 | 23 | 76 |
| LSU | 18 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 84 |
Louisiana Falls To LSU In First Round Of NIT, 84-76
3/14/2018 11:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ragin' Cajuns end historic season with 27-7 record
BATON ROUGE – Frank Bartley scored a team-high 21 points, including tying a season-high with five 3-pointers, but LSU used a 22-13 second quarter to take a 12-point lead at halftime and earn an 84-76 victory over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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Duop Reath posted a double-double for third-seeded LSU (18-14), scoring a game-high 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds with Brandon Sampson adding 18 points and Skylar Mays 11. The Tigers advanced to face No. 2-seeded Utah in the second round. Louisiana, the No. 6 seed and making its sixth appearance in the NIT, ended its historic season with a 27-7 record.
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In the first meeting between the schools in the postseason and just the sixth meeting between the schools since the end of World War II, Louisiana jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead as Bartley sank a pair of 3-pointers with Johnathan Stove scoring on a pair of layups. LSU responded with a 12-0 in the quarter that was capped by a dunk by Mays with 1:35 remaining for a 14-10 lead before the Ragin' Cajuns got as close as 16-15 on a 3-pointer by freshman Cedric Russell.
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Mays started a 9-2 run for LSU in the second quarter with a bucket before a jumper by Aaron Epps and two free throws by Sampson gave the Tigers a 30-21 lead with 4:29 left in the second quarter. Sampson gave LSU a 33-23 lead with a bucket with 3:21 left in the period before a 3-pointer by Reath gave the Tigers a 40-28 lead heading into intermission.
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Louisiana, which outscored LSU, 48-44, in the second half, chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 46-43 on a bucket by Stove with 6:15 remaining in the third quarter. The Ragin' Cajuns scored six straight points after LSU took a 54-45 lead on a bucket by Wayde Sims at the 4:30 mark.
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JaKeenan Gant, who was limited during the Sun Belt Conference Championships due to a respiratory infection, opened the run with a bucket before a free throw by Marcus Stroman and a three-point play by Stove got Louisiana to within 54-51 with 2:48 left in the period.
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LSU pushed its lead to 72-61 on a runner by Tremont Waters with 4:37 remaining, but Louisiana would go on an 11-1 run. Stove, a Baton Rouge native playing his final game in his hometown, opened the run with a pair of free throws for the Ragin' Cajuns before Stroman sank a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 72-65 with 3:59 left.
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Stove converted on a three-point play for the Ragin' Cajuns, cutting LSU's lead to 72-68 at the 3:35 mark. Waters sank one of two free throws to give LSU a 73-68 lead before Bartley sank a jumper and Stroman made one of two free throws to get Louisiana to within 73-72 with 1:39 left.
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But LSU would pull away over the final 1:16, making five free throws to push the lead to 78-72 and not let Louisiana get closer than five points the rest of the way.
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Bartley, who joined Stove as Baton Rouge natives playing their final collegiate game in their hometown, finished 8-for-17 from the floor with three steals. Stove added 17 points and six rebounds for the Ragin' Cajuns with Stroman flirting with a triple-double after scoring 12 points with a career-high 13 rebounds and team-high seven assists.
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Russell came off the bench to score 10 points for Louisiana with Gant adding nine and Bryce Washington seven points and seven rebounds.
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Duop Reath posted a double-double for third-seeded LSU (18-14), scoring a game-high 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds with Brandon Sampson adding 18 points and Skylar Mays 11. The Tigers advanced to face No. 2-seeded Utah in the second round. Louisiana, the No. 6 seed and making its sixth appearance in the NIT, ended its historic season with a 27-7 record.
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In the first meeting between the schools in the postseason and just the sixth meeting between the schools since the end of World War II, Louisiana jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead as Bartley sank a pair of 3-pointers with Johnathan Stove scoring on a pair of layups. LSU responded with a 12-0 in the quarter that was capped by a dunk by Mays with 1:35 remaining for a 14-10 lead before the Ragin' Cajuns got as close as 16-15 on a 3-pointer by freshman Cedric Russell.
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Mays started a 9-2 run for LSU in the second quarter with a bucket before a jumper by Aaron Epps and two free throws by Sampson gave the Tigers a 30-21 lead with 4:29 left in the second quarter. Sampson gave LSU a 33-23 lead with a bucket with 3:21 left in the period before a 3-pointer by Reath gave the Tigers a 40-28 lead heading into intermission.
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Louisiana, which outscored LSU, 48-44, in the second half, chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 46-43 on a bucket by Stove with 6:15 remaining in the third quarter. The Ragin' Cajuns scored six straight points after LSU took a 54-45 lead on a bucket by Wayde Sims at the 4:30 mark.
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JaKeenan Gant, who was limited during the Sun Belt Conference Championships due to a respiratory infection, opened the run with a bucket before a free throw by Marcus Stroman and a three-point play by Stove got Louisiana to within 54-51 with 2:48 left in the period.
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LSU pushed its lead to 72-61 on a runner by Tremont Waters with 4:37 remaining, but Louisiana would go on an 11-1 run. Stove, a Baton Rouge native playing his final game in his hometown, opened the run with a pair of free throws for the Ragin' Cajuns before Stroman sank a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 72-65 with 3:59 left.
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Stove converted on a three-point play for the Ragin' Cajuns, cutting LSU's lead to 72-68 at the 3:35 mark. Waters sank one of two free throws to give LSU a 73-68 lead before Bartley sank a jumper and Stroman made one of two free throws to get Louisiana to within 73-72 with 1:39 left.
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But LSU would pull away over the final 1:16, making five free throws to push the lead to 78-72 and not let Louisiana get closer than five points the rest of the way.
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Bartley, who joined Stove as Baton Rouge natives playing their final collegiate game in their hometown, finished 8-for-17 from the floor with three steals. Stove added 17 points and six rebounds for the Ragin' Cajuns with Stroman flirting with a triple-double after scoring 12 points with a career-high 13 rebounds and team-high seven assists.
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Russell came off the bench to score 10 points for Louisiana with Gant adding nine and Bryce Washington seven points and seven rebounds.
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Team Stats
LA
LSU
FG%
.365
.527
3FG%
.250
.222
FT%
.789
.733
RB
40
35
TO
16
16
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballSunday, February 22
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