University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, January 5
Lafayette
7 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
10-5, 1-1SBC
75
vs
61
Little Rock
5-10, 0-2SBC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock | 30 | 31 | 61 |
| Louisiana | 35 | 40 | 75 |
Gant's Big Night Carries Louisiana Past Little Rock, 75-61
1/5/2019 10:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior becomes first Ragin' Cajun to hit 40-point mark since Sydney Grider in 1990
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's JaKeenan Gant posted a double-double, scoring a career-high 45 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in leading the Ragin' Cajuns to a 75-61 victory over Little Rock in a Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday at the Cajundome.
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Gant, who became the first Ragin' Cajun to score 40 points in a game since Sydney Grider in 1990, equaled the 45-point effort set by legendary guard Dwight "Bo" Lamar in 1972 for the 11th-best scoring performance in school history for Louisiana (10-5, 1-1 SBC).
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The 6-foot-8 senior finished 15-for-21 from the floor, 11-for-11 from the free throw line and drained 4 of 5 attempts from behind the 3-point line as snapped a rare, two-game losing streak at home. Little Rock (5-10, 0-2 SBC), which handed Louisiana its lone home loss last season, was led by Rayjon Tucker's career-high 36 points.
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Louisiana, which was without head coach Bob Marlin who was dealing with a family health matter, never trailed after Jeremy Hayes' three-point play gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 9-8 lead with 14:31 remaining in the first half. Hayes bucket was part of a 14-0 run for Louisiana that began was a bucket by Marcus Stroman with 15:35 left in the first half and capped by two free throws by Gant at the 11:19 mark.
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The Trojans cut the lead to 27-26 on a 3-pointer by freshman Markquis Nowell with 4:37 left in the first half, but Gant scored the game's next eight points with a 3-pointer, three-point play and two free throws for a 35-26 lead.
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Nowell, who finished with 14 points, got Little Rock as close as 56-47 with a free throw with 9:33 remaining in the game. But five straight points by Gant – beginning with a 3-pointer – pushed Louisiana's lead back to double digits with his final 3-pointer of the night at the 1:08 mark giving the Ragin' Cajuns their biggest lead of the game, 75-59.
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Cedric Russell broke out of a 6-for-24 slump by adding a season-high 11 points as Louisiana finished 24-for-56 (43 percent) from the floor, 10-for-27 (37 percent) from behind the arc and 17-for-21 (81 percent) from the free throw line.
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After being outrebounded, 46-26, against Arkansas State in its SBC opener on Thursday, Louisiana held a 31-29 advantage on the glass who forcing a season-high tying 23 turnovers.
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Louisiana will play its next three games on the road beginning on Thursday (Jan. 10) at league rival Georgia State (11-4, 2-0 SBC) in Atlanta. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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FOLLOW THE CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsMBB), Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsMBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Men's Basketball.
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Gant, who became the first Ragin' Cajun to score 40 points in a game since Sydney Grider in 1990, equaled the 45-point effort set by legendary guard Dwight "Bo" Lamar in 1972 for the 11th-best scoring performance in school history for Louisiana (10-5, 1-1 SBC).
Â
The 6-foot-8 senior finished 15-for-21 from the floor, 11-for-11 from the free throw line and drained 4 of 5 attempts from behind the 3-point line as snapped a rare, two-game losing streak at home. Little Rock (5-10, 0-2 SBC), which handed Louisiana its lone home loss last season, was led by Rayjon Tucker's career-high 36 points.
Â
Louisiana, which was without head coach Bob Marlin who was dealing with a family health matter, never trailed after Jeremy Hayes' three-point play gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 9-8 lead with 14:31 remaining in the first half. Hayes bucket was part of a 14-0 run for Louisiana that began was a bucket by Marcus Stroman with 15:35 left in the first half and capped by two free throws by Gant at the 11:19 mark.
Â
The Trojans cut the lead to 27-26 on a 3-pointer by freshman Markquis Nowell with 4:37 left in the first half, but Gant scored the game's next eight points with a 3-pointer, three-point play and two free throws for a 35-26 lead.
Â
Nowell, who finished with 14 points, got Little Rock as close as 56-47 with a free throw with 9:33 remaining in the game. But five straight points by Gant – beginning with a 3-pointer – pushed Louisiana's lead back to double digits with his final 3-pointer of the night at the 1:08 mark giving the Ragin' Cajuns their biggest lead of the game, 75-59.
Â
Cedric Russell broke out of a 6-for-24 slump by adding a season-high 11 points as Louisiana finished 24-for-56 (43 percent) from the floor, 10-for-27 (37 percent) from behind the arc and 17-for-21 (81 percent) from the free throw line.
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After being outrebounded, 46-26, against Arkansas State in its SBC opener on Thursday, Louisiana held a 31-29 advantage on the glass who forcing a season-high tying 23 turnovers.
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Louisiana will play its next three games on the road beginning on Thursday (Jan. 10) at league rival Georgia State (11-4, 2-0 SBC) in Atlanta. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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FOLLOW THE CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsMBB), Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsMBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Men's Basketball.
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Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
LR
LA
FG%
.405
.429
3FG%
.471
.370
FT%
.679
.810
RB
29
31
TO
23
17
STL
1
5
Game Leaders
Pts
45
FGM
15
3FGM
4
FTM
11
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
4
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
2
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