University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Monday, November 20
Estero, Fla.
4 p.m. (CST)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
2-2,0-0Sun Belt
85
vs
91
Wright State
1-3,0-0Horizon
1
2
F
Wright St.
45
46
91
Louisiana
34
51
85
Furious Second Half Comeback Falls Just Short Against Wright State
11/20/2023 7:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Joe Charles and Kobe Julien combined to score 46 points in the effort
ESTERO, Florida – Trailing by as many as 11 in the second half, the Louisiana men's basketball team staged a dramatic comeback against Wright State in the opening round of the Gulf Coast Showcase at the Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida. The run was a little too late as the Cajuns fell 91-85.
Joe Charles continued his hot start with a career-high 23 points along with nine rebounds. Kobe Julien stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and three blocks, becoming the first player in the Marlin era to reach those numbers in a single game.
The Cajuns came out of the gates hot and took a five-point lead thanks to a three by Kentrell Garnett. After trading points the Raiders jumped ahead on a 10-0 run and eventually pushed their lead to 10. Julien kept the Cajuns in the game with a bucket in the paint followed by a three to make it 34-29. A strong close to the half by the Raiders put them up 45-34 heading into the locker room.
Five points by Charles and a layup by Hosana Kitenge brought the Cajuns back to life and cut the deficit to six. Trailing by seven, Garnett hit back-to-back threes and cut the deficit to one, the closest it had been since the 13:50 mark in the opening half.
The teams continued to trade baskets before Michael Thomas knocked down a corner three and Julien hit a layup to tie the score at 64. With 9:51 to play, Garnett's layup put the Cajuns ahead 68-67. A free throw by Blake Butler tied the score at 71 but the Raiders answered with an 8-0 run.
The Cajuns refused to go away, trailing by 10 with three minutes to play. Charles brought the offense back to life with a three-point play before scoring off a steal to cut the deficit to five. Julien hit a pair of free throws to make it 83-80 with a little over a minute to go but that was as close as they'd get down the stretch.
Garnett finished the night with 14 points, with 11 coming in the second half. As a team, the Cajuns shot 61.3 percent from the field in the second half. Once again the Cajuns shut down an opponent from the three-point line, containing the Raiders to just a 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) clip. Opposing teams are shooting just 7-for-54 (13 percent) from long range this season.
The Cajuns will play tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in the second round of the event against either Buffalo or Hofstra. Fans can listen live on KPEL 96.5 FM or watch via FloHoops.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Season tickets are available by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome, or by purchasing by visiting Account Manager. For more information call the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome at (337) 265-2104.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).
Joe Charles continued his hot start with a career-high 23 points along with nine rebounds. Kobe Julien stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and three blocks, becoming the first player in the Marlin era to reach those numbers in a single game.
The Cajuns came out of the gates hot and took a five-point lead thanks to a three by Kentrell Garnett. After trading points the Raiders jumped ahead on a 10-0 run and eventually pushed their lead to 10. Julien kept the Cajuns in the game with a bucket in the paint followed by a three to make it 34-29. A strong close to the half by the Raiders put them up 45-34 heading into the locker room.
Five points by Charles and a layup by Hosana Kitenge brought the Cajuns back to life and cut the deficit to six. Trailing by seven, Garnett hit back-to-back threes and cut the deficit to one, the closest it had been since the 13:50 mark in the opening half.
The teams continued to trade baskets before Michael Thomas knocked down a corner three and Julien hit a layup to tie the score at 64. With 9:51 to play, Garnett's layup put the Cajuns ahead 68-67. A free throw by Blake Butler tied the score at 71 but the Raiders answered with an 8-0 run.
The Cajuns refused to go away, trailing by 10 with three minutes to play. Charles brought the offense back to life with a three-point play before scoring off a steal to cut the deficit to five. Julien hit a pair of free throws to make it 83-80 with a little over a minute to go but that was as close as they'd get down the stretch.
Garnett finished the night with 14 points, with 11 coming in the second half. As a team, the Cajuns shot 61.3 percent from the field in the second half. Once again the Cajuns shut down an opponent from the three-point line, containing the Raiders to just a 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) clip. Opposing teams are shooting just 7-for-54 (13 percent) from long range this season.
The Cajuns will play tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in the second round of the event against either Buffalo or Hofstra. Fans can listen live on KPEL 96.5 FM or watch via FloHoops.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Season tickets are available by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome, or by purchasing by visiting Account Manager. For more information call the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome at (337) 265-2104.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).
Team Stats
WSU
LA
FG%
.556
.517
3FG%
.167
.385
FT%
.679
.867
RB
41
24
TO
14
11
STL
8
10
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
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