University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, December 18
Lafayette
11:00 a.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
4-5,0-0Sun Belt
51
vs
68
Auburn
8-3,0-0SEC
1
2
3
4
F
Auburn
16
13
23
16
68
Louisiana
8
11
16
16
51
Mid-Game Momentum Shift Leads Auburn Past Louisiana in Education Game
12/18/2024 3:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Nine-minute period that spanned second and third quarters separated the two teams
LAFAYETTE – Auburn used a scoring run that bridged the two halves to fight off a pesky Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team and claim a 68-51 win on Wednesday, December 18 in front of a record 5,877 in the annual Education Game at the Cajundome.
Despite only eight players available, Louisiana (4-5) was able to hold Auburn's lead to single digits until the final horn of the opening stanza sounded. The Cajuns defense limited the Tigers (8-3) to 33 percent shooting and turned them over 12 times in the first 20 minutes.
A three-point play by Lanay Wheaton at 6:00 of the second quarter had the Cajuns knocking on the doorstep, lowering the deficit to 22-18.
Auburn gained pivotal separation through its defense which held UL to a single free throw over the final six minutes of the first half and opening three minutes of the second half combined.
Over the crucial nine-minute stretch of play, the Tigers advanced the lead to double digits for good at 29-19 with Jordan Hunter's buzzer beater ahead of halftime and scored on four of their first six possessions of the second half to cap off the game-changing 14-0 run that increased the advantage to 38-19 by 7:34 of the third.
Aasia Sam provided a spark for UL converting two separate three-point plays off of a Tigers turnover with the latter instance closing the gap to 43-30 at the 4:13 mark.
What followed was a consistent trend of Auburn answering to keep Louisiana at arm's length, a triple from Syriah Daniels advancing the lead to 46-30 at 2:11.
The Cajuns defense continued to work in the fourth quarter by producing six more turnovers from the Tigers and it provided an opportunity for a possible late-game comeback. Sam scored a layup off a swipe at 7:12 of the fourth and it was 56-42, then Erica Lafayette's second-chance bucket a minute later returned UL within striking distance at 57-44 with 6:07 remaining.
The Tigers answered back with a layup by Deyona Gaston at 5:49 and matched every Cajuns score thereafter before holding the hosts scoreless for a three-minute stretch to seal the victory.
Louisiana was dealt its first home loss of the season while Auburn remained unbeaten (6-0) in the all-time series.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Louisiana had four players reach double figures paced by Robinson and Lafayette with 12 apiece. Sam stepped up with her season-high of 10 points – all coming during the second half which fueled the fight back.
The defense forced an SEC foe into 20-plus turnovers a second straight game and despite being undersized Louisiana found its way inside to generate 34 points in the paint.
Auburn followed the lead of Gaston who had an impressive 29 point, 10 rebound double-double. The Tigers' forward finished 12-of-20 from the floor accounting for nearly half of her team's total makes (25).
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns take an eight-day break from play for the Christmas holiday, then return to the Cajundome on Friday, December 27 for an exhibition contest with Dillard at the Cajundome that tips at 4:00 p.m.
The Dillard contest provides UL with an additional opportunity to prepare for the start of Sun Belt Conference play which begins on Sunday, December 29 on the road in Statesboro, Georgia against Georgia Southern.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB), Facebook (/RaginCajunsWBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsWBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Women's Basketball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Despite only eight players available, Louisiana (4-5) was able to hold Auburn's lead to single digits until the final horn of the opening stanza sounded. The Cajuns defense limited the Tigers (8-3) to 33 percent shooting and turned them over 12 times in the first 20 minutes.
A three-point play by Lanay Wheaton at 6:00 of the second quarter had the Cajuns knocking on the doorstep, lowering the deficit to 22-18.
Auburn gained pivotal separation through its defense which held UL to a single free throw over the final six minutes of the first half and opening three minutes of the second half combined.
Over the crucial nine-minute stretch of play, the Tigers advanced the lead to double digits for good at 29-19 with Jordan Hunter's buzzer beater ahead of halftime and scored on four of their first six possessions of the second half to cap off the game-changing 14-0 run that increased the advantage to 38-19 by 7:34 of the third.
Aasia Sam provided a spark for UL converting two separate three-point plays off of a Tigers turnover with the latter instance closing the gap to 43-30 at the 4:13 mark.
What followed was a consistent trend of Auburn answering to keep Louisiana at arm's length, a triple from Syriah Daniels advancing the lead to 46-30 at 2:11.
The Cajuns defense continued to work in the fourth quarter by producing six more turnovers from the Tigers and it provided an opportunity for a possible late-game comeback. Sam scored a layup off a swipe at 7:12 of the fourth and it was 56-42, then Erica Lafayette's second-chance bucket a minute later returned UL within striking distance at 57-44 with 6:07 remaining.
The Tigers answered back with a layup by Deyona Gaston at 5:49 and matched every Cajuns score thereafter before holding the hosts scoreless for a three-minute stretch to seal the victory.
Louisiana was dealt its first home loss of the season while Auburn remained unbeaten (6-0) in the all-time series.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Louisiana had four players reach double figures paced by Robinson and Lafayette with 12 apiece. Sam stepped up with her season-high of 10 points – all coming during the second half which fueled the fight back.
The defense forced an SEC foe into 20-plus turnovers a second straight game and despite being undersized Louisiana found its way inside to generate 34 points in the paint.
Auburn followed the lead of Gaston who had an impressive 29 point, 10 rebound double-double. The Tigers' forward finished 12-of-20 from the floor accounting for nearly half of her team's total makes (25).
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns take an eight-day break from play for the Christmas holiday, then return to the Cajundome on Friday, December 27 for an exhibition contest with Dillard at the Cajundome that tips at 4:00 p.m.
The Dillard contest provides UL with an additional opportunity to prepare for the start of Sun Belt Conference play which begins on Sunday, December 29 on the road in Statesboro, Georgia against Georgia Southern.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB), Facebook (/RaginCajunsWBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsWBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Women's Basketball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Team Stats
AU
LA
FG%
.481
.357
3FG%
.375
.222
FT%
.882
.529
RB
41
26
TO
25
19
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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