University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Sunday, December 29
Statesboro, Ga.
12:00 p.m. (CST)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
5-5,1-0Sun Belt
68
at
57
Georgia Southern
7-6,0-1Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Louisiana
18
19
19
12
68
Ga. Southern
7
15
14
21
57
Cajuns Take Control Early to Land Win in SBC Opener
12/29/2024 3:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Louisiana outshined Georgia Southern on both ends of the floor for first road win
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Sun Belt Conference opener played right into the hands of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team during a 16-minute stretch of the first half when its defense held Georgia Southern without a field goal make, solidifying the 68-57 victory on Sunday, December 29 at Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center in Statesboro, Georgia.
The offense factored into the conference-opening triumph as well, the Ragin' Cajuns (5-5, 1-0 SBC) shooting a season-best 56 percent (28-of-50) which kept the Eagles (7-6, 0-1 SBC) at arm's length once the lead was captured.
Georgia Southern held a 5-2 lead before Louisiana's defense placed the clamps down and wouldn't hold up the rest of the opening half. Starting with clock dipping below 8:00 of the first and 2:00 of the second quarter the Ragin' Cajuns forced the Eagles into 16 consecutive misses.
Trailing 7-2 after two Eagles free throws at the 7:50 mark, the Ragin' Cajuns closed the first quarter with a 16-0 run. UL took the lead for good when an inside basket from Uniyah Franklin at 4:48 made it 9-7.
With the defense still holding in the second quarter, Louisiana expanded the lead to 20 points following an Erica Lafayette three-point play at 5:40 and Jasmine Matthews jumper at 4:30 made it 31-11.
The Eagles used the charity stripe to stay in the game, scoring 10 of their 15 points in the second quarter on free throws and narrowing the deficit to 37-22 at the break.
Aasia Sam, whose 11 points marked a second straight game in double digits, and Ashlyn Jones answered early makes from the Eagles early in the third for a 41-26 edge two minutes into the second half. Erica Lafayette then followed with three-pointers on back-to-back possessions upping the lead to 47-28 by 6:59 – scores which proved to add valuable cushion.
UL answered a mini-run by the Eagles by scoring the final six points of the third quarter, a pair of baskets from Jasmine Matthews factoring into the lead being extended out to 56-36.
Sam and Jones delivered key responses once again late in the fourth after a 21-4 Georgia Southern run lowered the lead to 64-57. Sam's paint jumper at 1:41 answered a three-point play from the Eagles and upped the lead to 66-57, then after a pair of defensive stops it was Jones powering past defenders for a layup at 0:49.
Louisiana picked up its first road win of the season and extended its win streak over Georgia Southern to a series-best six games while improving to 14-3 all-time against the Eagles.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Louisiana placed four scorers in double figures for the second straight game, led by 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting (3-of-5 three-pointers) from Lafayette. She sparked the squad with 11 first-half points and the two key triples in the third quarter.
Matthews followed up Friday's 18-point exhibition performance with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in only 16 minutes of action. She was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor in scoring a team-leading nine in the second half.
Sam and Jones combined for 10 field goal makes (10-of-15) inside the arc helping boost the Cajuns' 34-20 edge on points in the paint.
UL netted its second-highest point total of the season despite the available leading scorer Tamiah Robinson (11.1) being held scoreless. Robinson did hand out a team-best three assists and hauled in a game-high nine rebounds.
The Cajuns defense held Georgia Southern to only four field goals on 18 percent shooting (4-of-22) in the decisive first half and limited the Eagles to only four second-chance points despite 13 offensive rebounds.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns return to the Cajundome for a weekend set against James Madison and Georgia State, marking the first home conference games of the season.
The SBC home opener with JMU is set for Thursday, January 2 at 6:00 p.m. It's the Dukes' first-ever visit to the Cajundome since joining the league in 2022-23.
The GSU contest follows on Saturday, January 4 at 1:00 p.m.
Admission to all UL Women's Basketball games throughout the entire season is free and open to the public.
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.
The offense factored into the conference-opening triumph as well, the Ragin' Cajuns (5-5, 1-0 SBC) shooting a season-best 56 percent (28-of-50) which kept the Eagles (7-6, 0-1 SBC) at arm's length once the lead was captured.
Georgia Southern held a 5-2 lead before Louisiana's defense placed the clamps down and wouldn't hold up the rest of the opening half. Starting with clock dipping below 8:00 of the first and 2:00 of the second quarter the Ragin' Cajuns forced the Eagles into 16 consecutive misses.
Trailing 7-2 after two Eagles free throws at the 7:50 mark, the Ragin' Cajuns closed the first quarter with a 16-0 run. UL took the lead for good when an inside basket from Uniyah Franklin at 4:48 made it 9-7.
With the defense still holding in the second quarter, Louisiana expanded the lead to 20 points following an Erica Lafayette three-point play at 5:40 and Jasmine Matthews jumper at 4:30 made it 31-11.
The Eagles used the charity stripe to stay in the game, scoring 10 of their 15 points in the second quarter on free throws and narrowing the deficit to 37-22 at the break.
Aasia Sam, whose 11 points marked a second straight game in double digits, and Ashlyn Jones answered early makes from the Eagles early in the third for a 41-26 edge two minutes into the second half. Erica Lafayette then followed with three-pointers on back-to-back possessions upping the lead to 47-28 by 6:59 – scores which proved to add valuable cushion.
UL answered a mini-run by the Eagles by scoring the final six points of the third quarter, a pair of baskets from Jasmine Matthews factoring into the lead being extended out to 56-36.
Sam and Jones delivered key responses once again late in the fourth after a 21-4 Georgia Southern run lowered the lead to 64-57. Sam's paint jumper at 1:41 answered a three-point play from the Eagles and upped the lead to 66-57, then after a pair of defensive stops it was Jones powering past defenders for a layup at 0:49.
Louisiana picked up its first road win of the season and extended its win streak over Georgia Southern to a series-best six games while improving to 14-3 all-time against the Eagles.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Louisiana placed four scorers in double figures for the second straight game, led by 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting (3-of-5 three-pointers) from Lafayette. She sparked the squad with 11 first-half points and the two key triples in the third quarter.
Matthews followed up Friday's 18-point exhibition performance with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in only 16 minutes of action. She was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor in scoring a team-leading nine in the second half.
Sam and Jones combined for 10 field goal makes (10-of-15) inside the arc helping boost the Cajuns' 34-20 edge on points in the paint.
UL netted its second-highest point total of the season despite the available leading scorer Tamiah Robinson (11.1) being held scoreless. Robinson did hand out a team-best three assists and hauled in a game-high nine rebounds.
The Cajuns defense held Georgia Southern to only four field goals on 18 percent shooting (4-of-22) in the decisive first half and limited the Eagles to only four second-chance points despite 13 offensive rebounds.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns return to the Cajundome for a weekend set against James Madison and Georgia State, marking the first home conference games of the season.
The SBC home opener with JMU is set for Thursday, January 2 at 6:00 p.m. It's the Dukes' first-ever visit to the Cajundome since joining the league in 2022-23.
The GSU contest follows on Saturday, January 4 at 1:00 p.m.
Admission to all UL Women's Basketball games throughout the entire season is free and open to the public.
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
LA
GS
FG%
.560
.327
3FG%
.300
.267
FT%
.563
.810
RB
32
31
TO
20
18
STL
6
12
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
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