Louisiana Scores Solid Win Over Rice

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Rice	10	17	13	14	54
Louisiana	13	14	15	22	64

Rice

Louisiana

LAFAYETTE – A shorthanded Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team received a scoring boost from Erica Lafayette and double-double effort from Jaylyn James in capturing a 64-54 win over Rice on Saturday, December 7 at the Cajundome.

Lafayette scored 20 points, providing 12 points in the decisive second half, and James steered the rebounding efforts with a game-high 12 boards to go along with 15 points. They each landed a critical triple in the fourth quarter to deliver a direct response to a move made by Rice.

Defense set up the end result, the Ragin' Cajuns (4-3) denying the Owls (6-4) inside looks throughout the contest and forcing the visitors to attempt over half their total shots (64) from three-point range (36).

Louisiana played with only eight players available and arose the victor against the defending American Athletic Conference tournament champions in a contest that featured 12 lead changes and eight ties. The Cajuns trailed for only 10:22 out of the 40 minutes and the largest deficit faced was three points.

The Ragin' Cajuns remained undefeated at the Cajundome on the young season and halted a two-game losing streak ahead of the upcoming final exams break.

UL scored on the game's first possession, advanced the lead to 4-0 at 7:43 after Ashlyn Jones followed her shot and laid claim to the first quarter lead at 4:13 when Lafayette hit a stepback jumper to snap an 8-all tie. The Cajuns defense set the tone for the day by holding Rice to 2-of-12 from the floor in the first 10 minutes.

An 8-2 run gave Rice an 18-17 lead in the second quarter, then Nubia Benedith hit a pair of layups to keep the Cajuns ahead at 20-19 with 6:00 before the break. The Owls took their largest lead at 24-21 at the 4:53 mark then Louisiana's defense held them scoreless for the next three minutes.

The tug-of-war hit its peak in the third quarter, the teams swapping baskets and remaining tied (33-33) three minutes in. The largest differential was three points coming after Kamryn Jones collected a steal and hit two free throws for a 40-37 lead at 1:31.

Louisiana owned a 42-40 lead heading to the fourth after Lafayette reached 14 points before the period began. With both teams battling for a basket early in the fourth, the Owls got a three-pointer from Victoria Flores at 7:11 only to have James provide a quick answer to extend the UL lead to 47-43 at 6:55.

A pair of free throws from Benedith at 6:30 increased the margin to six points before the Owls reeled off eight straight points taking a 51-49 lead at 4:39 on a Hailey Adams basket.

Lafayette then sparked the Ragin' Cajuns and denied the Owls comeback with a three-pointer at 4:23 to reclaim the lead and then grabbed a rebound that set up Lanay Wheaton's driving layup at 3:38 that created separation at 54-51. Wheaton hit a free throw line jumper before the three-minute mark expired, extending the run to seven points and UL finished at the free throw line with James making the final six attempts.

Saturday's game marked Rice's first-ever appearance at the Cajundome and first visit to Lafayette since December 1997.

With the win, Louisiana evened the all-time series at 5-all and collected its second straight win over the Owls dating back to a 73-69 win in Houston in November 2021.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
After time off for fall semester final exams, Louisiana returns to the court on Sunday, December 15 in Baton Rouge for a 2:00 p.m. contest against LSU at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

It's the second straight December that the Ragin' Cajuns and Tigers are meeting on a Sunday afternoon at the PMAC. Last year, UL battled LSU to a 28-all tie at halftime before the Tigers pulled away in the second half.

Coverage of the game in Baton Rouge is available on SEC Network+ (via WatchESPN), The GOAT 103.3 FM/1420 AM and CajunStats.com.

The matchup with LSU is the first of back-to-back SEC outings before the Christmas break and start of SBC play. Louisiana returns to the Cajundome on Wednesday, December 18 to host Auburn in the annual Education Game.

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 -

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Players Mentioned

Nubia Benedith

Jaylyn James

Ashlyn Jones

Kamryn Jones

Erica Lafayette

Lanay Wheaton

Team Stats

Lafayette Erica

James Jaylyn

Wheaton Lanay

Benedith Nubia