University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, March 1
Lafayette
7:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
18-13,10-8Sun Belt
77
vs
61
Southern Miss
16-15,9-9Sun Belt
1
2
F
Southern Miss.
23
38
61
Louisiana
39
38
77
Six Finish in Double Figures as Louisiana Cruises to Win in Regular Season Finale
3/2/2024 12:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Joe Charles led the way with 16 points while Michael Thomas added 15
LAFAYETTE, Louisiana – From start to finish the Louisiana men's basketball team was in total control in a 77-61 victory over Southern Miss on Friday in the Cajundome. With the win, head coach Bob Marlin became the first coach in Sun Belt Conference history with 150 wins in conference action.
Six players finished in double figures for the Cajuns, who clinched the fifth seed in next week's SBC Championships with the win. Joe Charles recorded his 11th double-double of the year with 16 points and 14 rebounds along with four steals. Michael Thomas scored 15 points, tying a career-high, in his second start of the year. The junior also had three assists and six steals.
Kentrell Garnett came off the bench to score 11 points, going 3-for-4 from long range. Brandon Hardy had a big night after earning his first career start. The freshman finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and five steals. Kobe Julien was just shy of a double-double with 10 points and eight boards while Hosana Kitenge added 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Charles came out shooting for the Cajuns (18-13, 10-8 SBC), less than a week after torching Southern Miss (16-15, 9-9 SBC) for a career-high 26 points. Knocking down a pair of threes, Charles ended up with the first 10 Louisiana points. A Julien jumper and a pair of free throws by Kitenge had the Cajuns ahead 14-3 just 3:14 into the game.
The Golden Eagles trimmed the Louisiana lead to six but a Kitenge layup and a steal and slam by Hardy pushed the lead back to 10. Leading by nine with two minutes to go in the half, the Cajuns closed strong with a 7-0 run. Thomas hit a pair of free throws before Garnett hit his first three of the night. Thomas capped the run with a jumper in the final seconds of the half for the 39-23 lead.
Much of the second half saw both sides trading baskets as the Golden Eagles cut their deficit to nine with 3:16 to play. Julien sparked an 8-0 run down the stretch that also saw four points from Charles and a bucket from Garnett to finally put the game out of reach.
Louisiana now heads to Pensacola, Florida for the SBC Championship. They'll face the winner of Coastal Carolina and ULM on Thursday at 2 p.m.
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).
Six players finished in double figures for the Cajuns, who clinched the fifth seed in next week's SBC Championships with the win. Joe Charles recorded his 11th double-double of the year with 16 points and 14 rebounds along with four steals. Michael Thomas scored 15 points, tying a career-high, in his second start of the year. The junior also had three assists and six steals.
Kentrell Garnett came off the bench to score 11 points, going 3-for-4 from long range. Brandon Hardy had a big night after earning his first career start. The freshman finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and five steals. Kobe Julien was just shy of a double-double with 10 points and eight boards while Hosana Kitenge added 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Charles came out shooting for the Cajuns (18-13, 10-8 SBC), less than a week after torching Southern Miss (16-15, 9-9 SBC) for a career-high 26 points. Knocking down a pair of threes, Charles ended up with the first 10 Louisiana points. A Julien jumper and a pair of free throws by Kitenge had the Cajuns ahead 14-3 just 3:14 into the game.
The Golden Eagles trimmed the Louisiana lead to six but a Kitenge layup and a steal and slam by Hardy pushed the lead back to 10. Leading by nine with two minutes to go in the half, the Cajuns closed strong with a 7-0 run. Thomas hit a pair of free throws before Garnett hit his first three of the night. Thomas capped the run with a jumper in the final seconds of the half for the 39-23 lead.
Much of the second half saw both sides trading baskets as the Golden Eagles cut their deficit to nine with 3:16 to play. Julien sparked an 8-0 run down the stretch that also saw four points from Charles and a bucket from Garnett to finally put the game out of reach.
Louisiana now heads to Pensacola, Florida for the SBC Championship. They'll face the winner of Coastal Carolina and ULM on Thursday at 2 p.m.
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
USM
LA
FG%
.400
.423
3FG%
.222
.261
FT%
.643
.733
RB
39
42
TO
19
7
STL
6
17
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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