University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, November 29
Westwego, La.
2:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
0-7,0-0Sun Belt
48
vs
61
Fresno State
5-3,0-0Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Louisiana
17
13
12
6
48
Fresno St.
23
11
13
14
61
Fresno State Holds off Louisiana in Final Minutes of Big Easy Classic Finale
11/29/2025 7:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lead was up for grabs with six minutes remaining until Bulldogs’ defense clamped down
WESTWEGO, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team stayed in step with Fresno State for the final three quarters until a defensive stand allowed the Bulldogs to escape for a 61-48 win on Saturday, November 29 in the Big Easy Classic at the Alario Center in Westwego, Louisiana.
The Ragin' Cajuns (0-7) were in a position to take the lead approaching the six-minute mark of the final quarter after Mikaylah Manley free throws at 6:58 and 6:14 trimmed the Fresno State lead to 47-46.
The Bulldogs (5-3), though, had a quick answer with a Hedda Koehne layup at 5:58 and then proceeded to hold Louisiana scoreless for over five minutes. That led to a game-sealing 10-0 run which made it 56-46 before the Ragin' Cajuns could snap the scoring drought with an Imani Daniel layup with 34 seconds left to play.
It was a hard-luck defeat for Louisiana, which kept the team winless on the young season, after battling back from a 10-point first quarter deficit and eventually grabbing the lead in the third quarter.
The Ragin' Cajuns fought to earn 14 trips to the free throw line to slowly reign in the Bulldogs after falling behind 17-8. UL connected on 11 free throw makes leading up to the halftime break closing within 34-30.
The defense, which limited FSU to under 40 percent shooting in the second and third quarters after a 60-plus percent start over the first 10 minutes of play, continued to slow down the Bulldogs early in the second half. Louisiana limited Fresno State to four points over the first seven minutes of the third quarter.
The Ragin' Cajuns hard-nosed efforts were rewarded following two freebies at 6:08 that put the Bulldogs ahead 38-34. The offense pieced together a quick 7-0 run, jumpstarted by a Bianca Silva triple at 5:36 and capped off by a Kahlen Norris fastbreak layup off an FSU turnover at 3:07 which extended the team's lead to 41-38.
However, the momentum was quickly taken away as Jaisa Gamble's three-point basket at 2:39 triggered a quarter-ending 9-1 run for Fresno State which resulted in game's final lead change.
Saturday's contest brought an end to a five-game road stretch for Louisiana that began back on November 10 at then-No. 4 Texas.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Ragin' Cajuns were charged by Daniel with a 17 points, 10 rebounds double-double and Norris who scored seven points and collected a pair of steals – both playing all 40 minutes of the contest.
Daniel's 5-of-6 performance at the free throw line headlined Louisiana's 14-of-20 showing from the charity stripe. Manley (4-of-6) and Amijah Price (3-of-4) were the other Cajuns with multiple free throw makes.
Daniel hauled if five boards apiece on both ends of the court helping lead Louisiana a 34-30 edge over Fresno State including doubling up the Bulldogs in offensive rebounds (10-5).
Silva made both of the Ragin' Cajuns two three-pointers in the contest and handed out at least four assists for the third consecutive game. She added five rebounds and two steals to her final stat line.
Both sides committed 20 turnovers but the Bulldogs were more opportunistic, finishing with a 26-13 advantage in points off of turnovers.
Louisiana's hopes of a breakthrough in the win column were undone by finishing 2-of-13 (15 percent) from the field in the final 10 minutes. The Ragin' Cajuns closed at 33 percent (16-of-48) while the Bulldogs connected on 45 percent of their shots (24-of-53).
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana returns to the Cajundome on Tuesday, December 2 for the 12th Anunal Education Game at 11:00 a.m. vs. East Texas A&M. Nearly 4,000 Acadiana-area students are expected to be in attendance for the field trip outing.
The event, sponsored by the Louisiana Attorney General's Anti-Vaping Initiative, is open to all students in grades K-12 and admission is free. Pre-registered classrooms receive a discounted meal deal.
Live coverage is available on ESPN+ and the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network (The GOAT 103.3 FM/1420 AM and Varsity Sports app.
Louisiana and East Texas A&M meet for the first time in program history. It's the Ragin' Cajuns first home game in nearly a month, the squad having been on the road the past five games dating back to November 10.
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.
Fans can support the women's basketball student-athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Assist Club (click here).
The Ragin' Cajuns (0-7) were in a position to take the lead approaching the six-minute mark of the final quarter after Mikaylah Manley free throws at 6:58 and 6:14 trimmed the Fresno State lead to 47-46.
The Bulldogs (5-3), though, had a quick answer with a Hedda Koehne layup at 5:58 and then proceeded to hold Louisiana scoreless for over five minutes. That led to a game-sealing 10-0 run which made it 56-46 before the Ragin' Cajuns could snap the scoring drought with an Imani Daniel layup with 34 seconds left to play.
It was a hard-luck defeat for Louisiana, which kept the team winless on the young season, after battling back from a 10-point first quarter deficit and eventually grabbing the lead in the third quarter.
The Ragin' Cajuns fought to earn 14 trips to the free throw line to slowly reign in the Bulldogs after falling behind 17-8. UL connected on 11 free throw makes leading up to the halftime break closing within 34-30.
The defense, which limited FSU to under 40 percent shooting in the second and third quarters after a 60-plus percent start over the first 10 minutes of play, continued to slow down the Bulldogs early in the second half. Louisiana limited Fresno State to four points over the first seven minutes of the third quarter.
The Ragin' Cajuns hard-nosed efforts were rewarded following two freebies at 6:08 that put the Bulldogs ahead 38-34. The offense pieced together a quick 7-0 run, jumpstarted by a Bianca Silva triple at 5:36 and capped off by a Kahlen Norris fastbreak layup off an FSU turnover at 3:07 which extended the team's lead to 41-38.
However, the momentum was quickly taken away as Jaisa Gamble's three-point basket at 2:39 triggered a quarter-ending 9-1 run for Fresno State which resulted in game's final lead change.
Saturday's contest brought an end to a five-game road stretch for Louisiana that began back on November 10 at then-No. 4 Texas.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Ragin' Cajuns were charged by Daniel with a 17 points, 10 rebounds double-double and Norris who scored seven points and collected a pair of steals – both playing all 40 minutes of the contest.
Daniel's 5-of-6 performance at the free throw line headlined Louisiana's 14-of-20 showing from the charity stripe. Manley (4-of-6) and Amijah Price (3-of-4) were the other Cajuns with multiple free throw makes.
Daniel hauled if five boards apiece on both ends of the court helping lead Louisiana a 34-30 edge over Fresno State including doubling up the Bulldogs in offensive rebounds (10-5).
Silva made both of the Ragin' Cajuns two three-pointers in the contest and handed out at least four assists for the third consecutive game. She added five rebounds and two steals to her final stat line.
Both sides committed 20 turnovers but the Bulldogs were more opportunistic, finishing with a 26-13 advantage in points off of turnovers.
Louisiana's hopes of a breakthrough in the win column were undone by finishing 2-of-13 (15 percent) from the field in the final 10 minutes. The Ragin' Cajuns closed at 33 percent (16-of-48) while the Bulldogs connected on 45 percent of their shots (24-of-53).
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana returns to the Cajundome on Tuesday, December 2 for the 12th Anunal Education Game at 11:00 a.m. vs. East Texas A&M. Nearly 4,000 Acadiana-area students are expected to be in attendance for the field trip outing.
The event, sponsored by the Louisiana Attorney General's Anti-Vaping Initiative, is open to all students in grades K-12 and admission is free. Pre-registered classrooms receive a discounted meal deal.
Live coverage is available on ESPN+ and the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network (The GOAT 103.3 FM/1420 AM and Varsity Sports app.
Louisiana and East Texas A&M meet for the first time in program history. It's the Ragin' Cajuns first home game in nearly a month, the squad having been on the road the past five games dating back to November 10.
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.
Fans can support the women's basketball student-athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Assist Club (click here).
- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Team Stats
LA
Fresno
FG%
.333
.453
3FG%
.182
.357
FT%
.700
1.000
RB
34
30
TO
20
20
STL
12
12
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
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