University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, December 18
Hattiesburg, Miss.
7:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
1-11,0-1Sun Belt
54
at
62
Southern Miss
7-5,1-0Sun Belt
1
2
F
Louisiana
17
37
54
Southern Miss.
24
38
62
Late Push Helps Southern Miss Past Louisiana, 62-54
12/18/2025 11:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ragin' Cajuns visit ULM in Saturday afternoon contest
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss held off a late push from Louisiana to earn a 62-54 victory Wednesday night at Reed Green Coliseum in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams.
Dorian Finister scored a game-high 20 points to lead Louisiana (1-11, 0-1 Sun Belt), but the Ragin' Cajuns couldn't overcome a sluggish first half and a decisive free-throw advantage by Southern Miss down the stretch.
Southern Miss (7-5, 1-0 Sun Belt) took control early, building a 24-17 lead at halftime after limiting Louisiana to 23 percent shooting (7-for-30) in the opening 20 minutes. A bucket by Jaxon Olvera with 5:59 remaining closed USM's lead to 43-42, but the Golden Eagles used an 11-2 run to take a 54-44 lead with 1:59 left.
Louisiana responded with improved shooting after the break, hitting 13 of 27 shots in the second half and scoring 37 points, but the comeback effort was stalled at the free-throw line. Southern Miss finished 26-for-39 at the stripe, including 20 attempts in the second half.
Olvera added 12 points for the Ragin' Cajuns, while De'Vion Lavergne chipped in nine points and five rebounds. Louisiana held a 22-8 advantage in points in the paint, but finished 4-for-17 from 3-point range and was outrebounded, 40-38.
Israel Hart led Southern Miss with 17 points, while Tylik Weeks and Chiante Tramble each scored 11.
Louisiana will close out its opening weekend of Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday at 2 p.m. when it visits ULM at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Season tickets for the 2025-26 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball season are available now at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
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).
Dorian Finister scored a game-high 20 points to lead Louisiana (1-11, 0-1 Sun Belt), but the Ragin' Cajuns couldn't overcome a sluggish first half and a decisive free-throw advantage by Southern Miss down the stretch.
Southern Miss (7-5, 1-0 Sun Belt) took control early, building a 24-17 lead at halftime after limiting Louisiana to 23 percent shooting (7-for-30) in the opening 20 minutes. A bucket by Jaxon Olvera with 5:59 remaining closed USM's lead to 43-42, but the Golden Eagles used an 11-2 run to take a 54-44 lead with 1:59 left.
Louisiana responded with improved shooting after the break, hitting 13 of 27 shots in the second half and scoring 37 points, but the comeback effort was stalled at the free-throw line. Southern Miss finished 26-for-39 at the stripe, including 20 attempts in the second half.
Olvera added 12 points for the Ragin' Cajuns, while De'Vion Lavergne chipped in nine points and five rebounds. Louisiana held a 22-8 advantage in points in the paint, but finished 4-for-17 from 3-point range and was outrebounded, 40-38.
Israel Hart led Southern Miss with 17 points, while Tylik Weeks and Chiante Tramble each scored 11.
Louisiana will close out its opening weekend of Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday at 2 p.m. when it visits ULM at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Season tickets for the 2025-26 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men's Basketball season are available now at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
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
LA
USM
FG%
.351
.313
3FG%
.235
.333
FT%
.769
.667
RB
38
40
TO
10
8
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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