University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, December 3
Beaumont, Texas
6:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
1-8,0-0Sun Belt
55
at
65
Lamar
5-2,0-0Southland
1
2
F
Louisiana
29
26
55
Lamar University
27
38
65
Inside Game Helps Lamar Rally Past Louisiana
12/3/2025 11:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ragin' Cajuns to host UNCW on Saturday at 3 p.m.
BEAUMONT, Texas – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team got off to a hot start Wednesday night, but the Lamar Cardinals used their size and took advantage of 17 turnovers en route to a 65-55 victory at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena.
Braden Earl scored 24 points and hauled in a dozen rebounds to lead Lamar (5-2), which used their size to an 18-point advantage in the paint. Andrew Holifield added 13 points for the hosts, while Cody Pennebaker and Rob Lee, Jr. tallied 10 points each.
Jaxon Olvera led a balanced scoring attack for Louisiana (1-8) with 11 points, while Dariyus Woodson and Dorian Finister scored nine points each.
Louisiana trailed 9-6 at the first media timeout but used solid defense and hot perimeter shooting to fuel a 16-2 run for a 22-11 lead at the 8:18 mark of the first half. A 3-pointer by Olvera started the run, and senior Milan Mejia drained back-to-back shots from beyond the arc before a 3-pointer from freshman Joshua Lewis ended the flurry.
East started the comeback for Lamar with back-to-back buckets inside, and Pennebaker used a pair of steals to cut deeper into the lead as the Cajuns suffered five turnovers over the final six minutes. Lamar battled back to tie the game at 27 before a Finister putback gave the Cajuns a 29-27 lead at the break.
Louisiana shot 48 percent in the first half, including 5-for-12 from behind the 3-point line, while the Ragin' Cajuns defense held Lamar to 10-for-29 (34.5 percent) from the floor leading up to intermission.
A pair of three-point baskets by Finister helped Louisiana stage a 37-29 lead in the second half, but East scored back-to-back baskets inside to keep the Cardinals close.
A layup by Woodson pushed the margin to seven points with 12:56 to play, but Louisiana would go the next 5:30 without a field goal, and Lamar took the lead for good on a three-point play by B.B. Knight. Mejia broke the dry spell for Louisiana with a bucket that got the Ragin' Cajuns to within two, 48-46 with 6:36 to play.
Lee and Holifield followed with the first two 3-pointers of the night for the Cardinals, sparking a 10-2 run and keeping Louisiana no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Louisiana returns home on Saturday to face UNC Wilmington at the Cajundome. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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).
Braden Earl scored 24 points and hauled in a dozen rebounds to lead Lamar (5-2), which used their size to an 18-point advantage in the paint. Andrew Holifield added 13 points for the hosts, while Cody Pennebaker and Rob Lee, Jr. tallied 10 points each.
Jaxon Olvera led a balanced scoring attack for Louisiana (1-8) with 11 points, while Dariyus Woodson and Dorian Finister scored nine points each.
Louisiana trailed 9-6 at the first media timeout but used solid defense and hot perimeter shooting to fuel a 16-2 run for a 22-11 lead at the 8:18 mark of the first half. A 3-pointer by Olvera started the run, and senior Milan Mejia drained back-to-back shots from beyond the arc before a 3-pointer from freshman Joshua Lewis ended the flurry.
East started the comeback for Lamar with back-to-back buckets inside, and Pennebaker used a pair of steals to cut deeper into the lead as the Cajuns suffered five turnovers over the final six minutes. Lamar battled back to tie the game at 27 before a Finister putback gave the Cajuns a 29-27 lead at the break.
Louisiana shot 48 percent in the first half, including 5-for-12 from behind the 3-point line, while the Ragin' Cajuns defense held Lamar to 10-for-29 (34.5 percent) from the floor leading up to intermission.
A pair of three-point baskets by Finister helped Louisiana stage a 37-29 lead in the second half, but East scored back-to-back baskets inside to keep the Cardinals close.
A layup by Woodson pushed the margin to seven points with 12:56 to play, but Louisiana would go the next 5:30 without a field goal, and Lamar took the lead for good on a three-point play by B.B. Knight. Mejia broke the dry spell for Louisiana with a bucket that got the Ragin' Cajuns to within two, 48-46 with 6:36 to play.
Lee and Holifield followed with the first two 3-pointers of the night for the Cardinals, sparking a 10-2 run and keeping Louisiana no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Louisiana returns home on Saturday to face UNC Wilmington at the Cajundome. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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
Lamar
FG%
.417
.453
3FG%
.375
.286
FT%
.750
.625
RB
29
34
TO
17
8
STL
4
9
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
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