University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
1-9,0-0Sun Belt
UNCW
9-1,0-0CAA
UNCW Holds Off Louisiana In Saturday Clash
12/6/2025 8:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Inspired Cajuns fall short against red-hot Seahawks
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana held UNCW without a field goal over the game's final five minutes, but the Ragin' Cajuns missed their last six shots from the field, and the Seahawks escaped with a 70-63 win at the Cajundome Saturday afternoon.
Madison Durr's layup at the 5:09 mark gave the Seahawks (9-1) a 65-56 lead, but a traditional three-point play by Jaxon Olvera and a dunk by Joshua Lewis drew the Cajuns within four points, 65-61 with 3:30 to play. UNCW then made five free throws in the final minutes to keep the Ragin' Cajuns (1-9) at bay.
Durr's bucket was part of his 14-point effort, hitting 8-of-9 of his free throws. Christian May led the way for the Seahawks with 17 points, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Nolan Hodge chipped in with 11 points, while 7-foot-0 center Patrick Wessler added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Olvera paced Louisiana with a season-high 23 points, while Dorian Finister added 16 points, with five rebounds and three assists. Todd Jones Jr., getting the start in place of the injured Jeremiah Evans, led the Ragin' Cajuns with six rebounds.
UNCW had its biggest lead, 26-18 at the 11:53 mark of the first half, but Dariyus Woodson's 3-pointer and De'Vion Lavergne's jumper in the paint cut the lead to three. The Seahawks still had a seven-point cushion with 6:21 left, but Finister made a three-point play, Olvera hit a 3-pointer and, after Jones made a free throw, Lavergne hit a driving layup to give the Cajuns a 34-32 lead.
Christian May's jumper from the 3-point line gave the Seahawks a 39-38 win at the break.
The two teams battled through the first half of the final 20 minutes with UNCW holding a five-point lead with 13:20 to play, but Louisiana battled back with a three-point shot by Milan Mejia, knotting the game at 54 with 11:20 on the clock. But May then hit a step-back 3-pointer as the shot clock expired for a 57-54 lead, and the Seahawks never trailed again.
Louisiana will take off for final exams before returning to action on Saturday (December 13) against in-state rival Louisiana Tech in Ruston. The Ragin' Cajuns will open Sun Belt Conference play on December 18 at Southern Miss before returning to North Louisiana to face ULM on December 20.
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).
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