Third Quarter Move Provides Morehead State Separation from Louisiana

LAFAYETTE – An aggressive approach from the opening tip had the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team in the hunt for a victory until Morehead State made its move in the third quarter leading the visiting Eagles to a 61-54 win on Sunday, December 7 at the Cajundome.

Bianca Silva and Imani Daniel drove inside for scores and Kahlen Norris buried a triple during a game-opening 7-0 run for Louisiana (0-9) in the first 1:25 of play, setting up the Ragin' Cajuns dictating play throughout the first half.

Though the Eagles (4-5) countered to pull ahead 16-11 after one quarter, the Ragin' Cajuns would be undeterred and used another fast start in the second quarter to regain control.

Louisiana scored on each of its first three possessions in the second quarter capped off by Norris' second three-pointer of the opening half at 7:58 which provided an 18-16 lead. Two minutes later it was Silva connecting from long-distance returning the lead to UL at 21-18.

The final six minutes of the first half would be a defensive tug-of-war but the Ragin' Cajuns stayed the course and found themselves ahead 23-22 on Marina Artero's second-chance bucket 10 seconds before the break.

UL's defense turned Morehead State over 10 times in the first half and began the second half the same way with Imani Daniel's steal leading to a pair of free throws that returned the lead to the hosts at 25-24 a mere 18 seconds out of the halftime break.

The Eagles had a quick response as a three-point make by Landon Forbes only 12 seconds later returned the lead to the visitors. The run grew to 10-0 before Norris connected on her third triple of the contest at 5:34 lowering the Morehead State lead to 34-28.

Morehead State kept the momentum on its side on the ensuing possession when Laura Toffali converted a three-point play at 5:09 to widen the separation once again at 37-28.

The Ragin' Cajuns were unable to put a significant dent in the Eagles' lead the rest of the way as Kate Dike countered every move. Dike, who produced a game-high 35 points, scored 21 of Morehead's final 24 points none bigger than those coming on back-to-back layups inside of five minutes to play after Louisiana had trimmed the lead to 52-46.

Sunday's game was the final outing for Louisiana prior to final exams being held the week of December 8-12. The Ragin' Cajuns have nine days off before opening Sun Belt play on December 17 at Texas State.

UL and Morehead State met for the first time in program history. It was the fourth first-time foe the Cajuns faced in as many games inside the Cajundome this season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Silva scored a team-leading 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. She passed out three assists and swiped three steals during her 33 minutes of action.

Boosted by a season-high three triples, Norris joined Silva in double figures with 11 points. Her efforts helped UL keep pace with Morehead State which held a slim 5-4 advantage in three-point makes.

Daniel led the way with six points in the first quarter before foul trouble slowed her down and limited her to eight points breaking a string of four straight games scoring double digits.

Silva's three assists led a group of six Cajuns who collected an assist. The Ragin' Cajuns had an assist on nine of their 18 made field goals.

Louisiana's defense limited the Eagles below their season average of 8.8 triples made and to a meager 25 percent from beyond the arc.

The Ragin' Cajuns won the turnover battle, forcing 18 turnovers while committing only 14 of their own. The turnovers forced were productive, with 20 points gained off of the Eagles' miscues.

Shooting 14-of-16 from the free throw line marked a fourth straight game with double-digit makes and shooting northwards of 70 percent.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana is off for nine days – completing the fall semester with final exams during the break – before opening Sun Belt Conference play on Wednesday, December 17 in San Marcos, Texas.

The SBC opener with Texas State at Strahan Arena is scheduled to tip off at 5:00 p.m. Live coverage is available on ESPN+ and The GOAT 103.3 FM and 1420 AM.

The Ragin' Cajuns then travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to meet Southern Miss on December 20 to close out the opening week of conference play.

The next appearance at the Cajundome is scheduled for Monday, December 29 vs Dillard.

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 -

Third Quarter Move Provides Morehead State Separation from Louisiana

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Team Stats

Bianca Silva

Kahlen Norris

Imani Daniel

Stephanie Mosley

Players Mentioned

Marina Artero

Imani Daniel

Kahlen Norris

Bianca Silva

Players Mentioned

Marina Artero

Imani Daniel

Kahlen Norris

Bianca Silva

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