University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, January 14
San Marcos, Texas
7:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
4-15,2-5Sun Belt
54
at
59
Texas State
10-9,3-4Sun Belt
1
2
F
Louisiana
22
32
54
Texas St.
29
30
59
Bobcats Hold Off Louisiana Rally, 59-54
1/14/2026 11:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ragin' Cajuns continue road swing on Saturday at South Alabama
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to take a brief lead, but Texas State answered the challenge and earned a 59-54 Sun Belt Conference victory Wednesday night at Strahan Arena.
Point guard Kaden Gumbs scored 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting to lead Texas State (10-9, 3-4 SBC), which won for the ninth time in the 31-game series against Louisiana (4-15, 2-5 SBC). Freshman DJ Hall scored 16 points and snared a career high 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season, while Franck Emmou came off the bench to add 12 points.
Dorian Finister led Louisiana with 18 points, while De'Vion Lavergne added 10. Todd Jones Jr., led the Ragin' Cajuns with six rebounds and blocked three shots.
Texas State used a 14-4 run over an eight-minute stretch in the first half to take a 23-13 lead and took its biggest lead, 29-16, after a Tay Knox layup with 3:14 to play. But Louisiana would keep the Bobcats off the scoreboard for the remainder of the half and a 3-pointer from Jaxon Olvera and a three-point play from Michael Collins to trail, 29-22, at the break.
Louisiana gave up the first four points of the second half, but after a time out, the Ragin' Cajuns began their comeback.
Finister hit a driving layup and added a 3-pointer from the right wing, Karris Bilal hit a three and Lavergne added a bucket, highlighting an 11-0 run to tie the game at 33. After an exchange of 3-pointers, a Bilal free throw gave the Cajuns their only second-half lead, 37-36, with 12:44 left.
But a cold spell would hit the Ragin' Cajuns, as Louisiana missed its next six shots and went over seven minutes without a field goal.
Texas State used the opportunity to go on a 13-2 run, rebuilding the lead to double figures, 49-39, on Hall's bucket with 7:13 left.
Louisiana would go on a 12-5 spurt, capped by Milan Mejia's 3-pointer with 1:07 left to cut the deficit to 54-51, but the Bobcats would answer with five straight points to seal their fifth win at home over the Ragin' Cajuns in 14 tries.
Both teams were missing a key player as Louisiana was without freshman Joshua Lewis (lower body injury) with Texas State missing guard Mark Drone (upper body.)
Texas State shot 50 percent (25-for-50) for the game, while the Cajuns finished 17-for-47 (.362). Louisiana was 7-for-19 from beyond the arc, while Texas State was 3-for-7. The Bobcats outrebounded the Ragin' Cajuns, 34-24, and held a 38-16 advantage in points in the paint.
Louisiana will play the second game of its four-game road swing on Saturday at South Alabama. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m., and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with fans able to listen to the game on KPEL-FM (96.5) and on-line on the Varsity Network app.
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).
Point guard Kaden Gumbs scored 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting to lead Texas State (10-9, 3-4 SBC), which won for the ninth time in the 31-game series against Louisiana (4-15, 2-5 SBC). Freshman DJ Hall scored 16 points and snared a career high 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season, while Franck Emmou came off the bench to add 12 points.
Dorian Finister led Louisiana with 18 points, while De'Vion Lavergne added 10. Todd Jones Jr., led the Ragin' Cajuns with six rebounds and blocked three shots.
Texas State used a 14-4 run over an eight-minute stretch in the first half to take a 23-13 lead and took its biggest lead, 29-16, after a Tay Knox layup with 3:14 to play. But Louisiana would keep the Bobcats off the scoreboard for the remainder of the half and a 3-pointer from Jaxon Olvera and a three-point play from Michael Collins to trail, 29-22, at the break.
Louisiana gave up the first four points of the second half, but after a time out, the Ragin' Cajuns began their comeback.
Finister hit a driving layup and added a 3-pointer from the right wing, Karris Bilal hit a three and Lavergne added a bucket, highlighting an 11-0 run to tie the game at 33. After an exchange of 3-pointers, a Bilal free throw gave the Cajuns their only second-half lead, 37-36, with 12:44 left.
But a cold spell would hit the Ragin' Cajuns, as Louisiana missed its next six shots and went over seven minutes without a field goal.
Texas State used the opportunity to go on a 13-2 run, rebuilding the lead to double figures, 49-39, on Hall's bucket with 7:13 left.
Louisiana would go on a 12-5 spurt, capped by Milan Mejia's 3-pointer with 1:07 left to cut the deficit to 54-51, but the Bobcats would answer with five straight points to seal their fifth win at home over the Ragin' Cajuns in 14 tries.
Both teams were missing a key player as Louisiana was without freshman Joshua Lewis (lower body injury) with Texas State missing guard Mark Drone (upper body.)
Texas State shot 50 percent (25-for-50) for the game, while the Cajuns finished 17-for-47 (.362). Louisiana was 7-for-19 from beyond the arc, while Texas State was 3-for-7. The Bobcats outrebounded the Ragin' Cajuns, 34-24, and held a 38-16 advantage in points in the paint.
Louisiana will play the second game of its four-game road swing on Saturday at South Alabama. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m., and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with fans able to listen to the game on KPEL-FM (96.5) and on-line on the Varsity Network app.
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
TXST
FG%
.362
.500
3FG%
.368
.429
FT%
.684
.600
RB
24
34
TO
10
13
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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