University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, January 3
Lafayette
12:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
3-13,1-3Sun Belt
67
vs
74
Southern Miss
9-7,3-1Sun Belt
1
2
F
Southern Miss.
33
41
74
Louisiana
27
40
67
Ragin' Cajuns Fall Late To Southern Miss, 74-67
1/3/2026 5:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Louisiana will host ULM in Thursday doubleheader
LAFAYETTE – Djahi Binet scored a career-high 24 points to lead four in double figures as Southern Miss took advantage of Ragin' Cajuns' turnovers down the stretch, beating Louisiana 74-67 to sweep their two-game Sun Belt Conference series on Saturday at the Cajundome.
Point guard Dylan Brumfield hit 7 of 10 shots from the field to add 15 points for the Golden Eagles (9-7, 3-1 SBC), while Tylik Weeks had 12 points. Izzy Hart was the fourth player in double figures for USM with 11.
Binet also secured eight rebounds to help USM to a 30-24 advantage on the boards in the contest. Dorian Finister led Louisiana (3-13, 1-3 SBC) in rebounds with six.
De'Vion Lavergne scored a career-high 18 points for the Cajuns, hitting 8 of 13 shots from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc. Lavergne also snared five rebounds and had three assists. Finister added 13 points for the Ragin' Cajuns, while freshman Joshua Lewis chipped in with 12.
Lavergne scored nine of Louisiana's first 14 points and helped the team to a 14-10 lead midway through the first half. But the Eagles went on an 11-3 spurt over the next three minutes to claim a 21-17 lead.
Louisiana tied it at 21 on a step-back jumper from Lavergne, but Binet scored five straight points, and Hart hit a triple to ignite a 7-0 run as the Golden Eagles carried a 33-27 advantage into the locker room at the half.
Southern Miss had a parade to the free throw line early in the second half, but the Cajuns held the Eagles without a field goal for seven-and-a-half minutes over that span, enabling the Cajuns to close the gap.
A pair of free throws by Jeremiah Evans at the 14:11 mark tied the game at 41. Brumfield hit a layup at the 12:23 mark for USM's first field goal of the second stanza, but Jaxon Olvera answered with a layup, and Lewis hit a pair of free throws to give the Cajuns a 47-46 lead with just under ten minutes left.
Evans hit another pair of free throws for a 51-50 lead with 8:08 left to give the Ragin' Cajuns their final lead, but after a pair of free throws by Weeks, Louisiana turned the ball over on four straight possessions and the Eagles took advantage as Weeks hit another pair of free throws and Hart drilled a 3-pointer from the corner and the Eagles never trailed again, building a 68-58 lead with just under a minute to play.
Southern Miss hit five of its last six shots and finished with a 51.5 shooting percentage from the field. The Eagles also made 9 of 11 free throws in the final three minutes, finishing 25-for-30 from the free-throw line. Louisiana shot 43.6 percent for the game, were 7 of 20 from beyond the 3-point line and made 12 of 16 free throws.
Louisiana will return to the Cajundome on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., when it hosts ULM for the second time this season. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women's team tipping off against ULM at 5 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).
Point guard Dylan Brumfield hit 7 of 10 shots from the field to add 15 points for the Golden Eagles (9-7, 3-1 SBC), while Tylik Weeks had 12 points. Izzy Hart was the fourth player in double figures for USM with 11.
Binet also secured eight rebounds to help USM to a 30-24 advantage on the boards in the contest. Dorian Finister led Louisiana (3-13, 1-3 SBC) in rebounds with six.
De'Vion Lavergne scored a career-high 18 points for the Cajuns, hitting 8 of 13 shots from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc. Lavergne also snared five rebounds and had three assists. Finister added 13 points for the Ragin' Cajuns, while freshman Joshua Lewis chipped in with 12.
Lavergne scored nine of Louisiana's first 14 points and helped the team to a 14-10 lead midway through the first half. But the Eagles went on an 11-3 spurt over the next three minutes to claim a 21-17 lead.
Louisiana tied it at 21 on a step-back jumper from Lavergne, but Binet scored five straight points, and Hart hit a triple to ignite a 7-0 run as the Golden Eagles carried a 33-27 advantage into the locker room at the half.
Southern Miss had a parade to the free throw line early in the second half, but the Cajuns held the Eagles without a field goal for seven-and-a-half minutes over that span, enabling the Cajuns to close the gap.
A pair of free throws by Jeremiah Evans at the 14:11 mark tied the game at 41. Brumfield hit a layup at the 12:23 mark for USM's first field goal of the second stanza, but Jaxon Olvera answered with a layup, and Lewis hit a pair of free throws to give the Cajuns a 47-46 lead with just under ten minutes left.
Evans hit another pair of free throws for a 51-50 lead with 8:08 left to give the Ragin' Cajuns their final lead, but after a pair of free throws by Weeks, Louisiana turned the ball over on four straight possessions and the Eagles took advantage as Weeks hit another pair of free throws and Hart drilled a 3-pointer from the corner and the Eagles never trailed again, building a 68-58 lead with just under a minute to play.
Southern Miss hit five of its last six shots and finished with a 51.5 shooting percentage from the field. The Eagles also made 9 of 11 free throws in the final three minutes, finishing 25-for-30 from the free-throw line. Louisiana shot 43.6 percent for the game, were 7 of 20 from beyond the 3-point line and made 12 of 16 free throws.
Louisiana will return to the Cajundome on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., when it hosts ULM for the second time this season. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women's team tipping off against ULM at 5 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
USM
LA
FG%
.511
.436
3FG%
.231
.350
FT%
.833
.750
RB
30
24
TO
17
14
STL
9
5
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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