University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, January 31
Lafayette
3:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
7-16,5-6Sun Belt
69
vs
60
Georgia Southern
14-10,6-5Sun Belt
1
2
F
Ga. Southern
29
31
60
Louisiana
29
40
69
Louisiana Makes It Back-To-Back Wins In 69-60 Decision Over Georgia Southern
1/31/2026 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ragin' Cajuns win third game in last four; move to within .500 in SBC play
LAFAYETTE – De'Vion Lavergne scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures and Louisiana topped Georgia Southern, 69-60, to claim back-to-back Sun Belt Conference games for the first time this season on Saturday at the Cajundome.
Dorian Finister and Jaxon Olvera each tallied 15 points for Louisiana (7-16, 5-6 SBC), and Dariyus Woodson chipped in 11, including a trio of 3-pointers.
Redshirt freshman Karris Bilal, making his first career start in place of an injured Milan Mejia, had six points, six rebounds and three assists for Louisiana, which led for 37 minutes in the contest and defeated Georgia Southern (14-10, 6-5 SBC) for the fourth time in the last five meetings.
Spudd Webb led Georgia Southern with 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting, while Alden Applewhite added 14 points and a team-leading seven rebounds.
The 60 points are the fewest scored by the Eagles, who entered the game averaging 82.3 points per game this season, and only the second time they've been held under 70 points in a league game.
Quannas White's club, which held Jelani Hamilton to 2-for-15 shooting in Louisiana's 82-72 win over Georgia State on Thursday, was stingy against the Eagles' Tyran Moore, holding the UAB transfer to one field goal in seven attempts.
Louisiana jumped out to an early 8-0 lead on a 3-pointer by Lavergne and five straight by Finister, while the Cajuns' defense held Georgia Southern without a field goal until the 13:48 mark.
The Ragin' Cajuns could never extend the lead, however, and the Eagles battled back, with Moore's only field goal, a triple off a fast break, giving Georgia Southern a brief lead before the two teams went into the locker room tied at 29.
The score was tied at 31 when Finister scored on a jumper just outside the paint to start a 10-0 run. Olvera scored on a layup, Finister hit a free throw, Lavergne buried a 3-pointer off a turnover, and Bilal hit a step-back jumper in the lane to give Louisiana the lead for good.
The Cajuns' defense, which held the Eagles to 34.9 percent shooting after intermission, made sure the Eagles never got closer than five points the rest of the contest.
Louisiana led by as many as 12 points on three different occasions down the stretch, as the Ragin' Cajuns shot a blistering 56 percent in the second half to finish at 50 percent (25-for-50) for the second consecutive game.
The Cajuns also were solid from behind the 3-point line, making 9 of 18 attempts for the second straight contest.
Georgia Southern held a 30-29 advantage on the boards but committed 14 turnovers and enabled Louisiana to enjoy a 20-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
Louisiana will travel to Harrisonburg, Va., to face James Madison on Wednesday before returning home to face Central Michigan on February 7 in the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
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).
Dorian Finister and Jaxon Olvera each tallied 15 points for Louisiana (7-16, 5-6 SBC), and Dariyus Woodson chipped in 11, including a trio of 3-pointers.
Redshirt freshman Karris Bilal, making his first career start in place of an injured Milan Mejia, had six points, six rebounds and three assists for Louisiana, which led for 37 minutes in the contest and defeated Georgia Southern (14-10, 6-5 SBC) for the fourth time in the last five meetings.
Spudd Webb led Georgia Southern with 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting, while Alden Applewhite added 14 points and a team-leading seven rebounds.
The 60 points are the fewest scored by the Eagles, who entered the game averaging 82.3 points per game this season, and only the second time they've been held under 70 points in a league game.
Quannas White's club, which held Jelani Hamilton to 2-for-15 shooting in Louisiana's 82-72 win over Georgia State on Thursday, was stingy against the Eagles' Tyran Moore, holding the UAB transfer to one field goal in seven attempts.
Louisiana jumped out to an early 8-0 lead on a 3-pointer by Lavergne and five straight by Finister, while the Cajuns' defense held Georgia Southern without a field goal until the 13:48 mark.
The Ragin' Cajuns could never extend the lead, however, and the Eagles battled back, with Moore's only field goal, a triple off a fast break, giving Georgia Southern a brief lead before the two teams went into the locker room tied at 29.
The score was tied at 31 when Finister scored on a jumper just outside the paint to start a 10-0 run. Olvera scored on a layup, Finister hit a free throw, Lavergne buried a 3-pointer off a turnover, and Bilal hit a step-back jumper in the lane to give Louisiana the lead for good.
The Cajuns' defense, which held the Eagles to 34.9 percent shooting after intermission, made sure the Eagles never got closer than five points the rest of the contest.
Louisiana led by as many as 12 points on three different occasions down the stretch, as the Ragin' Cajuns shot a blistering 56 percent in the second half to finish at 50 percent (25-for-50) for the second consecutive game.
The Cajuns also were solid from behind the 3-point line, making 9 of 18 attempts for the second straight contest.
Georgia Southern held a 30-29 advantage on the boards but committed 14 turnovers and enabled Louisiana to enjoy a 20-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
Louisiana will travel to Harrisonburg, Va., to face James Madison on Wednesday before returning home to face Central Michigan on February 7 in the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
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
GS
LA
FG%
.385
.500
3FG%
.333
.500
FT%
.867
.714
RB
30
29
TO
14
10
STL
5
7
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballQuannas White Media Availability (Jan 31, 2026)
Saturday, January 31
Jaxon Olvera and Dariyus Woodson Media Availability (Jan 31, 2026)
Saturday, January 31
Dorian Finister and De'Vion Lavergne Media Availability (Jan 29, 2026)
Friday, January 30
Quannas White Media Availability (Jan 27, 2026)
Tuesday, January 27
