Cajuns Roll Past Bobcats In Home Finale, 67-54

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns raced out to an early 9-0 lead and celebrated Senior Day on Saturday by never trailing en route to defeating Texas State 67-54, breaking the Bobcats' seven-game winning streak.

Seniors Milan Mejia and Dariyus Woodson were honored before the game and both responded as Woodson nailed all four of his shots from three point range for 12 points, while Mejia scored three points, snared three rebounds, notched three steals and frustrated the Bobcats with his defense, as the Cajuns (10-19, 7-9 SBC) snapped a three game losing streak.

Jaxon Olvera hit key baskets in the second half to pace Louisiana with 20 points, while Dorian Finister joined Woodson in double figures with 15 points and added five rebounds and five assists.

Todd Jones, Jr. helped the Cajuns inside by scoring eight points, hauling down eight rebounds and had a career-high five blocked shots, as Louisiana took a 32-28 advantage on the boards.

Freshman DJ Hall led Texas State (18-12, 10-7 SBC) with 18 points but was held to only three in the first half as Louisiana took a 34-18 advantage into the break. Mark Drone, who got in early foul trouble, was the only other Texas State player in double figures with ten.

Finister scored five of his points during the early run, and after the Bobcats scored seven straight to cut the lead to 9-7, the Cajuns went on a 14-2 run.

Mejia started the spurt with his only basket of the game, a triple from the right corner and then had a steal leading to a Woodson triple to put the Cajuns up 15-7. Olvera added a three-pointer and freshman Mike Collins got an old-fashioned three-point play as Louisiana built a 23-9 lead with 7:05 to play in the first half.

Trailing 50-35 with 9:29 remaining, Hall scored six of Texas State's next ten points as the Bobcats drew within eight, 53-45 with just under six minutes left. But Jones and Olvera scored the Cajuns' next 12 points, never letting Texas State get closer than nine during the final minutes.

For the contest, the Cajuns were 22-45 from the field (48.9 percent), while the Louisiana defense held Texas State to 37.3 percent, with the Bobcats connecting on only 2-12 from beyond the arc.

The Cajuns' defense forced 15 turnovers, with Louisiana holding a 15-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

The win kept the Cajuns' hopes of avoiding first-round play in the Sun Belt Tournament beginning Tuesday, March 3 at the Pensacola Bay Center. The Cajuns close the regular season with a tough road trip beginning Tuesday at Troy and Friday with a rematch at Arkansas State.

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).

Cajuns Roll Past Bobcats In Home Finale, 67-54

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Team Stats

Jaxon Olvera

Dorian Finister

Dariyus Woodson

Todd Jones Jr.

Players Mentioned

Dorian Finister

Milan Mejia

Jaxon Olvera

Dariyus Woodson

Players Mentioned

Dorian Finister

Milan Mejia

Jaxon Olvera

Dariyus Woodson

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