University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, February 27
Jonesboro, Ark.
7:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
10-21,7-11Sun Belt
58
at
81
Arkansas State
20-11,11-7Sun Belt
1
2
F
Louisiana
22
36
58
Arkansas St.
37
44
81
Louisiana Falls In Regular-Season Finale at A-State, 81-58
2/27/2026 11:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ragin' Cajuns will be No. 12 seed in SBC Tournament; will face Georgia State in first round
JONESBORO, Ark. – Arkansas State used a dominant first half and a decisive run early in the second to pull away from Louisiana for an 81-58 Sun Belt Conference victory Friday night at First National Bank Arena.
Louisiana (10-21, 7-11 SBC) dropped its regular-season finale after shooting 31.3% from the floor and 27.3% from 3-point range.
The Ragin' Cajuns, who finished in a three-way with Old Dominion and Georgia State in the final standings, will be the No. 12 seed in next week's 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve next week in Pensacola, Fla. Louisiana will face No. 13-seeded Georgia State in the first round on Tuesday (March 3) at 5 p.m.
Arkansas State (20-11, 11-7 SBC), the No. 7 seed in next week's tournament, shot 46.8% overall and placed five players in double figures to secure the win.
Redshirt freshman Karris Bilal came off the bench and led Louisiana with 15 points and six rebounds. Jaxon Olvera added 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, recording his first career double-double. De'Vion Lavergne finished with 11 points, four assists and three steals for the Ragin' Cajuns.
A-State set the tone early, building a 37-22 halftime advantage behind 41.9% shooting in the opening 20 minutes. Matt Hayman scored nine of his 15 points in the first half, and Jalen Hampton added nine as the Red Wolves held Louisiana to 8-of-31 shooting and just 1-of-14 from beyond the arc before the break.
The Red Wolves opened the second half with a 10-0 run, pushing the margin to 47-22 on a putback dunk by Aly Tounkara with 16:37 remaining. The lead grew to as many as 27 before Louisiana answered with a brief surge midway through the half.
The Cajuns used a 9-2 run to trim the deficit to 49-31 after back-to-back free throws by Bilal at the 14:10 mark. Olvera later knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 17, but Arkansas State responded with consecutive 3-pointers from TJ Caldwell to extend the lead back to 20.
Caldwell paced Arkansas State with 19 points off the bench, hitting five 3-pointers. Hayman finished with 15 points and five assists, while Hampton recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tounkara added nine points and 10 rebounds.
Arkansas State outscored Louisiana 36-18 in the paint and held a 49-43 edge on the boards. The Red Wolves also turned 12 Cajuns turnovers into 14 points and scored 14 fast-break points.
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).
Louisiana (10-21, 7-11 SBC) dropped its regular-season finale after shooting 31.3% from the floor and 27.3% from 3-point range.
The Ragin' Cajuns, who finished in a three-way with Old Dominion and Georgia State in the final standings, will be the No. 12 seed in next week's 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve next week in Pensacola, Fla. Louisiana will face No. 13-seeded Georgia State in the first round on Tuesday (March 3) at 5 p.m.
Arkansas State (20-11, 11-7 SBC), the No. 7 seed in next week's tournament, shot 46.8% overall and placed five players in double figures to secure the win.
Redshirt freshman Karris Bilal came off the bench and led Louisiana with 15 points and six rebounds. Jaxon Olvera added 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, recording his first career double-double. De'Vion Lavergne finished with 11 points, four assists and three steals for the Ragin' Cajuns.
A-State set the tone early, building a 37-22 halftime advantage behind 41.9% shooting in the opening 20 minutes. Matt Hayman scored nine of his 15 points in the first half, and Jalen Hampton added nine as the Red Wolves held Louisiana to 8-of-31 shooting and just 1-of-14 from beyond the arc before the break.
The Red Wolves opened the second half with a 10-0 run, pushing the margin to 47-22 on a putback dunk by Aly Tounkara with 16:37 remaining. The lead grew to as many as 27 before Louisiana answered with a brief surge midway through the half.
The Cajuns used a 9-2 run to trim the deficit to 49-31 after back-to-back free throws by Bilal at the 14:10 mark. Olvera later knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 17, but Arkansas State responded with consecutive 3-pointers from TJ Caldwell to extend the lead back to 20.
Caldwell paced Arkansas State with 19 points off the bench, hitting five 3-pointers. Hayman finished with 15 points and five assists, while Hampton recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tounkara added nine points and 10 rebounds.
Arkansas State outscored Louisiana 36-18 in the paint and held a 49-43 edge on the boards. The Red Wolves also turned 12 Cajuns turnovers into 14 points and scored 14 fast-break points.
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
ASU
FG%
.313
.468
3FG%
.273
.344
FT%
.522
.500
RB
43
49
TO
9
12
STL
9
2
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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