University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, February 4
Harrisonburg, Va.
6:00 p.m. (CST)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
8-16,6-6Sun Belt
64
at
61
James Madison
11-13,4-8Sun Belt
1
2
F
Louisiana
29
35
64
James Madison
32
29
61
Finister's Bucket Helps Louisiana Top James Madison, 64-61
2/4/2026 10:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Ragin' Cajuns win third straight; will host Central Michigan on Saturday
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Dorian Finister scored a game-high 18 points, including a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining, to lift Louisiana to a 64-61 Sun Belt Conference victory over James Madison on Thursday night at Atlantic Union Bank Center.
The win marked the Ragin' Cajuns' third straight as they improved to 8-16 overall and 6-6 in Sun Belt Conference play.
After De'Vion Lavergne missed a shot along the right baseline with nine seconds left, Dariyus Woodson pulled down the offensive rebound – the 14th in the game for Louisiana – and Jaxon Olvera found Finister at the top of the key for the game-winning basket.
Lavergne and Woodson scored 14 points apiece for Louisiana, with Lavergne scoring 12 in the second half. Woodson connected on four of five attempts from 3-point range.
James Madison fell to 11-13 overall and 4-8 in SBC play despite 12 points from Cliff Davis. Kose Egbule added 10 points and four assists. Davis, who has made at least five 3-pointers in a game five times this season, was limited to two points in the second half.
The Dukes carried a 32-29 lead into halftime, but Louisiana opened the second half with a 15-1 run. Lavergne scored five points during the surge, which gave the Cajuns their largest lead at 44-33 with 14:15 remaining.
The Dukes answered with an 11-0 run, sparked by a Bradley Douglas layup, to tie the game with 9:43 to play. Neither team led by more than four points down the stretch. A Christian Brown dunk off an offensive rebound gave James Madison its final lead at 59-58 with 1:13 remaining.
Woodson's fourth 3-pointer of the night put Louisiana back in front with 1:00 left. Eddie Ricks III scored with 35 seconds remaining for the Dukes but missed the ensuing free throw, setting up Finister's heroics.
James Madison shot 55% from the field in the second half but struggled at the free-throw line, going 5 of 14 after halftime and 8 of 19 for the game. The Dukes finished shooting 47.9% overall. Louisiana shot 39% from the floor and went 10 of 25 from beyond the arc.
The teams finished even on the glass as Eli Wilborn led James Madison with eight rebounds, while Todd Jones Jr. pulled down eight boards for Louisiana.
Louisiana returns home Saturday for its second game of the MAC-SBC Challenge, hosting Central Michigan at the Cajundome. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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).
The win marked the Ragin' Cajuns' third straight as they improved to 8-16 overall and 6-6 in Sun Belt Conference play.
After De'Vion Lavergne missed a shot along the right baseline with nine seconds left, Dariyus Woodson pulled down the offensive rebound – the 14th in the game for Louisiana – and Jaxon Olvera found Finister at the top of the key for the game-winning basket.
Lavergne and Woodson scored 14 points apiece for Louisiana, with Lavergne scoring 12 in the second half. Woodson connected on four of five attempts from 3-point range.
James Madison fell to 11-13 overall and 4-8 in SBC play despite 12 points from Cliff Davis. Kose Egbule added 10 points and four assists. Davis, who has made at least five 3-pointers in a game five times this season, was limited to two points in the second half.
The Dukes carried a 32-29 lead into halftime, but Louisiana opened the second half with a 15-1 run. Lavergne scored five points during the surge, which gave the Cajuns their largest lead at 44-33 with 14:15 remaining.
The Dukes answered with an 11-0 run, sparked by a Bradley Douglas layup, to tie the game with 9:43 to play. Neither team led by more than four points down the stretch. A Christian Brown dunk off an offensive rebound gave James Madison its final lead at 59-58 with 1:13 remaining.
Woodson's fourth 3-pointer of the night put Louisiana back in front with 1:00 left. Eddie Ricks III scored with 35 seconds remaining for the Dukes but missed the ensuing free throw, setting up Finister's heroics.
James Madison shot 55% from the field in the second half but struggled at the free-throw line, going 5 of 14 after halftime and 8 of 19 for the game. The Dukes finished shooting 47.9% overall. Louisiana shot 39% from the floor and went 10 of 25 from beyond the arc.
The teams finished even on the glass as Eli Wilborn led James Madison with eight rebounds, while Todd Jones Jr. pulled down eight boards for Louisiana.
Louisiana returns home Saturday for its second game of the MAC-SBC Challenge, hosting Central Michigan at the Cajundome. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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
JMU
FG%
.390
.479
3FG%
.400
.350
FT%
.889
.421
RB
34
34
TO
8
10
STL
4
4
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballQuannas White Media Availability (Feb 2, 2026)
Monday, February 02
Quannas 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
