The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (20-11, 10-8 Sun Belt) have been one of the best teams under Bob Marlin during the months of February and March. Saturday night was another example as the Cajuns were able to overcome a slow start to come away with an 83-81 victory over UT Arlington (24-7, 14-4 Sun Belt).
The Cajuns were able to start off strong with a pair of threes from Johnathan Stove and Jay Wright, but the Mavs responded in quick fashion and got out to a 12-6 lead with 15:05 left in the first half. The rest of the first half saw the Cajuns keep it competitive, but it just wasn’t enough as it closer to halftime, the Mavs had the momentum with a six point lead.
The second half started out fairly well for the Cajuns as they went on a 12-4 run to take a 50-47 lead with 16:03 left in regulation. Things got dicey late though after Wright would make both of his free throws with 57 seconds left on the clock. It wouldn’t take long for that lead to get down to two points after a pair of threes from Kevin Hervey. All the late theatrics didn’t matter as the Cajuns were able to eke out a win over the regular season Sun Belt conference champions.
The Cajuns will be facing off against Little Rock on Wednesday with tipoff set for 5 pm. The two times these two faced off in the regular season, the Cajuns came away with wins.
-Clint Domingue