Louisiana returned to the Cajundome fresh off their win over Southern Miss just 48 hours before to take on a longtime basketball rival in Georgia State. Jordan Brown and Jalen Dalcourt led the Cajuns to another big win en route to a 78-70 win over the Panthers.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Louisiana struggled to get going early in the contest, trailing 9-5 at the first media timeout. However, the Cajuns started to find a rhythm on both ends of the floor to have a 23-19 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first half. Jalen Dalcourt led the way for Louisiana with eight points.
Over the final eight minutes of the half, Louisiana went on an 18-7 run to hold a 41-26 lead at the half. Dalcourt continued to lead all scorers with 11 points on 4-5 shooting including three makes from downtown.
The second half started off sloppy for Louisiana, who was outscored 14-5 in the opening five minutes of the second half as the Panthers trimmed the score to 46-40.
Louisiana and Georgia State went toe to toe in the next run, scoring seven points each to make it 53-47 with 11:56 remaining in the game. Dwon Odom from Georgia State led all scorers with 12 at this media timeout.
Louisiana still held a 59-51 advantage with 7:42 remaining in the contest, but the last stretch was one where it felt like the Cajuns were struggling to get a rhythm going yet again. Jordan Brown led all scorers at this point with 14.
The Cajuns came alive in the next run, hitting four of their last five shots before Georgia State called a timeout to halt the run. With 4:30 remaining, Louisiana led 67-56.
BIG NUMBER: 17
The Cajuns scored 17 points off of `12 turnovers by Georgia State, which was a driving factor in the game tonight.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jordan Brown
Brown shot 4-12 from the field, but 8-10 from the free throw line as he gathered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will travel to Monroe to take on ULM inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.