The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns got an important Sun Belt victory over the ULM Warhawks 73-52 on Saturday afternoon inside the Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe. The win avenges a loss that took place to the Warhawks a few weeks back in Lafayette.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game began with one of Louisiana’s best offensive starts of the season. An early three from Brandi Williams set the tone, and that was followed with and and-one from Tamera Johnson. Jaylyn James returned from injury and she hit her first three, helping the Cajuns to a 13-4 lead at the first media timeout.
The rest of the quarter saw much of the same, as the Cajuns were in sync on offense and focused on defense. It was a pleasant surprise, given how much Louisiana has struggled to score as of late. The scoring was balanced as well, as no Louisiana player got into double figures in the first two quarters. By the half. the lead was at a game high 15 at 38-23.
The second half was more of the same, as the Cajuns controlled the tempo and kept up their hot shooting. A quick 10-0 run was capped with a three from Lanay Wheaton to give Louisiana a 48-23 lead. After that point, the Cajuns were able to limit ULM’s opportunities and control the ball for plenty of the quarter. They ended the period with a 56-34 lead.
In the fourth, ULM tried to mount a comeback behind Nunu Bradford and Jakayla Johnson. Johnson consistently earned her way to the free throw line, making 13 of 14 for the day. Bradford scored 15 in the game, but was held well below her 20.5 average, and that helped the Cajuns. Ultimately, Louisiana made enough shots and handled the press well enough to keep their lead and win the game 73-52.
BIG NUMBER: 11
The Cajuns out-rebounded ULM 34-23. Rebounding has been a problem all season, and winning that battle today was a huge factor for this bounce back win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Destiny Rice
Rice continues to work her way back from injury, and she gave the Cajuns a spark off the bench today. 12 points went along with seven rebounds as she paced the Louisiana effort.
UP NEXT: Louisiana stays on the road as they head to West Virginia to face Marshall on Wednesday, February 7th at 10:00 AM.