The #14 seed Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball upset the #11 seed Georgia State Panthers 71-66 on Tuesday afternoon inside the Pensacola Bay Center. The win keeps Louisiana’s season alive as they move to the next round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to face #10 seed ULM on Wednesday March 3rd at 2:00 PM
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game started off back and forth, after six minutes it was 9-6 in favor of the panthers. Louisiana went ice cold at the basket after that, shooting just 3 for 14 in the first quarter. Eghosa Obasuyi pushed the Panther lead to 20-9 to end the first with a pair of 3-pointers.
The Cajuns would pick up their offensive output to start the second by going on a 9-0 run to make it 20-24. The game started to get chippy from here, Cheyenne Holloman and Amijah Price both picked up technical fouls for going back and forth after a 3-pointer from Crystal Henderson.
With fouls staring to get called a little more frequently, Louisiana managed to keep it close from there, only trailing 34-28 at the halfway mark.
The Cajuns continued to pick up steam in the third period. With Price in danger of fouling out, Mikaylah Manley took over for the Cajuns’ offense putting up 9 points to cut the lead to two to close the third period.
The fourth started 48-46 in favor of the Panthers, but Louisiana would not go away. Kahlen Norris tied the game with a three-pointer then Manley gave the Cajuns their first lead of the day with her third three pointer of the game.
Georgia State would keep it close for the remainder of the game, but Manley knocked down five free throws to keep the Cajuns in control for a comeback win.
BIG NUMBER: 20
The Ragin’ Cajuns turned 13 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points, making their extra possessions count in a big way. Georgia State Panthers grabbed nearly as many offensive boards but couldn’t capitalize, converting them into just six points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mikaylah Manley
Manley put up a career high 32 points when the Cajuns needed her the most. Manley finished the night with 3 assists, went 3-6 from three point land, and went 11-12 at the free throw line.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will now face #10 seed UL Monroe on Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 PM inside the Pensacola Bay Center.