LAKE CHARLES — With a stifling zone defense, McNeese defeated Louisiana 88-62 in an intense and chippy game inside the Townsley Law Arena on Friday night.
It is the third straight season McNeese has bested Louisiana, and it is the first time that has occurred since 1983-85, when Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Joe Dumars starred for the Cowboys.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
McNeese won the tip and scored as the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Year, Javohn Garcia, was fouled attacking the rim. He made both free throws. A few moments later, Louisiana tied it with a pair of free throws by Jeremiah Evans.
The Cowboys made the first field goal of the game as Dj Richards drained a three-pointer near the top of the key. The Cajuns made their first field goal as Dorian Finister made a second-chance layup. With 16:46 left in the first half, McNeese led 5-4.
At the 15:23 mark, the two teams had combined for six turnovers and six fouls (three each) in an intense first few minutes of the game.
Louisiana tied it with a pair of free throws by Finister, but McNeese answered with a three-pointer by Larry Johnson. That sparked a 9-0 run for the Cowboys as Johnson made a layup, Jerrell Colbert made a dunk, and Garwey Dual hit a step back jumper.
McNeese pushed its lead to 12 points after Tyshawn Archie drained a three-pointer, but Louisiana responded as the Ragin’ Cajuns got to double digits in scoring as Finister made a three-pointer. With 7:48 left in the first, the Cowboys held a 20-11 lead.
Louisiana struggled with McNeese’s zone defense. The Cowboys forced 10 turnovers, blocked five shots, forced five air balls, and had three shot-clock violations. The Cajuns had only four field goals in the first half. At the break, McNeese led 37-16.
McNeese pushed its lead up to 28 points after an alley-oop dunk by Johnson with 15:36 left in the second. Louisiana responded with back-to-back buckets by Dariyus Woodson and Finister.
A few minutes later, the Cajuns cut it down to 22 points after a De’vion Lavergne dunk. The Cowboys immediately responded with a three-pointer by Archie. McNeese remained in control as they pushed their lead to 30 points with under eight minutes to go.
BIG NUMBER: 33
Quannas White’s Ragin’ Cajuns struggled with making their shots on Friday night as Louisiana shot 33 percent from the field on 18-of-54 shooting. In fact, the Cajuns had one more made field goal than turnovers (17).
BIG NUMBER II: 4,333
The Battle of I-10 set a new attendance record inside The Townsley Law Arena (formerly Legacy Center) as 4,333 people were in attendance for the rivalry game. The arena’s capacity is 4,244.
PLAYER OF THE GAME (RAGIN’ CAJUNS): DORIAN FINISTER
Louisiana’s lone player to score in double figures was a bright spot as he led the Ragin’ Cajuns with 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He also pulled down five rebounds.
PLAYER OF THE GAME (COWBOYS): LARRY JOHNSON
The McNeese redshirt freshman continues to shine coming off the bench for the Cowboys. He led the team in scoring with 24 on 7-of-11 shooting in just 20 minutes.
UP NEXT: Louisiana (1-3) will begin a three-game road trip in California when they play at Stanford on Tuesday. The tip is set for 9 p.m. McNeese (3-1) will travel to the Caribbean for the Cayman Islands Classic and will take on George Washington on Sunday, November 23. Tip is set for 4 p.m.