The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball team celebrated senior day in style with a 59-46 victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday afternoon inside the Cajundome. The win gets them back to even .500 in Sun Belt Conference play at 7-7 and moves their overall record to 12-12.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The day began with four players being honored for senior day. Tamera Johnson, Lanay Wheaton, Destiny Rice, and Mariah Stewart were all recognized on the court pregame. Stewart was added to thee starting lineup, and knocked down the game’s first shot to give the Cajuns a 2-0 lead.
Early on, the teams went back and forth and had a nice rhythm offensively. Wheaton made the Cajuns’ first three to make it 5-2, and neither team was able to stretch out a lead in the first quarter. Johnson scored the final four points of the quarter, which gave Louisiana a 13-12 lead at the end of one.
In the second quarter both offenses struggled a bit more. At one point, we went a full four minutes of game time without either team adding to the scoreboard. Down the stretch of the half, Izzy Higginbottom hit a couple of tough looks for the Red Wolves, and she ended the half as the game’s leading scorer at eight.
The third quarter was perhaps the best of the entire season for Louisiana. They held the Red Wolves off the scoreboard for more than seven minutes, and stretched out a 19-0 run during that time frame. Jaylyn James led the way, knocking down multiple three-point shots and being the offensive catalyst. By the end of the quarter, Louisiana had turned a tie game into an 18-point lead.
In the fourth, Louisiana did a good job keeping their lead. The Red Wolves made it to the free throw line often, but the Cajuns countered it on the other end with long offensive possessions. Eventually Arkansas State ran out of time to cut any further into the lead, and the Cajuns held on for a 59-46 conference win.
BIG NUMBER: 40
Louisiana has struggled to rebound all season. However, today they secured 40 of them and out-rebounded the Red Wolves by 11. That was a huge key in the win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Tamera Johnson
Tamera had a big game, securing a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Her hustle set the tone and allowed Louisiana to pick up a huge conference victory.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will head on the road to face South Alabama in Mobile on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM.