Louisiana opened the 2022 season at the Cajundome tonight facing in-state opponent Centenary. Expectations for this Cajuns team were high with being the preseason conference favorite and they delivered in the opener, winning over the Gents
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Cajuns opened the contest on a 14-2 run, with 11 consecutive points at one point. At the under-16 timeout, Jordan Brown led Louisiana with five points, and Terence Lewis II led with three rebounds. The Cajuns held Centenary to 25% shooting in the first four minutes.
At the 11:52 mark of the first half, Louisiana had a 12-point lead while shooting 47% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Brown sat at nine points and four boards through this point, while five Cajuns had scored.
Four minutes later, the Cajuns held a 35-17 lead and benefitted from a big first half from Brown, who was living up to the preseason hype early on. Lewis also had an impressive start to the game with seven points and four rebounds.
The Cajuns stretched their lead to 28 at the under-four break. Albeit a lower opponent, it’s evident early on that Louisiana has a special chemistry on the floor. Cross-court passes were crisp, shots were falling, and the help defense was impressive as well. At this point, the Cajuns were shooting at a 59% clip from the field with eight assists and five turnovers.
At the halftime break, Louisiana held a 59-21 advantage over Centenary. Jordan Brown led the way with 17 first-half points and 6 rebounds while the leader for the Gents was Quentin Beverly with seven.
The Cajuns opened the second half outscoring the Gents 16-7 to make it 75-28 with 14:45 left in the contest.
Over the final 15 minutes of the contest, Louisiana outscored the Gents 31-27 to win 106-55. Jordan Brown led all scorers with 26 points and Braeden Board led Centenary with 19.
BIG NUMBER: 28.4
Louisiana held Centenary to 28.4% shooting from the field tonight. The Cajuns were also able to force 15 turnovers from the Gents and turn that into 21 points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jordan Brown
Brown had an excellent first night of the season, scoring 26 points on 9-11 shooting in 27 minutes of action. The former Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year also had nine rebounds and three assists on the night.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will travel to Asheville, North Carolina for the 2022 Asheville Championship. The Cajuns will take on Harvard Friday afternoon.