The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball team used a complete effort to beat the Texas State Bobcats 86-68 on the road in San Marcos on Wednesday night. The victory gets Louisiana back to even .500 in Sun Belt play at 3-3.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Louisiana got things started with forward Joe Charles, who scored their first five points of the contest. The teams traded the lead a couple of times throughout the first segment of play, with the Cajuns ahead 13-11 at the under 16-minute media timeout.
Following a 13-13 tie, Louisiana would take a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the half. The Cajuns led 23-19 at the next media timeout.
After that stoppage, the Louisiana defense would swarm, causing a stretch in which the Bobcats would not make a field goal for more than eight minutes of game time. That also allowed the lead to grow, and it was 36-23 before the field goal drought was finally ended. By the half, the Cajuns had firmly taken control, leading 44-29. Themus Fulks filled up the stat sheet in the half, tallying 11 points, six assists, and three rebounds.
The second half began with four straight Cajuns’ points, allowing the lead to get up to 19. The Bobcats battled to stay in it, but could not create a serious run early in the half. A Kentrell Garnett three point shot gave Louisiana a 56-35 lead with just under 14 minutes to play, representing their largest of the contest to that point.
Texas State entered this game short-handed due to injuries, and that became apparent in the second half. While UL was also without a couple of players, that impact was not nearly as felt as the Bobcats’ absences. A 19-3 run have Louisiana a 35 point lead at 75-40 and put this game away well before it’s actual conclusion.
The Bobcats did fight until the end, putting together an 11-0 run at one point to make the score much more respectable. However, the Cajuns held on with plenty of room to spare, winning 86-68.
BIG NUMBER: 5
Louisiana finished with five players in double figures. The balanced scoring effort helped pace them in a big road victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Themus Fulks
Themus led the way with a double-double effort, totaling 13 points and 10 assists. He also added five rebounds in an excellent effort to lead the way for Louisiana on Wednesday.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will finally finish a two-week, four-game road trip on Saturday afternoon in Mobile against South Alabama at 3:00.