The University of Louisiana men’s basketball team dropped its final game of the MGM Resorts Main Event on Tuesday evening. UL fell to UC Irvine 92-67 as the Ragin’ Cajuns dropped to 4-3 overall on the season.
How It Happened:
UC Irvine started off the game fast with a 10-0 run. Tommy Rutherford started off the scoring spurt with a layup, followed by a pair of three-pointers by John Edgar Jr. and then a layup by Eysaau Worku.
UL cut the lead down to five with Jalen Johnson’s layup with 16:17 left in the half but UC Irvine would push the lead as high as up as 14 in the first half.
A jumper by Johnson made it a four-point game with 6:58 left in the half but once again UC Irvine responded. At the break, the Anteaters led 40-33.
The Ragin’ Cajuns kept it close to start the second half.
UL cut the lead down to a mere three points after P.J. Hardy’s three-pointer with 15:38 left in the second half. UC Irvine, the defending Big West Conference champions, answered right back outscoring UL 29-14 over the course of the next 10:12 and scored on 11 straight possessions.
UL meanwhile was held without a field goal for the final 4:26 and shot 43.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Big Number: 31.3
UL shot just 31.3 percent from the floor as the Ragin’ Cajuns made 20-of-64 field goal attempts in Tuesday night’s defeat.
Player of the Game: P.J. Hardy
The UL senior came off the bench to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns with 18 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range.
Next Up: UL will host Southeastern Louisiana at the Cajundome on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Tip is set for 7 p.m.