After the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns resounding win over Texas State on Friday, they seemed poised to do the same thing in the semifinal against UT Arlington. However, the Cajuns learned the hard way that it’s hard to beat a good team like the Mavericks three times in a season as they came up just short on Saturday.
The Cajuns came out of the gates strong, getting out to a 9-2 lead with 15:53 left in the first half. However, the Mavs responded with a 15-4 run to take control of the ballgame. The Cajuns went cold from the field towards the end of the first half, but were able to stay within three points at the break after a late layup from Justin Miller.
The second half was more of the same with the Cajuns keeping it within five points for much of the ballgame. They took the lead with 5:47 left in regulation with a layup from Marcus Stroman. It wasn’t enough though after a pair of poor possessions was enough to give the Mavericks a three-point win.
The Cajuns are now headed to the NIT and will wait to find out who they face off against.
-Clint Domingue