Just a tough break for the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (16-10, 7-6 Sun Belt) with a hard-fought loss to Texas State (21-6, 10-4 Sun Belt) with a clutch three-pointer sealing the 64-62 win for the Bobcats.
How It Happened:
Texas State took control of the ballgame early in Saturday’s matchup starting off on a 6-0 run before the Cajuns responded with a run of their own to tie things up in the opening three minutes of the game. The Bobcats eventually started to pull away and took an imposing 12-point into the locker room.
The second half was more of the same with Texas State increasing their lead to as much as 18 points early in the first half. However, the Ragin Cajuns fought back with an impressive 11-2 run to make it a four-point ballgame with five minutes left in regulation. The Cajuns completed their rally with 1:40 left in the game when JaKeenan Gant jammed one home to give them a small one-point lead. It didn’t last long though as Nijal Patterson drained a three-pointer to put the dagger in the Cajuns hopes of coming away with a huge win.
Big Number: 40
While the Cajuns overall numbers on Saturday from three-point range are pretty subpar, you have to respect what they were able to do in the second half, shooting 40 percent from three.
Player of the Game: Cedric Russell
Cedric Russell stepped up in a huge way, putting up 25 points on the afternoon. We usually see JaKeenan Gant carry the proverbial load, but Russell looked great in a losing effort, especially in the second half when he got hot from the three-point line.
Next Up: Thursday vs Coastal Carolina; Tipoff at 7 pm
-Clint Domingue