Saturday night was not a good night for either team inside the Cajundome when it came to shooting. Both teams looked inefficient at times, but the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (12-4, 2-1 Sun Belt) were able to pull one out against the UL Monroe Warhawks (6-10, 0-3 Sun Belt) with a 69-60 victory.
The first half started with an early back and forth until P.J. Hardy got involved as he would get hot once again from beyond with three straight to make it 14-10 with 12:40 left in the first half. They would continue to hold onto the lead and head into the locker room at the half with a 12 point edge.
The Warhawks would come back with a strong start to the second half, going on a 10-0 run to tie things up. However, that did not last long as the Cajuns would get back out in front. UL Monroe would keep it within two possessions until the final minutes where the Cajuns would quickly get it to 10 points and end the game with a nine point win over their in-state rival.
The Cajuns will now get a week off and stay at home for the second in a three game homestand when they host Georgia Southern (9-6, 2-0 SBC) with tipoff set for 7:15 pm.
By the Numbers:
34: Number of points in paint the Warhawks had on the evening. It was a big reason why they were able to stay in the contest when the Cajuns shooting went cold.
21: Number of boards that Bryce Washington had. This was a career high for him and ended up with his 13th double-double of the season with 10 points, six of which came from behind the charity stripe:
72: The Cajuns free throw percentage in a winning effort. This may have been the deciding factor as both teams shot below 40 percent from the field.
-Clint Domingue