If Wednesday’s matchup is a sign of what a matchup between LSU and Louisiana could be, this might be a wild series between the two. Despite a quick start for the Ragin Cajuns, the Tigers were able to pull away in the final minutes of a very chippy matchup, winning 84-76.
The Cajuns came out of the gates strong, going on a 7-0 run in the opening 1:56 of the first quarter. However, LSU cut away at the lead, taking the lead off of a jumper from Tremont Waters with 2:05 left in the first.
The Cajuns managed to keep it competitive in the second quarter, but some poor shooting from three allowed the Tigers to get out to a ten-point lead with 3:21 left until halftime. Duop Reath made it 40-28 at the break when he drained a three with 44 seconds left.
The second half started out with Louisiana chipping away at the lead early on, getting it down to three points with 5:30 left in the third quarter. However, LSU was able to keep them at bay and were able to make it an eight point ballgame headed into the fourth after Reath hit his second three-pointer.
The fourth quarter got wild towards the end of the ballgame, with the Cajuns rallying back and going on an 11-1 run to make it a one-point ballgame with 1:39 left in regulation. However, the Tigers were able to get things done at the free-throw line and a dunk from Brandon Sampson put the game out of reach. However, that didn’t stop both teams from coming close to blows.
After Will Wade called timeout with 12 seconds left, Marlin and Wade had to be pulled apart. That turned into a scrum with the two teams, but they were separated by the officials to avoid any physical confrontations.
LSU will return to action Utah is with tipoff time to be determined.
-Clint Domingue