The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball team suffered their first road loss of the season on Friday night.
UT Arlington defeated the Ragin’ Cajuns 91-86 in the first of the two-game series.
Louisiana is now 8-4 for the season.
How It Happened:
Ragin’ Cajuns forward Theo Akwuba opened up the game with the first field goal.
The game remained back-and-forth as the UT Arlington Mavericks grabbed their first lead with 17:38 left in the first half.
The Mavericks led 8-5 after a 3-pointer by Shahada Wells.
Isaiah Richards scored off a UT Arlington turnover to give Louisiana an 18-16 lead with 12:31 left in the half.
The Mavericks started to pull away from the Ragin’ Cajuns towards the end of the first half. They led by seven points with 1:59 left in the half.
UT Arlington’s Jordan Phillips gave his team a 39-32 lead following a made free throw.
Louisiana’s Mylik Wilson cut the deficit to four points before halftime. Wilson scored off the fast break and the Ragin’ Cajuns trailed 40-36 at the end of the first half.
Akwuba opened the second half the same way he opened the game. He scored off a jumper this time as Louisiana trailed 40-38.
UT Arlington did not relinquish their lead in the entire second half, though. The Mavericks went on a 17-5 run in the second half. They led 63-50 with 11:06 remaining.
Louisiana started to chip away at the deficit. They used a 18-7 run to trail 70-68 with 5:26 left.
Wilson kept the Ragin’ Cajuns in the game with a fast break layup, but UT Arlington’s Sam Griffin brought the Mavericks lead to 75-70 with 2:46 left. Griffins nailed a 3-pointer with 2:06 remaining and the Mavericks led 78-71.
Wilson hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left in the game to make it a one possession game, but UT Arlington seal the win at the free throw line.
Big Number: 29:02
UT Arlington led for over 29 minutes in the win over Louisiana. They started to pull away at the end of the first half and did not give up their lead in the entire second half.
Player of the Game: Shahada Wells
Wells led the game with 31 points. He shot 9-of-18 from the field and made three 3-pointers. Wells got to the free throw line, shooting 10-for-11 from the line. Not only did Wells score, he provided eight total rebounds and five assists.
Up Next: On the road against UT Arlington, Saturday Jan. 16; Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.