The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns were able to start off the Sun Belt tournament the right way with a strong fourth quarter performance and come away with a 79-72 victory over UL Monroe.
After the Cajuns got the first baskets off a pair of free throws from Gabby Alexander, the Warhawks got on a 12-0 run to give them the edge. However, that lead would quickly evaporate as the Cajuns tied things up to end the first quarter.
UL Monroe would break the tie and begin to take control for much of the second quarter. The Cajuns would end the first half though with a strong run and cut the deficit down to two after it had gotten back up to double digits.
The game would get tied up yet again to start the second half, but that wouldn’t last long as the Warhawks were able to hold onto a 57-52 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
The final quarter saw the Cajuns get back out in front with 8:11 left in regulation thanks to a layup from Nekia Jones. The Cajuns kept themselves in the game throughout and hung on to advance to the next round of the Sun Belt tournament against their in-state rival.
The Cajuns will have a day off before they take on fourth-seeded Texas State on Thursday with tipoff set for 2 pm.
By the Numbers:
15: Number of points by Simone Fields in the second half. Jones really put the team on her back late in the game to help push the Cajuns to a victory.
13: Number of points off turnovers for UL Monroe . They were able to make the most of the few mistakes that the Cajuns made as they only had eight turnovers all game.
25: Number of second chance points for the Cajuns. They dominated the offensive boards and that was how they were able to get things going in the final quarter.
-Clint Domingue