Coleby and Thomas Help Cajuns Top UCF in Non-Conference Finale

Box Score

The Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team shot above 60 percent nearly the entire second half to build a double figure lead and held off a late charge by UCF for a 61-60 victory Wednesday evening at the Cajundome.

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Louisiana (6-8) and sends the squad into Christmas break on a high note. The Cajuns ended a four-game win streak that UCF (8-3) carried into the contest.

Kadeem Coleby led UL with 20 points and nine rebounds as he bounced back from a scoreless effort at Robert Morris on Saturday in which he fouled out in only eight minutes of action.

J.J. Thomas returned after missing the previous six games with lingering effects from an off-season surgery. Thomas chipped in 12 points off the bench in 18 minutes.

After UCF trimmed the Cajuns lead to 41-36 with 11:16 remaining, Thomas hit two free throws at 10:52 and the Cajuns turned consecutive Knights turnovers into baskets by Thomas and Josh Brown to stretch the advantage to 47-36 with 9:31 on the clock.

Ahead 47-39 as the clock dipped under eight minutes, the Cajuns lead went back to double figures at 7:32 on a Thomas basket. After Coleby blocked a Keith Clanton attempt, Elfrid Payton weaved through the lane for a layup that increased the lead to 51-39.

David Perez buried a three-pointer at 5:52 – his fourth of the night – to extend the lead to 54-41. UCF used a 7-1 run to pull within seven points, 55-48, with 4:31 left to play.

When Coleby dunked off a feed from Darshawn McClellan at the 3:06 mark the Cajuns lead was 59-50. The Knights scored six unanswered points closing the deficit to 59-56 with 1:33 remaining on a Tristan Spurlock basket.

Marcus Jordan missed a three-point attempt with seven seconds left and the ball was last touched by UCF. Spurlock was whistled for a foul on the inbounds attempt sending Perez to the free throw line where he made 1-of-2 to provide UL with a 61-57 edge.

The win kept the Cajuns undefeated all-time vs. UCF in the Cajundome (5-0). It also extended the squad's homecourt win streak to four games.

Louisiana takes nine days off from game action for Christmas break and returns to action on New Year's Eve at the Cajundome in the 2011-12 Sun Belt Conference opener against Florida Atlantic. Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m.

The lead swapped hands four times after Brown opened the scoring with a free throw at 19:17. Coleby returned the lead to UL at 17:36 as he drove through traffic for a layup and a 5-4 advantage.

Coleby's basket was the start of an 8-0 run by Louisiana that was capped off by another bucket from the Cajuns center at 15:30 which increased the Cajuns lead to 11-4.

The Knights closed within two points at the 12:08 mark as Clanton scored an inside basket to drop the UL lead to 12-10. Thomas converted a shot in the lane to make it 14-10 with 11:09 remaining in the opening half.

UCF rattled off six unanswered points, getting four from Clanton, to take a 16-14 lead by the 8:19 mark.

Perez buried a triple as the shot clock was expiring at the 7:40 mark to return the lead to the Cajuns. He then drained a pair of triples during the six-minute mark to stretch the Louisiana lead to 23-16.

A reverse layup by Clanton at 3:36 pulled the Knights within two points, 25-23. UL responded with a driving layup by Thomas on the ensuing possession, then after Jordan missed a three-pointer Payton went coast-to-coast for a layup at 2:55 that extended the lead to 29-23.

UCF scored the final five points of the half closing out with a three-point make by Jordan as the clock expired to lower the Cajuns halftime advantage to 29-28.

The Knights scored the first points of the second half and took a 30-29 lead following a Jordan jumper at 19:25.

The Cajuns held UCF without a field goal make for the next seven minutes and opened a 37-30 lead following a Thomas basket with 13:43 remaining.

UCF broke the field goal drought with a Jordan layup at 12:53. UL picked up a Coleby layup at 12:37 and basket from Brown at 11:48 to extend the lead to the largest at that time in the game, 41-33.

The Knights scored three points off a free throw situation at 11:18 as Jordan made the front end, missed the second and Dwight McCombs put back the miss to trim the UL lead to 41-36.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Coleby and Thomas Help Cajuns Top UCF in Non-Conference Finale

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