University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, January 21
Lafayette
7:15 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
8-8, 4-3SBC
92
vs
82
South Alabama
7-11, 2-5SBC
1
2
F
South Alabama
44
38
82
Louisiana
46
46
92
Team Stats
USA
UL
FG%
.585
.444
3FG%
.471
.435
FT%
.545
.723
RB
27
34
TO
21
17
STL
4
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
27
FGM
7
3FGM
6
FTM
7
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Shepherd Scores Career-High 27 in Wild 92-82 Win
1/21/2016 11:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Six Cajuns score in double figures in tense meeting between teams
LAFAYETTE – Senior Kasey Shepherd scored a career-high with 27 points to lead six players in double figures and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team overcame a blistering performance from the field by South Alabama to claim a wild 92-82 victory in a Sun Belt Conference contest on Thursday at the Cajundome.
Hayward Register added 13 points for Louisiana (8-8, 4-3 SBC), which won its third straight game and was playing its first of a season-high five-game stretch at home. Bryce Washington added 12 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Shawn Long adding 11, Johnathan Stove 10 and Jay Wright 10. The Ragin' Cajuns overcame a South Alabama (7-11, 2-5 SBC) squad that shot 58.5 percent from the floor – the best mark against Louisiana this season – and a contest that saw a total of nine technical fouls called, including a combined three just after the first-half buzzer.
"Crazy game," head coach Bob Marlin said. "We got off to a decent start and then we didn't guard those guys. They got hot for awhile, but we settled in … in the second half , we were able to get the free throws and get the ball back. I knew Kasey would make his four free throws and it got him going in the second half."
South Alabama (7-11, 2-5 SBC), which was coming off an upset win over UT Arlington and had won seven of the last 10 meetings with the Ragin' Cajuns, went 17-for-25 (68.0 percent) from the floor and used a 17-7 run in the first half to take a 26-18 lead after a steal and dunk by John Brown with 7:23 left.
But then the Cajuns responded behind the shooting of Shepherd, who finished 7-for-10 with a career-best 6-for-8 performance from behind the 3-point line. Jay Wright started a 14-5 run for the Ragin' Cajuns with a pair of free throws before Shepherd hit the first of three straight 3-pointers that would eventually close the gap to 31-30.
Devonta Walker tied the game at 31-31 when he made the first of two free throws before two free throws by Jay Hedgeman gave the Cajuns a 33-31 lead at the 4:29 mark.
Barrington Stevens III answered with a 3-pointer for the Jaguars, who took a 34-33 lead, but Register would answer with a 3-pointer and Hedgeman would put the Cajuns up for good, 38-36, when he was fouled.
Hedgeman converted on his free throw and Stove made one of two after a technical foul on Stevens that gave Louisiana a 40-36 lead and the Cajuns kept their six-point lead heading into the final minute of the first half.
South Alabama cut into the Ragin' Cajuns lead in the final 22 seconds of the half as Ken Williams made a pair of free throws and added a layup just before the buzzer that cut the deficit to 46-44. But Williams, Brown and the Ragin' Cajuns bench were each assessed technical fouls as the teams were about to head to their respective locker rooms.
Williams opened the second half making one of two free throws that cut the lead to 46-45 before Shepherd, the league leader in free throw percentage, made four straight attempts to give Louisiana a 50-45 lead.
Stove followed with a baseline jumper and Shepherd added a 3-pointer that closed out a 9-0 run and gave Louisiana a 55-45 lead with 18:53 left. Shepherd buried another 3-pointer that gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 58-46 advantage and the lead would eventually get to 70-50 after Washington scored on a jumper in the lane.
Long, who pushed his career total in scoring to 1,998 points, hit a free throw with 4:51 remaining that gave Louisiana its biggest lead of the game, 86-65, and a 3-pointer by Wright gave the Cajuns a 90-71 lead with 2:27 left.
"We pushed the lead up to double figures, and had a chance to really step on it and relax," Marlin said of the Jaguars late 11-2 rally, "but we didn't close the game off the way we needed to."
Louisiana finished 24-for-54 (44.4 percent) from the floor and 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) from behind the free throw line. The Ragin' Cajuns set season-highs in both free throws made (34) and attempts (47) while holding a 34-27 advantage on the glass and forcing a season-high 21 turnovers.
South Alabama finished 31-for-53 (58.5 percent) from the floor for the game, eclipsing the previous high (56.4 percent) set by Miami on Nov. 16. Williams led the Jaguars with 16 points with Shaq Calhoun adding 13 points, Stevens 12 and Nick Stover 12.
Louisiana will return to action on Saturday (Jan. 23) when it plays host to Troy (6-12, 1-6 SBC) in a Sun Belt Conference that will be televised on ESPN3. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Hayward Register added 13 points for Louisiana (8-8, 4-3 SBC), which won its third straight game and was playing its first of a season-high five-game stretch at home. Bryce Washington added 12 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Shawn Long adding 11, Johnathan Stove 10 and Jay Wright 10. The Ragin' Cajuns overcame a South Alabama (7-11, 2-5 SBC) squad that shot 58.5 percent from the floor – the best mark against Louisiana this season – and a contest that saw a total of nine technical fouls called, including a combined three just after the first-half buzzer.
"Crazy game," head coach Bob Marlin said. "We got off to a decent start and then we didn't guard those guys. They got hot for awhile, but we settled in … in the second half , we were able to get the free throws and get the ball back. I knew Kasey would make his four free throws and it got him going in the second half."
South Alabama (7-11, 2-5 SBC), which was coming off an upset win over UT Arlington and had won seven of the last 10 meetings with the Ragin' Cajuns, went 17-for-25 (68.0 percent) from the floor and used a 17-7 run in the first half to take a 26-18 lead after a steal and dunk by John Brown with 7:23 left.
But then the Cajuns responded behind the shooting of Shepherd, who finished 7-for-10 with a career-best 6-for-8 performance from behind the 3-point line. Jay Wright started a 14-5 run for the Ragin' Cajuns with a pair of free throws before Shepherd hit the first of three straight 3-pointers that would eventually close the gap to 31-30.
Devonta Walker tied the game at 31-31 when he made the first of two free throws before two free throws by Jay Hedgeman gave the Cajuns a 33-31 lead at the 4:29 mark.
Barrington Stevens III answered with a 3-pointer for the Jaguars, who took a 34-33 lead, but Register would answer with a 3-pointer and Hedgeman would put the Cajuns up for good, 38-36, when he was fouled.
Hedgeman converted on his free throw and Stove made one of two after a technical foul on Stevens that gave Louisiana a 40-36 lead and the Cajuns kept their six-point lead heading into the final minute of the first half.
South Alabama cut into the Ragin' Cajuns lead in the final 22 seconds of the half as Ken Williams made a pair of free throws and added a layup just before the buzzer that cut the deficit to 46-44. But Williams, Brown and the Ragin' Cajuns bench were each assessed technical fouls as the teams were about to head to their respective locker rooms.
Williams opened the second half making one of two free throws that cut the lead to 46-45 before Shepherd, the league leader in free throw percentage, made four straight attempts to give Louisiana a 50-45 lead.
Stove followed with a baseline jumper and Shepherd added a 3-pointer that closed out a 9-0 run and gave Louisiana a 55-45 lead with 18:53 left. Shepherd buried another 3-pointer that gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 58-46 advantage and the lead would eventually get to 70-50 after Washington scored on a jumper in the lane.
Long, who pushed his career total in scoring to 1,998 points, hit a free throw with 4:51 remaining that gave Louisiana its biggest lead of the game, 86-65, and a 3-pointer by Wright gave the Cajuns a 90-71 lead with 2:27 left.
"We pushed the lead up to double figures, and had a chance to really step on it and relax," Marlin said of the Jaguars late 11-2 rally, "but we didn't close the game off the way we needed to."
Louisiana finished 24-for-54 (44.4 percent) from the floor and 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) from behind the free throw line. The Ragin' Cajuns set season-highs in both free throws made (34) and attempts (47) while holding a 34-27 advantage on the glass and forcing a season-high 21 turnovers.
South Alabama finished 31-for-53 (58.5 percent) from the floor for the game, eclipsing the previous high (56.4 percent) set by Miami on Nov. 16. Williams led the Jaguars with 16 points with Shaq Calhoun adding 13 points, Stevens 12 and Nick Stover 12.
Louisiana will return to action on Saturday (Jan. 23) when it plays host to Troy (6-12, 1-6 SBC) in a Sun Belt Conference that will be televised on ESPN3. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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