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LAFAYETTE - Sophomore Elijah Millsap (Grambling, La.) scored a game- and career-high tying 21 points as the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team pulled out a 79-67 season-opening victory over North Alabama Wednesday night at the CAJUNDOME.
Louisiana (1-0) improved to 18-4 all-time in home openers at the CAJUNDOME, while head coach Robert Lee won his opener for third time in four seasons.
Wednesday marked the homecoming of former Ragin' Cajuns assistant coach and Lafayette native Bobby Champagne who now serves as North Alabama's head men's coach.
Freshman Chris Gradnigo (Lake Charles, La.) added 15 points. Senior guard David Dees (Dayton, Ohio) chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds.
North Alabama's Quinn Beckwith led the Lions with 15 points. Casey Holt chipped in 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Thomas Fraise added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Louisiana's first-half struggles carried over into the second half. Inexperience coupled with turnovers kept North Alabama within five points in the early stages of the second stanza.
With the Cajuns clinging to a 43-40 lead with less than 14 minutes left in regulation, North Alabama's Phil Collins provided the equalizer at the 13:39 mark.
A trio of free throws and two Millsap lay-ups broke the game open, providing the home team with a 50-43 lead with 11:11 remaining in the second half. Louisiana had a chance to close the door on the Lions early and add to its run, but Dees missed a wide-open dunk just before the under-12 media timeout.
Louisiana's lead increased to as many as 13 points late in the second half, taking a 76-63 lead with 35 seconds remaining in regulation.
La'Ryan Gary (Lafayette, La.), making his first career start, scored the game's first points to give Louisiana a quick 2-0 edge. Louisiana's lead would grow to as many as six points, 15-9. However, a 10-3 North Alabama run gave the visiting Lions a 19-18 advantage, silencing the CAJUNDOME crowd with 10:05 left to play in the first half.
A jumper by Dees regained a one-point lead, 20-19, for the Cajuns. Gary followed with a lay-up in the paint to give Louisiana a 22-19 edge. UL tired to pull away from the Lions, extending it leads to 26-21. But, a quick four-point spurt by North Alabama pulled the Lions to within a point, 26-25, forcing Louisiana to call timeout.
Later on in the first half, senior guard Maurice Barksdale (Baltimore, Md.) made his season debut for the Cajuns, seeing his first action since the 2005-06 season after missing last season with a wrist injury.
Louisiana and North Alabama traded baskets towards the end of the first half. The Lions were once again able to stay within a point as UL entered the locker room with a 32-21 halftime lead.
Gradnigo led all players with nine points in the first half. Dees added seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor, while three other players chipped in four points each.
Fraise paced UNA with eight points and six rebounds. Kenny Johnson added seven points with four boards.
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns return to action Friday when they travel to Ruston, La., to face in-state rival Louisiana Tech at the Thomas Assembly Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Fans can listen to the game live on SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM and Hot 107.9 FM beginning at 6:30 p.m. with Steve Peloquin.
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