University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Tuesday, March 4
Pensacola, Fla.
7:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
12-20,8-10Sun Belt
73
vs
69
ULM
7-25,3-15Sun Belt
1
2
OT 1
F
ULM
24
39
6
69
Louisiana
26
37
10
73
Louisiana Advances Behind Huge Nights from Thomas and El Moutaouakkil
3/4/2025 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Cajuns advance to face Old Dominion tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.
PENSACOLA, Florida - Career nights from Michael Thomas and Mostapha El Moutaouakkil led the Louisiana men's basketball team to a 73-69 overtime victory over ULM in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Championships on Monday in the Pensacola Bay Center.
El Moutaouakkil led all starters with 28 points, his most as a Cajun, along with six boards and two steals. The junior was 10-of-17 from the field and sank eight free throws in the win. Thomas scored a career-high 21 points, going 5-for-9 from deep, along with four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Thomas had 16 of his points in the second half while El Moutaouakkil scored 18 in the second half and overtime.
Christian Wright added nine points, including a clutch late three, and five assists. Brandon Hardy and Kyran Ratliff each scored five points off the bench.
Neither side could take the momentum early as the offenses settled in. A three from the wing by Ratliff followed by a free throw by El Moutaouakkil gave Louisiana the first two-possession lead at 13-9. ULM answered right back, scoring the next six points to jump back in front by two.
Wright hit a three with 5:20 to go in the half to put Louisiana ahead 21-19, but ULM retook the lead on the next possession with a three of their own. El Moutaouakkil scored the last five Cajun points to send them into the locker room with a 26-24 lead.
El Moutaouakkil and Thomas scored the first 11 points for Louisiana out of the half to push it to a seven-point lead. The Warhawks refused to go away though, scoring the next five to make it 37-35. Louisiana would slowly add to their lead and pushed it to eight with 7:37 to play, but the offense went cold and allowed ULM to trim the lead to one with 4:40 left in regulation.
Thomas ended the run with a three as the teams started to trade buckets. A ULM three with 92 seconds left put them back on top 59-58. Louisiana immediately answered with an alley-oop to Ratliff to retake the lead. After ULM matched the Cajuns with a bucket, it was Thomas once again with the big shot, hitting a three for a 63-61 lead with 40 seconds left. On the other end, ULM drew a foul and sank both free throws to send the game to overtime tied at 63.
Louisiana found a little edge in the extra period after a jumper by El Moutaouakkil gave them a 68-66 lead. After a stop on the defensive end, Wright hit a three from the wing to seal the ball game.
The Ragin' Cajuns will face No. 10 Old Dominion at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the second round of the SBC Championships in Pensacola. The winner of that game will advance to face Texas State on Thursday.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).
El Moutaouakkil led all starters with 28 points, his most as a Cajun, along with six boards and two steals. The junior was 10-of-17 from the field and sank eight free throws in the win. Thomas scored a career-high 21 points, going 5-for-9 from deep, along with four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Thomas had 16 of his points in the second half while El Moutaouakkil scored 18 in the second half and overtime.
Christian Wright added nine points, including a clutch late three, and five assists. Brandon Hardy and Kyran Ratliff each scored five points off the bench.
Neither side could take the momentum early as the offenses settled in. A three from the wing by Ratliff followed by a free throw by El Moutaouakkil gave Louisiana the first two-possession lead at 13-9. ULM answered right back, scoring the next six points to jump back in front by two.
Wright hit a three with 5:20 to go in the half to put Louisiana ahead 21-19, but ULM retook the lead on the next possession with a three of their own. El Moutaouakkil scored the last five Cajun points to send them into the locker room with a 26-24 lead.
El Moutaouakkil and Thomas scored the first 11 points for Louisiana out of the half to push it to a seven-point lead. The Warhawks refused to go away though, scoring the next five to make it 37-35. Louisiana would slowly add to their lead and pushed it to eight with 7:37 to play, but the offense went cold and allowed ULM to trim the lead to one with 4:40 left in regulation.
Thomas ended the run with a three as the teams started to trade buckets. A ULM three with 92 seconds left put them back on top 59-58. Louisiana immediately answered with an alley-oop to Ratliff to retake the lead. After ULM matched the Cajuns with a bucket, it was Thomas once again with the big shot, hitting a three for a 63-61 lead with 40 seconds left. On the other end, ULM drew a foul and sank both free throws to send the game to overtime tied at 63.
Louisiana found a little edge in the extra period after a jumper by El Moutaouakkil gave them a 68-66 lead. After a stop on the defensive end, Wright hit a three from the wing to seal the ball game.
The Ragin' Cajuns will face No. 10 Old Dominion at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the second round of the SBC Championships in Pensacola. The winner of that game will advance to face Texas State on Thursday.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).
Team Stats
ULM
LA
FG%
.462
.450
3FG%
.412
.417
FT%
.636
.643
RB
31
34
TO
11
10
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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