BEAUMONT, Texas – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball team got off to a hot start Wednesday night, but the Lamar Cardinals used their size and took advantage of 17 turnovers en route to a 65-55 victory at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena.
Braden Earl scored 24 points and hauled in a dozen rebounds to lead Lamar (5-2), which used their size to an 18-point advantage in the paint. Andrew Holifield added 13 points for the hosts, while Cody Pennebaker and Rob Lee, Jr. tallied 10 points each.
Jaxon Olvera led a balanced scoring attack for Louisiana (1-8) with 11 points, while Dariyus Woodson and Dorian Finister scored nine points each.
Louisiana trailed 9-6 at the first media timeout but used solid defense and hot perimeter shooting to fuel a 16-2 run for a 22-11 lead at the 8:18 mark of the first half. A 3-pointer by Olvera started the run, and senior Milan Mejia drained back-to-back shots from beyond the arc before a 3-pointer from freshman Joshua Lewis ended the flurry.
East started the comeback for Lamar with back-to-back buckets inside, and Pennebaker used a pair of steals to cut deeper into the lead as the Cajuns suffered five turnovers over the final six minutes. Lamar battled back to tie the game at 27 before a Finister putback gave the Cajuns a 29-27 lead at the break.
Louisiana shot 48 percent in the first half, including 5-for-12 from behind the 3-point line, while the Ragin’ Cajuns defense held Lamar to 10-for-29 (34.5 percent) from the floor leading up to intermission.
A pair of three-point baskets by Finister helped Louisiana stage a 37-29 lead in the second half, but East scored back-to-back baskets inside to keep the Cardinals close.
A layup by Woodson pushed the margin to seven points with 12:56 to play, but Louisiana would go the next 5:30 without a field goal, and Lamar took the lead for good on a three-point play by B.B. Knight. Mejia broke the dry spell for Louisiana with a bucket that got the Ragin’ Cajuns to within two, 48-46 with 6:36 to play.
Lee and Holifield followed with the first two 3-pointers of the night for the Cardinals, sparking a 10-2 run and keeping Louisiana no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Louisiana returns home on Saturday to face UNC Wilmington at the Cajundome. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Season tickets for the 2025-26 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Men’s Basketball season are available now at RaginCajuns.com/tickets [ragincajuns.evenue.net] or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
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