LAFAYETTE – Lanay Wheaton scored a season-high 13 points and led five different players who made a three-pointer as the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Women’s Basketball team captured a 64-46 win over LSU Shreveport in the 10th Annual Education Game in front of an all-time attendance record crowd of 3,572 on Tuesday, December 19 at the Cajundome.
Wheaton was near-perfect from beyond the arc, firing off a 3-for-4 showing in three-point makes – also a season-high total for her. As a team, Louisiana (4-5) converted 50 percent of its treys finishing 8-of-16 to light the way in snapping a three-game losing streak.
The Ragin’ Cajuns knocked down multiple triples in each of the first three quarters of play, including a combined six three-balls over the second and third quarter in fueling a 37-23 scoring gap that allowed UL to break free from a six-point lead after the opening frame and enter the final quarter with a 20-point edge (54-34) over LSU-S.
UL was able to spread its offensive production out as eight different players scored at least four points and there were seven individuals who made multiple field goals.
Despite playing without leading rebounder Tamera Johnson (nose injury), the Cajuns out-rebounded the Pilots 40-37 which included 14 on the offensive glass. A total of 10 different players nabbed multiple boards to offset Johnson’s absence.
Louisiana improved to 6-4 in the Education Game series, which began in December 2014, and defeated LSU Shreveport in the event for the third straight season.
Tuesday’s contest marked the final outing prior to the Christmas holiday break. It was also UL’s last non-conference game prior to Sun Belt play beginning on Saturday, December 30 vs. App State, when the season resumes and the month-ending, four-game holiday homestand concludes.
LEADING THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS
Wheaton’s season-high 13 points was closely followed by Destiny Rice’s 11 points. Rice hit three baskets in the first quarter, which included two from three-point range, in producing nine points helping Louisiana lay claim to the lead.
Brandi Williams was successful on all four of her field goal attempts, resulting in nine points. Williams helped the Cajuns keep control early in the third quarter with two baskets in the first three minutes.
Points production in the post came from the trio of Wilnie Joseph (5), Mariah Stewart (4) and Ashlyn Jones (4) which combined for six field goal makes and 14 points in Johnson’s absence.
Rice hauled in a season-high seven rebounds and was joined by Alicia Blanton, who collected five rebounds, in pacing the Cajuns plus-3 margin on the boards despite being shorthanded.
Louisiana had an assist on 12 of its 22 field goal makes with Rice being joined by four others (Williams, Tamiah Robinson, Blanton and Nubia Benedith) in handing out two assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Joseph sparked a game-opening 7-3 spurt by Louisiana, collecting an offensive rebound which led to Rice’s first triple at 8:59 for a 5-0 start and ended the run with a paint basket 7:38.
The Pilots found five unanswered points to claim its lone lead of the game entering the media timeout at 4:53. Out of the break, Rice converted a three-point play at 4:08 for the lead and followed up with a conventional three-pointer off of an LSU-S turnover to open a 13-8 edge at 3:48.
Two minutes into the second quarter the Cajuns began to break away from a 17-11 contest with the long-distance magic. It started with Brandi Williams’ trey at 8:02, then triples from Wheaton and Aasia Sam on the next two touches to grow the lead to 26-14 by the 6:27 mark.
Joseph’s and-one conversion on the final play of the first half upped the Cajuns lead to 32-18 and ensured the margin would remain in double digits the remainder of the contest.
LSU-S made a push at the onset of the third, an Alexis Brown three-point play capping off a 6-0 run that trimmed the UL lead down to 34-24. Williams fed Jones for a Cajuns score that broke the run, knocked down a jumper of her own the next possession, and Rice powered inside for a layup at 6:09 to return the lead to 14 points at 40-26.
The Pilots never got any closer as Louisiana continued its run out of the media timeout, stretching it out to 7-0 after Benedith’s triple made it 45-26 at 3:22. The lead then moved above 20 points following Wheaton’s second trey which came at 2:30 and increased the lead to 48-27.
Wheaton’s third and final three-point make of the game was the Cajuns’ final score of the third quarter and returned the margin to 20 points at 54-33. From there, UL coasted until the final horn sounded.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns have a 10-day break from play for the Christmas holiday, then return to the Cajundome on Saturday, December 30 to complete their current homestand and begin Sun Belt Conference play vs. App State.
The SBC opener with the Mountaineers tips at 1:00 p.m. It's the third straight season that Louisiana kicks off conference play at home.
Following the App State contest, the Cajuns tackle their longest road stretch of the season – a two-week, four-game SBC trek that takes the squad to Old Dominion and James Madison from January 4-6 followed by trips to Troy and Arkansas State from January 10-13.
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