LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Men’s Basketball battled back with a 21-7 run down the stretch, but were unable to overtake Jackson State, falling 75-70 on Sunday afternoon at the Cajundome.
Kobe Julien bounced back after a short shooting slump with a team-high 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
Junior forward Theo Akwuba scored in double figures for the second consecutive game. Akwuba totaled 10 points, four rebounds, a block, and a steal in his final stat line.
Sophomore Jordan Brown kept his scoring streak alive with 11 points. Brown has tallied 10+ in every contest this season. The newcomer also added five rebounds and two assists.
Junior Jalen Dalcourt provided a late scoring burst and finished the game with nine points. Dalcourt knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the second half to aid the comeback attempt.
The Ragin’ Cajuns had a sluggish start out of the gate, but kept pace with the Tigers in the early stretch. With 10 minutes elapsed, the Tigers held a seven-point lead. Antwann Jones, Joe Charles and Dou Gueye all contributed buckets in the game’s opening minutes.
A 13-5 run down the opening period’s back half gave Jackson State an 11-point advantage. Louisiana struggled with turnovers throughout the contest totaling 19 on the afternoon.
A 3-pointer by Kentrell Garnett and three conversions at the foul line cut the lead back down to single digits, but a costly foul on the half’s final possession gave the Tigers three free throws and a 44-33 advantage at the break.
The Ragin’ Cajuns tried on multiple occasions to jump-start an early second-half scoring run, but turnovers quickly halted all attempts.
Jackson State stretched its lead to 16, the largest of the game with just over nine minutes remaining.
Dalcourt gave Louisiana life with a pair of 3-pointers that sandwiched a layup by Brown. The 8-0 run cut the advantage down to nine with six minutes to play.
The Ragin’ Cajuns ramped up their defense and held the Tigers scoreless for three minutes and 49 seconds of the game’s closing stretch, but failed to cash in at the foul line, missing four free throws with under three minutes remaining.
Trailing by just two, a Julien layup attempt hit the rim and was possessed by Jackson State to seal the victory for the Tigers.
The Ragin’ Cajuns will be back in action at 7 p.m. Friday when they host New Orleans at the Cajundome. The game will be available for live stream on ESPN+.
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