For just the third time in program history, Louisiana emerged victorious over an opponent from the Southeastern Conference after it took down Ole Miss on the road, 53-42.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (7-3) now boast two wins over the Rebels all-time, the first an 82-78 victory on Nov. 15, 2015, in Oxford. The team also earned its first win over an SEC opponent since Nov. 27, 2015, when Louisiana defeated Arkansas, 67-59.
Louisiana controlled the game from start-to-finish, leading for 39:22 on Friday night. On top of outrebounding Ole Miss, 40-36, and forcing 19 Rebel turnovers, the Ragin’ Cajuns dazzled at the free throw line, finishing the game 20-for-24.
Junior Ty’Reona Doucet led the way with a game-high 16 points and narrowly missed out on her fourth double-double of the season with seven boards. Doucet also paced the team at the charity stripe with a 6-for-6 performance.
Skyler Goodwin finished the evening with eight points and seven rebounds, while Jasmine Thomas recorded eight points and led the team with three assists. Sophomore Brandi Williams added seven points and matched a career high on the glass with a team-high nine rebounds.
After pouring in the first four points of the game, Louisiana’s offense never relented and used an 11-1 run over a six-minute stretch to take a 17-6 lead late in the opening period behind six points from Doucet.
Leading 20-9 after the first 10 minutes, a pair of free throws from Kristen Daniels saw Louisiana take its largest lead of the game at 24-9 with 7:23 on the clock in the second quarter before a 9-0 Ole Miss run slashed that advantage to 24-18 five minutes later.
However, six quick points from Louisiana, four of which came from Doucet, put the Ragin’ Cajuns back ahead by double digits and sent the team into halftime up 30-20.
Ole Miss attempted to work its way back into the game, holding Louisiana to just nine points in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 37-33 with 1:55 in the period following back-to-back triples by Torri Lewis and a made free throw by Mimi Reid. Nothing came of that, though, as two made free throws from Goodwin gave Louisiana a 39-33 advantage with 10 minutes to play.
After the Rebels cut the lead to 39-35 less than a minute into the final stanza, the Ragin’ Cajuns’ offense came back to life with a 6-0 run to go ahead 45-35 with 5:47 to play. Over the next two minutes, Ole Miss mounted one last push and pulled within 45-40 with four minutes to play in the ballgame.
Needing a big shot in a big moment, Thomas stepped up a banked home a 3-pointer with time winding down on the shot clock to push the Louisiana lead out to 48-40. That shot sparked an 8-2 run over the remaining 3:18 of the game to ultimately seal the historic 53-42 victory.
Louisiana returns to action after the holiday break when it pays another visit to the state of Mississippi for a date with Jackson State on Sunday, Dec. 29. Tipoff from Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center is slated for 3 p.m.