Texas State women’s basketball (6-7 overall, 3-5 Sun Belt) lost its second game in a row to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (7-5 overall, 6-1 Sun Belt) 66-60 on Jan. 30.
The Bobcats started the game with aggression as they forced the Ragin’ Cajuns to commit a bevy of fouls and turnovers, which allowed the ‘Cats to take a lead going into halftime. Louisiana responded by catching fire in the second half to capture the victory.
Texas State started the game with momentum as it capitalized on four Louisiana turnovers to lead 7-0 at the 7:00 mark in the first quarter.
Louisiana managed to get on the board off three made free throws by sophomore guard Makayia Hallmon and a jumper by freshman forward Tamera Johnson to bring the score to 9-5.
The Bobcats scored five unanswered points capped off by a layup from sophomore forward Lauryn Thompson to lead 14-5 with 5:40 left in the quarter. Louisiana stayed solid as it ended the first quarter on a 5-2 run.
In the second quarter, Hallmon scored a quick five points to bring Louisiana within two at 18-16. A bucket by Texas State junior guard Tianna Eaton brought the score to 20-16 but that did not stop the Ragin’ Cajuns. They went on a 10-0 run to take the lead 26-20 at the 5:36 mark of the period.
Texas State was not down for long as graduate guard/forward Gabby Standifer went on to score eight straight points via a baseline jumper and two three-pointers to take back the lead 30-27 heading into halftime.
In the first half, Texas State shot 46.4% (13-28) overall and 37.5% (3-8) from the three-point line. While the Bobcats shot solid percentages from the field, they shot a mere 25% (1-4) from the free-throw line and gave up the ball 10 times, which led to six points for Louisiana. The Maroon and Gold’s saving grace for the half was 10 second-chance points off five offensive rebounds.
Despite coming off the bench, Standifer led the Bobcats with 10 points (4-5 FGS, 2-3 3FGS) in 11 minutes. Junior forward Da’Nasia Hood managed to score six points (3-8 FG, 0-3 3FG) along with five rebounds.
Louisiana shot 38.5% (10-26) from the field and 25% (1-4) from deep; however, the Ragin’ Cajuns went to the free-throw line frequently and shot 86% (6-7). 18 of Louisiana’s 27 first-half points came from the bench.
Hallmon (2-5 FGS, 1-2 3FG, 3-3 FT) and Johnson (4-6 FGS) led the team with eight points apiece. Johnson also grabbed three boards, two steals and a block in the first half.
The Bobcats came out of the locker room with a 6-2 run, capped off by a pair of free-throws from Thompson, which extended their lead 36-29 at the 7:24 mark in the third quarter.
Louisiana struck back with a 15-4 run where the team shot 7-10 from the floor to take back the lead 45-40 with 1:12 left in the period.
A three-pointer by Texas State’s junior guard Kennedy Taylor briefly stalled Louisiana’s hot streak. However, the Cajuns were not finished Ragin’. A layup by senior forward Ty’reona Doucet and a buzzer-beating pull-up by Hallmon at the end of the third quarter extended Louisiana’s lead to 49-43.
Texas State scored the first points in the fourth quarter as junior guard Ja’Kayla Bowie made a layup as she was fouled. She made the following free-throw to bring the game to within one possession at 49-46. The score would mark the closest it would get for the remainder of the contest.
The Ragin’ Cajuns went on a 5-1 run capped off by a layup from Doucet to lead 54-47 with 5:40 left in the final period.
Texas State still fought as Hood made a bucket, Thompson hit a layup and Bowie hit a three to bring the score to 59-54. Louisiana extended its lead to 62-54 off three made free throws with 1:24 left.
Despite this, Hood came back with a pair of three-pointers to bring the game within four points, 64-60, with 0:45 remaining. It was too little too late as Louisiana iced the game with a pair of free-throws from junior guard Brandi Williams to end the game 66-60.
For the game, the Bobcats shot 38.7% (24-62) overall and 33.3% (7-21) from deep, yet they had zero points from the bench in the second half and lost the rebounding battle 36-30.
Hood led both teams with 18 points (8-17 FGS, 2-6 3FG) along with a team-high eight rebounds and three steals. Bowie followed with 11 points (4-9 FGS, 1-3 3FG, 2-3 FT) and Thompson finished with 10 points (4-11 FGS, 2-2 FT). Taylor finished the game with eight points (3-8 FGS, 2-6 3FG) and a game-high seven assists.
Louisiana finished shooting 51% (25-49) from the field, and despite shooting 16.7% from deep (2-12), the Ragin’ Cajuns continued to get to the charity stripe, shooting 70% (14-20).
On a near-perfect shooting night, Doucet led Louisiana with 15 points (6-7 FGS, 3-4 FT) and a game-high nine rebounds. Williams followed with 13 points (3-7 FGS, 1-4 3FG, 6-9 FT) along with four rebounds and two steals while Hallmon finished with 12 points (4-8 FGS, 1-2 3FG, 3-3 FT).
Texas State will head back home to face the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojans at 6 p.m. on Feb. 2 at Strahan Arena.