Cajuns win fifth straight in heart-stopper

In a game that featured 47 fouls and 59 free throws, it was only fitting that, at the end, free throws decided the game.

UALR's Solomon Bozeman made two with 8.8 seconds remaining.

Then it was Travis Bureau's turn.

Bureau's two free throws with :00.6 remaining were the difference as Louisiana won its fifth straight game, 67-66 at the Cajundome Saturday night before a raucous crowd of 4066.

Bureau's two free throws capped off a season high 23 points for the senior from Sorrento.  Bureau hit 13 of 17 free throws.  He added eleven rebounds to lead the Cajuns in that department as well.

The win belonged to the Cajuns' defense.  UALR (13-12, 5-5 Sun Belt) came into the game second in the nation in three point shooting percentage.  But the Cajuns held the Trojans to a season-low two makes in 13 tries.  UALR shot just 38 percent from the field overall.

It was a see-saw game that saw 19 ties and 14 lead changes, with neither team ever leading by more than six points.  The Cajuns led by five in the first half, but UALR came back to tie it at 31.  With time running out in the first half, the Cajuns J. J. Thomas was called for a foul as the horn sounded.  UL Coach Bob Marlin was leaving the court when he was hit with a technical foul by official Emmanuel Upton for coming onto the court.  Marlin pleaded his case that the half was over to no avail.  The officials put 1.3 seconds left on the clock, and Bozeman hit three of the four free throws to give UALR a 34-31 halftime lead.

The Trojans took their biggest lead of the game, 40-34 on a Montrell Thornton dunk with 16:44 to go, but the Cajuns tied the game at 48 on a LaRyan Gary triple with 11:40 left.  No one led by more than three points after that, until Bureau got a steal and layup to give the Cajuns a 64-59 lead with 1:47 left.

But the Trojans weren't finished.  D'Andre Williams got an old-fashioned three point play with 1:14 left to cut the Cajuns lead to two.  After Raymone Andrews hit one of two free throws to get the lead back to three, Eric Kibi scored inside to make the score 65-64.  The Cajuns ran a set play for Randell Daigle, but his three pointer missed and UALR set for the final possession.

Andrews was called for a foul with 8.8 left and Bozeman, the Trojans leading scorer with 19 points, made his 14th and 15th free throws of the night, setting the stage for Bureau's heroics.

Louisiana (8-14, 5-5 SBC) moved into a tie for third place in the league with the win tonight.  Louisiana now heads to Florida next week for two games, beginning Thursday night when they take on Florida International.  Gametime is set for 6:05, with pregame at 5:35 on the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network.

Elsewhere in the Sun Belt:

At Western Kentucky 81, Louisiana Monroe 61

At Middle Tennessee 85, South Alabama 62

At Arkansas State 60, Denver 35

At Florida Atlantic 73, Florida International 72