UL Women Fall To Appalachian St., 63-51

Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun women's basketball team fell on the road in Sun Belt Conference action on Monday, dropping a 63-51 decision to the Appalachian St. Mountaineers in Boone, North Carolina.

The loss was the third-straight for Louisiana, who fell to 0-3 in Sun Belt Conference play.

Keke Veal hit a jumper in the paint at the 13:56 mark of the first half, giving the Cajuns a 10-9 lead, before the Mountaineers went on a 10-0 run over the next 2:11, to gain a 19-10 advantage with 11:45 to go in the initial half.

Appalachian St. extended their lead to 10 points, their biggest of the half, 23-13, at the 8:02 mark, and later led by eight points, 27-19, with 3:57 to go in the half.

UL closed the half strong however, going on an 8-0 run, to even the game, 27-27, as the two teams went into the locker room at halftime.

The Mountaineers opened the second half strong, scoring 9 of the first 11 points, to vault to a 36-29 lead with 15:38 remaining.

Louisiana stayed close, and got to within two points, 51-49, courtesy of a Gabby Alexander lay-up with 5:15 left on the clock.

Appalachian St. answered the challenge however, scoring the next 5 points, to extend their lead to 56-49 with 2:27 remaining.

That proved to be the game-clinching run for the Mountaineers, as they went on to the 8-point win.

Appalachian St. out-shot Louisiana from the field, 45%-32%, and finished with a 41-36 rebounding edge.

Maryah Sydnor led the way for the Mountaineers, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Joi Jones added 8 points.

In a losing cause for the Cajuns, Veal had 11 points, while Kia Wilridge chipped in with 10.

View the game box score.

With the victory, Appalachian St. improved to 6-5, overall, and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play, while Louisiana fell to 8-4, and 0-3, respectively.

The Cajuns return to action on Thursday, when they play host Georgia St. at the Cajundome as part of a day/night, women's/men's doubleheader.