UL Women Lose In Denver

Courtesy of the Ragin' Cajun athletic department

In the first Sun Belt game of the season, Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball team fell victim to the thin air of Denver as the Pioneers came on strong in the second half to grab a 70-58 win at Magness Arena on Wednesday night.

Denver outscored the Cajuns 39-25 in the second half after trailing by two at halftime.

The loss drops UL to 7-7 on the season and 0-1 in the Sun Belt. The Pioneers improve to 9-5 on the year with a 1-0 record in the league.

Mercedes Johnson finished with a team-high 17 points on the night. With her seven made free throws, the junior forward moved into fifth place all-time in UL history with 239 career makes from the charity stripe. Johnson also pulled down six rebounds and collected three steals in the loss.

Joining her in double figures was Lyndra Bell. Bell chipped in 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting and had six boards. Wednesday’s double-digit effort by Bell was her sixth of the season.

Jasmine Barnes also reached double-figures, scoring 11 points, dishing out three assists and picking up three steals in the contest.

Neither team was able to establish a significant lead in the first five minutes of the opening half. Both teams struggled from the floor combing for 5-of-15 (33.3 percent).

With the game tied at 6-6, Denver rattled off a 10-3 run to take a 16-9 lead with 10:35 remaining. The Pioneers’ lead grew to as much as 11 points, 27-16, as both teams started to find their shots by the 7:15 mark.

After starting 3-of-12, the Cajuns rallied to hit six of their next 10 shots. The improved effort led to a 6-0 run of their own. The run closed the gap to just five, 22-27, with 4:45 remaining.

Back-to-back baskets from Danielle Smith, including a three-pointer with 1:03 remaining, tied the contest back up at 31-31.

A pair of free throws from Johnson down the stretch gave UL a 33-31 halftime edge.

The lead did not last for long as Denver came out hot in the second half. Back-to-back treys helped swing the score back in favor of Pioneers, 39-35, by the 16:19 mark.

UL trimmed the deficit back to one point, 43-44, with 11:45 remaining. It was the closest the Cajuns would come to threatening the Pioneers’ lead for the remainder of the game.

A 17-5 run by Denver over the next seven minutes put the game out of Louisiana’s reach, 48-61.

The Cajuns finished the game hitting 24-of-58 (41.4 percent) from the floor. Denver proved more effective on the night, knocking down 28-of-53 (52.8 percent). In the second half alone, the Pioneers were hitting shots at a 59.3 clip (16-27).

The battle of the boards went in favor of the Pioneers, 32-30, despite UL’s 15 rebounds on the offensive glass.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (7-7, 0-1 SBC) will now head to Denton, Texas to face North Texas (3-10) on Saturday. The Mean Green open Sun Belt action with UALR on Thursday evening. Tip-off for Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m. CT at the Super Pit.

-- Ragin’ Cajuns --

Russell Luna
Graduate Assistant - Sports Information
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns
Office: (337) 482-6332
Cell: (615) 308-6245
E-mail: rluna@louisiana.edu
www.RaginCajuns.com

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