Louisiana Cruises To 8-2 With 69-57 Win Against Louisiana Tech
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team wrapped up non-conference play by taking down the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters 69-57 in the Cajundome.
With the win, Louisiana improved to 8-2 in 2021. It's only the third time in the program's history that they have beaten La Tech.
Head coach Garry Brodhead said that his team followed the plan against the Lady Techsters.
"They followed the plan to be aggressive for four quarters," Brodhead said. "I thought defensively we did a great job of taking them out of the game in the second half."
Brodhead also said that he was proud of the growth that his team has shown throughout the non-conference schedule.
"This is our last non-conference game, so we wanted to make sure we got better," Brodhead said. "I think we got better. Those kids feel like we are more of a team, and we've connected more. It's about getting better with every game."
The first quarter featured four lead changes with both teams trading baskets. After falling behind 10-9, Louisiana went on a nice 7-0 run. Forward Caira Wren hit a layup at the buzzer to give the Cajuns an 18-14 lead after one.
The 18 points by Louisiana was the most that La Tech had given up in the first quarter this season. Five different players scored for the Cajuns, and forward Tamera Johnson led the way with five points in the first.
Louisiana went on a four-minute scoring drought after Ty'Reona Doucet scored the first two points in the second quarter from the free throw line. La Tech took advantage with a 7-0 run to take a 21-20 lead, but Johnson's jumper broke the streak and gave the Cajuns the lead back.
Guard Diamond Morrison's second three-pointer of the first half gave them a 29-27 lead, but La Tech answered with their own three.
Louisiana trailed La Tech 30-29 at the halftime break. The Cajuns had a very balanced offensive attack in the first half, while one player for the Lady Techsters had 15 points with four three-pointers. Johnson led Louisiana with seven points. Outside of that, the first half numbers were similar across the board.
There were three lead changes in the first two minutes of the third quarter. However, a 7-0 run by Louisiana gave them a big 42-34 lead.
Morrison's third three stretched the lead to 47-38, but Tech scored four straight. A big block by Doucet set up another three, this time by guard Lanay Wheaton.
Louisiana took a 52-42 lead into the final quarter. Wheaton led the way with 11 points through three for the Cajuns.
Another three by Morrison and a put-back by Wren continued expanding the lead. Louisiana basically put away the game with an 18-point, 63-45 lead midway through the final quarter thanks to another 7-0 run.
The Cajuns ran out the clock to take down a good Louisiana Tech team 69-57. They improved to 8-2 in 2021. Morrison was the team-leader in points with 14, but Louisiana had a very balanced scoring attack with six players scoring at least eight points.
Up next, the Cajuns start conference play with a home game against UT-Arlington on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 6:00 p.m.