Garry Brodhead's squad continued their winning ways Friday night, as Louisiana topped Arkansas State 52-49 in a hard-fought contest.

Skyler Goodwin led the Cajuns in scoring with 11, while Ty Doucet finished with 8 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

"In the 3rd quarter, our defense came through, and we got easier looks in the halfcourt," said head coach Garry Brodhead. "Finding a way to shoot it better (in the future) will be key."

 

The Ragin' Cajuns led by as many as 14, but struggled offensively in the 4th quarter, going 3-14, and not hitting a field goal in the final 4:45 of play.

Free throws and defense helped them hang onto the lead.

"Pressuring the ball helped a lot tonight," said senior forward Kimberly Burton. "There was a lot of things (offensively) we missed out on, but we'll watch the tape and build on that tomorrow for sure."

For a moment, it appeared the game would be heading to overtime, but a 3-second violation was called against the Red Wolves just before a three-point shot was taken and sailed through the basket for Arkansas State.

"I didn't know what happen (at first)," said Brodhead. "I wasn't sure if it was a foul call, then I was told it was a 3-second violation. She was probably in the lane for 5 seconds though, but I was surprised."

With 0.8 seconds left, Louisiana successfully inbounded the ball and procured their 7th straight game.

Earlier in the night, there was a question as to whether the game would even take place. A member of the Red Wolves team experienced a potential COVID symptom.

As a result, the teams had to await some test results for the game could officially take place, which led to a 7 pm tipoff rather than the originally scheduled 6 pm start time.

Louisiana has had multiple games this season either canceled or postponed due to COVID-19.

"I was nervous (the games might be canceled) when we were first told about it forty minutes before (the original) tip-off," explained Brodhead. "We're glad everything is okay and we were able to play the game."

Louisiana (8-5, 7-1) hosts Arkansas State (9-6, 4-5) tomorrow afternoon at 4:00. Pregame begins at 3:45 on ESPN1420, ESPN1420.com, and the ESPN1420 app.

The Mascots of the Sun Belt

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

More From 103.3 The GOAT