UL Women Fall To UALR, 67-41
UL sophomore guard Jaylin Gordon
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun women's basketball team dropped their 2014-2015 Sun Belt Conference opener on Tuesday night, falling to the UALR Trojans, 67-41, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The loss snapped Louisiana's two-game losing streak, and gave them their first road setback in four outings.
The Cajuns jumped on top early, taking a 7-2 lead on a short jumper by Kia Wilridge at the 18:02 mark.
The Trojans answered however, scoring 12 unanswered points, to take a 14-7 advantage at the 12:07 mark of the initial half.
UALR would never relinquish the lead, taking a 37-20 into the locker room at halftime.
UALR out-shot Louisiana from the field in the first half, 52%-27%, while also finishing the first-half with a 25-14 rebounding edge.
Taylor Gault and Kaitlyn Pratt paced the Trojans over the first 20 minutes of play, each scoring 11 points, while Kia Wilridge tallied 8 points and one rebound for the Cajuns.
Louisiana really never made a run at UALR in the second half, as the Trojans extended their lead to as many as 28 points, 62-34, at 2:07 the mark, before going on to capture the 26-point win.
UALR ended the game out-shooting Louisiana from the floor, 51%-25%, while also finishing with a 47-28 rebound advantage.
Pratt led the way for the Trojans, compiling 13 points and five rebounds, with Shanity James chipping in with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
In a losing cause for the Cajuns, Wilridge totaled 14 points and two rebounds, while Jaylin Gordon added 14 points and one rebound of her own.
With the victory, UALR improved to 8-2, overall, and 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play, while Louisiana fell to 8-2, and 0-1, respectively.
The Cajuns return to action on Saturday, when they host Troy in their Sun Belt Conference home opener at the Cajundome. That match-up will begin at 5 pm, and will precede the UL/Troy men's game.