LAFAYETTE – Redshirt freshman forward Kobe Julien and sophomore Jordan Brown each recorded double-doubles, but their efforts were not enough for Louisiana Men’s Basketball to overtake Arkansas State on Saturday night as the Ragin’ Cajuns fell, 67-58 at First National Bank Arena.
For Julien, his 17-point, 10-rebound performance marked the first double-double of his career. The rebound tally was also a new career-high.
Brown recorded 20 points for the fifth time this season and added a team-high 12 rebounds. For the Roseville, Calif. native the double-double is the fifth of his sophomore campaign.
Senior Dou Gueye contributed six points, a rebound, and a steal to aid the effort.
Louisiana’s offense got off to a sluggish start following the opening tip as Arkansas State raced out to a 21-6 lead with just over nine minutes erased from the clock.
Junior Jalen Dalcourt drilled a 3-pointer on the left baseline off a set play with ten minutes remaining in the half to stop the scorching Red Wolves.
The shot steadied the Ragin’ Cajuns’ offense as Louisiana outscored the hosts in the final seven minutes before the break.
Brown recorded six points around the basket and freshman guards Ty Haper and Kentrell Garnett sunk 3-pointers in the stretch as Louisiana headed to the locker room with a 34-23 deficit.
Immediately following the break, the Ragin’ Cajuns jumped began an 11-4 run that spanned five minutes of play and quickly cut the deficit to four. Julien and Gueye each recorded five points to lead the comeback.
Despite the burst, Louisiana was unable to fully close the gap as Arkansas State connected on back-to-back 3-pointers that sparked a pivotal 15-4 spurt that buoyed the lead back to 15 with just under eight minutes remaining.
Led by the offensive efforts of Julien and Brown, the Ragin’ Cajuns cut the lead to lead to five with a minute left in the contest, but the Red Wolves were able to close out the game at the free-throw line.
Louisiana will be back in action at 7 p.m. Thursday when it returns home to face Texas State in the Cajundome. The contest will be available to be live-streamed on ESPN+.
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