LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Men’s Basketball stormed back with a 15-5 run down the stretch, but failed to overtake South Alabama falling, 77-70 Thursday night at the Cajundome.
Sophomore Jordan Brown scored eight points in the late flurry, including six points from beyond the arc, and finished the game with 21 in the scoring column. Brown also added a team-high 11 boards.
Junior forward Theo Akwuba returned to the lineup after missing last week’s road trip and fell just one rebound shy of a double-double. The junior concluded the night with 12 points, 9 rebounds and a block in 27 minutes.
Junior Jalen Dalcourt led Louisiana’s reserves with eight points on 2-5 shooting.
Freshman guard Kentrell Garnett and redshirt-freshman forward Kobe Julien each chipped in seven offensively and recorded two assists apiece.
With a full roster available for the first time this season, the Ragin’ Cajuns attacked the paint early which resulted in six quick points for Brown and Akwuba.
Louisiana held an 8-7 lead after the opening four minutes, but back-to-back second chance buckets by Brown initiated a 14-2 offensive charge that put the Ragin’ Cajuns in front by 11 at the seven-minute mark. The lead would turn out to be the largest of the night for the Vermilion and White.
South Alabama sliced seven off the advantage, but Brown converted a pair at the line to put Louisiana up 26-20 at the half.
The Ragin’ Cajuns came away with points on their first three possessions of the second half and quickly pushed the lead back to double-digits.
The Jaguars’ guards began to find their shooting touch as the visitors slowly tightened the game before knotting the score at 38-38 with just under 14 minutes remaining.
Garnett scored five quick points as Louisiana attempted to regain control, but a 21-2 run in a five-and-a-half-minute stretch gave South Alabama a 16-point lead with 3:42 left in the contest.
Quick steals by junior Greg Williams, Jr. and freshman Michael Thomas aided the Ragin’ Cajuns late push that set the games’ score at its final tally.
Louisiana will be back in action at 7 p.m. Saturday when it welcomes Troy to the Cajundome for the second matchup of the four-game homestand. The contest will be available to be live-streamed on ESPN+.
For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).
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