SAN MARCOS, Texas – Louisiana was eight seconds away from escaping San Marcos with a victory, but a buzzer-beating layup from Lauryn Thompson saw the Bobcats snag a 72-71 win over the Ragin’ Cajuns on Thursday evening.
It was a frustrating end to the game for the visitors, who had a chance to seal the game in the final minute but were unable to find the knockout punch. The Ragin’ Cajuns (13-6, 5-4 Sun Belt) are now 1-3 in one possession games this year, with all three defeats coming in Sun Belt Conference play.
Senior Ty’Reona Doucet extended her stellar double-double streak to seven-straight games after producing 13 points and 13 rebounds. Additionally, the Ville Platte native swatted four shots and recorded a season-high three steals.
Makayia Hallmon and Lanay Wheaton each scored a team-leading 17 points and combined for 10 rebounds, while Tamera Johnson contributed 13 points, six rebounds and a steal.
Louisiana finished the game shooting 44 percent (26-for-59) from the floor and scored 40 of its 71 points in the paint.
Texas State (12-11, 7-4 Sun Belt) controlled the momentum early with a 16-4 run in the opening 7:23 of the contest before a Hallmon fast-break layup snapped the offensive skid.
Entering the second quarter trailing 16-8, Louisiana put together an 11-2 run to take its first lead of the night when Hallmon completed an old-fashioned three-point play at the free throw line. Both teams battled down the stretch, but it was Texas State who took a slim 26-25 lead into halftime.
A huge 16-2 run in the middle portion of the third quarter saw the Cajuns take a 50-40 lead, but the Bobcats were able to close the gap to 52-47 with 10 minutes to play.
It looked like Louisiana was going to cruise to victory with 4:07 remaining when Wheaton made a layup to push the lead to 65-55, but an 11-2 Texas State run to close out the final period tied things up at 67 and sent the contest to overtime.
Neither offense really got going in the extra period, but Wheaton gave Louisiana a 71-69 lead with 65 seconds showing. As they had done all night, though, Texas State was able to respond with four points in the final 38 seconds, including the buzzer-beater from Thompson, to give the Bobcats the 72-71 victory.
Louisiana returns to the hardwood on Saturday, Feb. 12, when it heads north to take on UT Arlington. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS/Apple platforms and here [play.google.com] for Android platforms.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB), Facebook (Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsWBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Women's Basketball.
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers