LAFAYETTE – Paced by a trio of 20-point performers and an efficient night at the free throw line, Louisiana secured its first home win over Troy since Feb. 11, 2017, with a 92-83 victory at the CAJUNDOME on Thursday night.
It was an intense battle between the two programs that featured 175 points and 54 fouls. Thursday’s point total set a new CAJUNDOME record for the most points in a game, breaking the previous record of 167 points that was set on Jan. 8, 1990, when the Ragin’ Cajuns faced Northwestern State.
As a result of the foul total, Louisiana (10-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) took 39 trips to the foul line and made 32 free throws, matching the program record for the most made free throws in a game. The previous record was set on Jan. 9, 1999, against UTPA.
Senior Ty’Reona Doucet picked the perfect time to notch her third double-double of the season, recording a team-best 23 points and 10 rebounds while also swatting a career-high six shots. Doucet finished the game 11-for-13 from the charity stripe.
Makayia Hallmon added 21 points, 16 of which came in the first half, while Lanay Wheaton eclipsed the 20-point mark for the second-straight game with 20 points of her own. Destiny Rice also contributed in a big way, scoring 17 points with the help of a 10-for-12 shooting effort from the free throw line and dished out three assists.
Both teams started the game strong, but it was Troy who pulled away in the first quarter when Za’Nautica Downs cashed in on a pair of free throws to put the Trojans up 18-13. The Cajuns continued to fight and pulled within 22-20 at the end of the quarter with the help of a Diamond Morrison jumper.
Louisiana dominated the second quarter from start to finish, opening the period on an 8-0 run to go up 28-24. Felmas Koranga, who scored a game-high 25 points for the Trojans, cut the lead to one before the Ragin’ Cajuns finished the final 1:25 of the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 42-32 lead at halftime.
After holding firm throughout the third quarter, Louisiana faced some adversity in the fourth period when Downs made a layup to cut the lead to 64-61 with 7:45 to play. That play was countered over the next four minutes when Louisiana took advantage of the free throw line and went up 80-68.
Troy did not go away, though, and used a huge surge to pull within 86-83 with 52 seconds to play. However, Louisiana scored the final six points in the contest over the last 26 seconds to bag the 92-83 win.
The Ragin’ Cajuns will begin a three-game road swing on Saturday, Jan. 15, when they face South Alabama in Mobile. Tipoff is slated 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.
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