UL – With 2.4 seconds remaining Louisiana inbounded the ball to Randell Daigle who took two steps across the halfcourt line and sank a game-winning three-pointer as the horn sounded to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a 67-65 victory over South Alabama here Saturday evening at the CAJUNDOME.

Daigle’s shot came right after Domonic Tilford had a three-point make roll into the rim to give USA what appeared to be the game-winning points and a 65-64 lead.

The victory ended a three-game losing streak for Louisiana (7-12, 4-4 Sun Belt) and moved the squad ahead of South Alabama (11-9, 4-5 Sun Belt) into seventh place in the race for seeding for the Sun Belt Tournament.

Travis Bureau scored 18 points to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns. Chris Gradnigo (13 points) and Tyren Johnson (11 points) joined Bureau in double figures to give Louisiana its sixth straight game with at least three scorers hitting double figures.

Daigle’s buzzer-beater was his only three-point make of the contest, as he was 1-of-7 from three-point range.

DeAndre’ Coleman led South Alabama with a game-high 26 points. He was 12-of-15 from the free throw line, but had two key misses with 1:33 remaining in the game which allowed Louisiana to hold on to a 63-62 lead.

Daigle’s opportunity to win the game was set up by UL’s defense which held USA scoreless from the 4:08 mark until Tilford’s triple at 2.4 remaining. At the time, Louisiana trailed 62-59 following a three-pointer by Tilford.

La’Ryan Gary drove the baseline and hit a running hook shot at 1:55 to give the Cajuns a 63-62 lead. Coleman missed two free throws at 1:33 with a chance to put the Jaguars back in front.

Louisiana won its fourth consecutive Saturday contest and ended USA’s two-game win streak in the CAJUNDOME.

The Jaguars scored the game’s first five points and the Cajuns opted for wholesale changes at the 17:47 mark. The move was an attempt to provide a spark, but Louisiana continued its sluggish play and a Davis layup in transition at 16:58 made it 7-0 prompting a UL timeout.

Out of the first media timeout Louisiana turned to Gradnigo for offense. He scored seven points over three straight possessions to pull UL ahead 10-9 with 12:47 on the clock. Grandigo’s scoring spree was part of a 4-for-5 showing from the floor for the Cajuns during a 9-2 run.

USA scored four straight points out of the 11-minute media timeout to reclaim the lead. LaShun Watson made a jumper at 10:37 for a 13-12 USA lead. A Johnson basket on the ensuing possession put UL back in the lead and a triple by Bureau at 9:08 pushed the Cajuns advantage to 17-13.

Gradnigo’s second triple of the half returned UL’s lead to four points, 23-19, at the 5:32 mark. A Coleman dunk started a series of swaps through the 4:25 mark and it was 25-23. The two-point swaps ended when Johnson buried a trey for UL at 4:17 upping the advantage to 28-23.

The Jaguars moved back within four points at 30-26 on a 23-footer from Tracy Parks. The Cajuns made a couple of defensive stops and got free throws from Bureau and Daigle to reclaim a seven-point lead (33-26) by the 1:28 mark.

After a missed three-pointer by Tilford with six seconds remaining, Daigle grabbed the rebound and fired the ball to Bloom between the circles who then fed the ball to Bureau for a reverse layup as the horn sounded to increase the lead 37-28.

USA opened the second half with a 7-2 run before two minutes expired to cut the UL lead down to 39-35.

Trailing 40-36, the Jaguars forced back-to-back Cajuns turnovers and cashed them into four points to draw a 40-all tie with 16:31 remaining in the game.

After a missed three-pointer by Daigle out of a timeout, Coleman hit a jumper from the free throw line at 15:30 to give USA its first lead since 10:37 mark of the opening half. The lead didn’t last long as a Bureau trey put UL in front 43-42 at 15:19.

Coleman scored inside at 12:00 and the Jaguars moved their lead to 46-43. After each team made two free throws, Corey Bloom knocked down a three-pointer at 11:04 for a 48-all tie. USA went back in front on the next trip up the court when Tilford hit a jumper at 10:43.

The Jaguars extended their lead to seven points at 9:02 when C.J. Garner grabbed hold of a loose ball and ran it back for a layup. He was fouled by Bloom and then made the free throw to complete the three-point play to give USA a 55-48 lead.

Louisiana followed with an 11-point comeback which vaulted the hosts back into the lead. USA then battled back with its own comeback, scoring seven straight for a 62-59 lead with 4:08 to play.

The Cajuns defense then shut down the Jaguars, holding them scoreless, until what appeared to be a game-winning three point basket from Tilford with 2.4 seconds left on the clock put USA up 65-64.

The Ragin’ Cajuns finish off January on the road. Louisiana visits Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Jan. 29 for a 7 p.m., matchup at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Then it’s off to Boca Raton, Fla., to meet Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. (CST).

The next game at the CAJUNDOME is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 5 against FIU at 7:05 p.m.

RaginCajuns.com