UL's second half charge not enough to overcome 28 point deficit
UL – Troy led from start-to-finish and posted an 81-67 victory Thursday evening at the CAJUNDOME in the regular season home finale for Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns.
The Trojans (18-11, 13-4 Sun Belt) opened the game on an 18-4 run and after Louisiana (10-18, 7-10 Sun Belt) closed the deficit to 29-23 with 5:06 left in the first half, the Trojans used another 18-4 run to stretch the lead to 47-27 just before halftime.
UL started the second half outscoring Troy 20-8 to make a game of it, but could never drop the Trojans lead lower than nine points.
Louisiana received a game-high 29 points from Chris Gradnigo, scoring 20 in the second half. La’Ryan Gary added 13 points and Travis Bureau had 10 points to join Gradnigo in double figures.
Troy saw four players reach double figures scoring led by 19 points from Brandon Hazzard. The Trojans were able to open a 22-point lead at the half by shooting 18-of-26 (69 percent) overall and 6-of-8 from three-point range in the first half.
Thanks to losses by FIU, New Orleans, ULM and Arkansas State, the Cajuns clinched a home game in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament. The game will be held Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m., against an opponent to be determined following the completion of play on Saturday.
The Trojans began the game on a 6-0 run, finishing it off with a pair of inside baskets from Tom Jervis. Louisiana got within two points, 6-4, on a Gary basket at 15:22. The Trojans then rolled off 10 consecutive points to push their lead into double figures at 16-4.
UL fell behind by as many at 16 points (25-9), and then used field goal makes three consecutive possessions to cut the Troy lead to 25-15. Gradnigo’s jumper on the left elbow at 7:13 capped off the run.
Bureau’s first three-pointer of the contest came at 5:45 and it sliced the Troy lead into single digits, 27-20, for the first time since 13-4 at 12:23. After two Trojans free throws, Gradnigo completed a three-point play at 5:06 which made it 29-23.
The Trojans answered quickly and moved their lead back to double figures. Josh Wiliams hit a jumper at 4:43 and on the next Trojans possession Richard Delk buried a trey at 4:27 and Troy led 34-23. The run was extended five more points which upped the visitor’s lead to 39-23.
Kenny Ware was fouled on a three-point make with 58 seconds remaining in the opening half and he made the free throw to complete the four-point play and move Troy’s lead to 20 points at 47-27.
The Cajuns defense stepped up early in the second half and limited Troy to two points over a four minute span after it was 55-29. Louisiana outscored Troy 9-2 to move the deficit under 20 points, 57-38 at 15:59 on a Gradnigo layup.
Neither team scored a point after Gradnigo’s layup until two free throw makes by Courtney Wallace at 12:45 dropped the Troy lead to 57-40.
When Gary completed a three-point play at 10:31, Louisiana had drawn within 10 points at 57-47. The Troy scoreless streak had reached seven minutes since a basket at 17:45.
Randell Daigle’s first trey of the game came with 7:58 left to play and it got UL within 10 points again, after the Trojans had pushed the advantage to 62-49 following a reverse layup by Jerivs at 8:16.
UL had a scoreless streak of 3:25 out of the seven-minute media timeout and that sealed the home team’s fate and ended a possible comeback. A missed triple and a pair of turnovers led to four unanswered for the Trojans which extended the lead to 66-52.
Gradnigo knocked down a three at 2:59 and it was 66-57. The Trojans used excellent ball movement to move the ball around to Delk who buried a triple at 2:29 to return the lead to double figures.
Louisiana finishes its 2008-09 regular season schedule on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Little Rock at Jack Stephens Center against UALR. Game time is set for approximately 7 p.m.
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Re: UL's second half charge not enough to overcome 28 point deficit
Originally Posted by CajunRed
