Late Lead Evaporates, UL Falls to Tulane

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  Tyren Johnson scored 23 points and eclipsed the 500-point mark in his career Monday night against Tulane. Johnson registered his second straight 20-plus performance at the Cajundome. UL lost a six-point lead late in the second half and suffered a 73-70 setback.

Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team squandered a six-point lead in the second half and wound up falling to Tulane 73-70 Monday evening at the Cajundome.
The Ragin' Cajuns (4-6) pulled ahead 56-50 on a Colby Batiste putback with 8:45 remaining. The Cajuns missed three shots and committed three turnovers over the next four minutes and Tulane (4-7) rattled off an 11-0 run to jump ahead 61-56.

Louisiana fought back and cut the deficit down to one point three times in the final 1:33. Trailing 67-66, the Cajuns' hopes of a comeback were dashed when David Booker took control of a pass that appeared to be headed out-of-bounds and drilled his sixth triple of the game for a four-point edge.

Thanks to two free throw misses by the Green Wave in the final 25 seconds, the Cajuns had a chance. However, Randell Daigle's desperation three-point try at the buzzer rimmed out.

Louisiana was led by the duo of Tyren Johnson (23) and Chris Gradnigo (21) which combined for 44 points. Gradnigo notched his season-high point total and Johnson eclipsed the 500-point mark in his career.

Booker led Tulane with a game-high 26 points. He finished 6-of-7 from three-point range.

UL lost despite shooting 56.3 percent (27-of-48). The Green Wave benefited from a 30-15 edge from three-point range.

It was the first meeting between the two schools in the Cajundome and first overall since Feb. 23, 1985.

The teams swapped scores six times in the first five minutes. The Green Wave got a triple from Kris Richard to lay claim to a 7-6 lead.

UL went without a point from 17:01 through 11:04 and the Green Wave scored 10 unanswered points to open a 15-6 lead.

Gradnigo snapped the Cajuns scoreless skid with a baseline jumper. Tulane responded with a basket from Beasley at 10:38 and after a UL turnover a triple from Booker upped the lead to 20-8 at 10:19.

The Cajuns found themselves down 25-9 at the seven-minute media timeout. Much of that was attributed to the squad shooting 1-of-7 and committing seven turnovers since the 15-minute timeout.

UL chipped into the deficit following the timeout, scoring on their next seven touches. Triples from Johnson, Travis Bureau and Gradnigo in successive possessions cut the deficit to 29-27 by 3:27.

Daigle knotted the score at 29-all with a jumper at 1:58, then following a Tulane turnover Corey Bloom converted a reverse layup at 1:11 for a 31-29 lead - the Cajuns first lead since 17:01.

After the Green Wave pulled even on a Johnny Mayhane basket, Johnson provided the Cajuns with a halftime lead when he knocked down a jumper with 36 seconds remaining.

Daigle staked the Cajuns out to a four-point lead, 38-34, at 16:39 of the second half. Tulane received three-point makes on the next two possessions and after a UL turnover Booker made an uncontested layup for a 42-38 lead at 15:30.

The Wave's run reached seven points after Booker scored a basket right out of the 15-minute timeout.

Louisiana countered with a seven-point run to reclaim the lead. Gradnigo completed a three-point play at the 12:49 mark for a 45-44 edge.

Down 47-46, following a triple from Sims, the Cajuns outscored the Green Wave 10-3 and it was 56-50 following Batiste's putback at 8:45.

The Green Wave then used an 11-point outburst to pull ahead to stay.

Louisiana takes to the road for its next game, traveling to Louisville to meet the Cardinals at Freedom Hall. Game time is 6 p.m. (CST). The game will be available on ESPN360.com.

UL SI

[BeauCajun]

I need to stop going to these UL-Tulane games. I was at the 1985 game at Fogleman when we lost and made my first appearance of the year last night.

I thought we put forth good effort during the middle part of the game. The beginning of the game was very frustrating.