Chris Gradnigo made 10 field goals and scored 23 points for the second straight game on Thursday night, leading Louisiana to a 70-53 win over New Orleans. The win was the Ragin' Cajuns 13th straight over UNO in the Cajundome (now 16-11 in the facility vs. the Privateers). It also keeps UL undefeated (4-0) in the Cajundome in Sun Belt play.

After trailing for nearly the entire first half, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns used a 20-point run over a six-minute span in the second half that led to a 70-53 win over New Orleans Thursday evening at the Cajundome.

Before the scoring run started the Ragin' Cajuns (7-11, 4-3 Sun Belt) trailed 36-29 with 16:50 remaining. When the run ended, on a Tyren Johnson jumper at 10:44, UL had opened a double-figure lead, 49-36.

Louisiana's lead remained double figures until a triple by Devin McDonald at 4:35 pulled the Privateers (7-12, 2-6 Sun Belt) within seven points, 58-51.

Down 58-53, UNO had a chance to cut the lead to three points. UL responded with a pair of defensive stops and scored five unanswered before 2:00 to return the advantage to double figures.

Chris Gradnigo made 10 field goals for the second straight game and led all players with 23. Johnson added 21 points.

New Orleans was paced by the trio of Carl Blair with 12 points and Charles Carmouche and Ejike Hart with 10 apiece.

Louisiana shot 52.9 percent (18-of-34) and held UNO to 27.8 percent (5-of-18) in the decisive second stanza. After only six points in the paint in the first half the Cajuns poured in 22 in the second half.

The win was the Ragin' Cajuns 13th straight over UNO in the Cajundome (now 16-11 in the facility vs. the Privateers). It also keeps UL undefeated (4-0) in the Cajundome in Sun Belt play.

The Privateers opened an 8-4 advantage at 15:30 after a baseline jumper from Johann Mpondo.

A 3-of-10 showing from the floor by UL through the first eight minutes kept the Privateers in the lead, 10-7 at the 11-minute media timeout.

After Gradnigo hit a jumper at 11:40 to make it 10-9, layups from Carmouche and Blair at 11:20 and 10:34, respectively, allowed UNO to increase its lead to 14-9.

Louisiana used an 8-0 run from 7:06 through 4:59 to erase a seven-point UNO lead and climb in front 22-21 following a pair of freebies from Johnson. The Privateers needed only one possession, getting a triple from Quincy Diggs at 4:33, to reclaim the lead.

The Cajuns got a three-point make from Randell Daigle at 2:53 to drop the lead to 28-25, but could muster only one more make before halftime and trailed 30-27 at the break.

UNO began the second half with a 6-2 run to up the lead to 36-29 by 16:50.

The Ragin' Cajuns responded with their second 8-0 run of the contest, capped off by a Johnson triple on the right wing at 15:37, to pull ahead 37-36
Johnson added the Cajuns' next six points and after a Privateers turnover Gradnigo slammed home the ball to extend the string of unanswered points to 16 for a 45-36 lead with 11:55 remaining.

The Ragin' Cajuns will host Troy on Saturday, Jan. 23 at the Cajundome for the final home game of January. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

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