Cold Spell Dooms Cajuns Against JSU, 51-45
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns battled back from a 16-point first-half deficit to take a pair of one-point leads, but turnovers and a cold shooting spell enabled Jackson State to escape with a 51-45 win Friday night at the Cajundome.
Jackson State (1-6) used eight points from Daeshun Ruffin and six from Jayme Mitchell, Jr. as part of a 20-4 run over six minutes to give the Tigers a 29-13 lead with 1:58 to play in the initial stanza before a three pointer by Jaxon Olvera and a layup by Dorian Finister in the final 40 seconds cut the lead to 29-18 at the break.
The Cajuns then used a stifling defense and domination on the defensive boards to battle back with an 18-6 run over the first 9:41 of the second half, with Dariyus Woodson giving the Cajuns (1-7) their first lead of the game 36-35, with a three-pointer from the corner.
But the Cajuns would turn the ball over on their next four possessions, and the Tigers regained the lead 40-36 on a three-point play by Mitchell Jr. at the 7:28 mark. A triple from Milan Mejia and a putback by Kyran Ratliff put the Cajuns back in front with 5:34 to play, but Mitchell and Ruffin answered with jumpers to make the score 44-41, and the Tigers kept the Cajuns at bay the rest of the way, holding the Cajuns without a field goal until Olvera's layup with :09 left.
Ruffin, the Pre-season Player of the Year in the SWAC, led the Tigers with 18 points. Mitchell added 13, while Dorian McMillian, the reigning Freshman of the Year chipped in with 11.
Woodson had a career high 13 points for the Cajuns on 5-8 shooting, including a pair of triples, while Olvera added ten. Freshman Joshua Lewis had a career high ten rebounds for the Cajuns, all on the defensive end to help the Cajuns to a 40-30 advantage on the boards. But the Cajuns only connected on 8-16 free throws, while Jackson State was 4-5.
Louisiana goes back on the road on Wednesday (December 3) for a contest with long-time rival Lamar at Neches Federal Credit Union Arena in Beaumont. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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