Cajuns rout Cougars

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Mitchell’s acrobatic dunk highlights blowout win

LOUISIANA La. — Antoine Landry and Kevin Barber stood side-by-side, hunched over with their hands on their knees near midcourt at the Cajundome.

The two were trading amazed glances following a soaring, across the lane slam dunk executed a moment earlier by Landry’s Louisiana teammate Dwayne Mitchell — a slam which ranks with the best ever in the 18-year history of the facility.

That stunning play extended the Ragin’ Cajuns lead to 75-62 with 2:31 remaining against Barber and the Houston Cougars on a night when Landry’s career-high 26 points helped propel UL to an impressive 81-67 victory.

It also provided a glimpse of the Cajuns’ growing potential.

Coach Jessie Evans’ squad improved to 5-4 on the season and built momentum for next Saturday’s Sun Belt Conference opener at Denver, while Conference USA member Houston fell to 6-4 with its eighth straight road defeat.

“We came out with intensity in the first half,” Evans said. “That was a carryover from the Arizona game (a 72-69 loss last Tuesday). We knew Houston was a good team, a team which had just handed LSU its first loss, and they did nothing to dispel that.

“We’re playing with a lot of confidence, but Houston was, too.”

“We ran into a very hot basketball team tonight,” UH coach Ray McCallum said. “They probably should have won the Arizona game. When you look at the athletes they have, and the schedule they’ve played, it’s the kind of talent we’ll see in Conference USA.”

The Cougars may not see many more dunks like Mitchell’s though. It left fans and players of both teams breathless.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

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Despite strong offense, Cougars trade 5-game streak for road skid

LOUISIANA La. -- With the twitch of a hand, all of the momentum, energy and guts Houston thought it had disappeared as Cougars 7-0 center Anwar Ferguson stood silent under the basket.

When 6-4 forward Dwayne Mitchell rocketed through the lane with a one-handed punch over Ferguson, all the Cougars could do was watch as the scoreboard replayed the dunk and Louisiana-Lafayette players gathered and laughed as they took a 13-point lead lead.

Although Ferguson finished with six blocks and Mitchell's antics following the dunk nearly earned him a technical foul with 2:31 left in the game, the Ragin' Cajuns were not about to let referees or the nation's No. 3 shot-blocker ruin their fun as they pounded the Cougars 81-67 on Saturday in front of 4,430 at the Cajundome.

"Look at the type of athletes they have and the type of schedule they've played, and you see this is an experienced group," Cougars coach Ray McCallum said. "We come in here against a really talented team and a team that can really score. This is the type of explosive team we can see in Conference USA. So I think this prepares us well for conference play."

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By NIKI HERBERT
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle