Do a Diddle Dance. Play a little ball. Cut down the net {i-camera}

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UL rolls by UNO to qualify for NCAA

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — They got the nets they wanted.

Louisiana's's Ragin' Cajuns didn't cut down the nets after clinching the best regular-season record in the Sun Belt Conference, preferring instead to wait until they got here to the Sun Belt Tournament at E.A. Diddle Arena.

On Tuesday, they got out the scissors and went to work after marching past the New Orleans Privateers and into the NCAA Tournament with a 67-58 championship game victory before 1,843 fans and an ESPN2 audience.

“It didn't matter who we were playing,” said senior guard Antoine Landry, who joins Laurie Bridges and Dwayne Mitchell as New Orleans products on the Cajun roster.

“We knew we were going to come out, play hard and win.”

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

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UL won its fourth tournament title and claimed an NCAA Tournament berth for the eighth time

Bowling Green, KY - Antoine Landry scored a game-high 16 points as Louisiana won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship with a 67-58 victory over New Orleans at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Brad Boyd and Cedric Williams each added 15 points for the top-seeded Ragin' Cajuns (20-8), who earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and won 20 games in a season for the third consecutive year. Chris Cameron chipped in 10 points and six rebounds, as UL-Lafayette won its fourth tournament title and claimed an NCAA Tournament berth for the eighth time.

Johnell Smith paced the third-seeded Privateers (17-14) with 11 points, as they failed in their quest for the third NCAA bid in school history. Kyle Buggs had 10 points in the losing effort.

"We have nothing to hang our heads about," Smith said. "We were playing for the championship."

The Ragin' Cajuns held a narrow lead during the early stages of the second half before they were able to open a 51-42 advantage on a Landry three with 8:38 remaining.

Smith combined to hit three free throws on New Orleans' next two possessions to bring the Privateers within six, but that was the closest they would get.

UL followed by going on a 9-2 run, keyed by a Landry three, to hold a 60-47 edge with 3:57 remaining.

"Our defense really came through," said Louisiana head coach Jessie Evans. "I knew our offense would come. We had to continue to make stops on the defensive end."

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Louisiana runs down championship

Louisiana-Lafayette continued the trend of top-seeded teams winning the men’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a 67-58 victory over New Orleans on Tuesday at E.A. Diddle Arena.
But it wasn’t easy.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (20-8) never trailed in their first two games, but were quickly down against UNO in the opening minutes.

After hanging tough for the entire first half, though, UNO finally ran out of gas in the second while playing its third game in as many nights – the first of which went into double overtime.

The Privateers hit just two field goals in the first 9:28 of the second half as Louisiana-Lafayette extended its three-point halftime lead to eight when center Chris Cameron hit a shot in the paint.

“It was like pulling teeth,” Louisiana-Lafayette coach Jessie Evans said. “UNO wanted that thing as much as we did.”

New Orleans finally started hitting a few shots, but was unable to get closer than six points.

The Privateers shot only 33.3 percent from the field and were even worse from 3-point range. UNO made only 3-of-20 3-pointers for a paltry 15 percent.

“If there is anything in the box score that indicates fatigue, it’s that,” New Orleans coach Monte Towe said.

In the first half, New Orleans scored 10 of the first 12 points to take an eight-point lead less than four minutes into the game, but it didn’t hold up.

Louisiana-Lafayette gradually chipped away and eventually tied the game at the 5:09 mark when Antoine Landry drilled a 3-pointer.

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