LAFAYETTE, La. – Jordan Brown scored 20 points, and Louisiana held Georgia Southern to 37 percent shooting in the second half to post a 94-87 comeback Sun Belt men's basketball victory over the Eagles Saturday night in the Cajundome.
Eagles of the Game
Tyren Moore and Kaden Archie each scored 16 points to lead the Eagles, while Jalen Finch netted 15 and Kamari Brown totaled 14. Carlos Curry finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Key Moments
After trailing by 19 points at halftime, Louisiana went on a 25-5 run and opened a 73-65 lead on a pair of free throws by Terrence Lewis II (16 pts, 11 reb) with 6:38 to play. Louisiana held the Eagles without a field goal for 8:37 during the run.
With the Eagles trailing by eight, Archie scored the final four in an 8-3 Eagle run, and the fifth-year senior's free throws trimmed the lead to 82-79 with 2:15 to play. Themus Fulks drove to the rim, was fouled and made both free throws for Louisiana, and after a GS turnover, Brown knocked down a turnaround jumper in the lane for an 86-79 Cajun cushion with 1:01 to go. The Ragin' Cajuns went a perfect 8 for 8 from the free-throw line the rest of the way to seal the win.
The Eagles (12-11, 5-5) built a 31-14 lead as Moore capped a 14-0 run with a step-back triple. It was Moore's second 3-pointer during the stretch, and Finch added seven points while the Eagles held Louisiana to 0 for 5 at the other end.
The Ragin' Cajuns (18-4, 8-2) worked the margin down to 10 points on a Greg Williams Jr. and-1 with four minutes left in the half, but Nate Brafford and Derrick Harris Jr. nailed consecutive triples, and Brafford fed Curry for a dunk as the horn ending the first half sounded, giving the Eagles a 49-30 cushion at the break.
Stats and Notes
- The Ragin' Cajun victory broke a four-game losing skid against the Eagles in the Cajundome.
- The Eagles were without starters Andrei Savrasov and Tai Strickland, who were out with injuries.
- Louisiana outrebounded Georgia Southern 37-25, including a 17-4 edge on the offensive glass.
- GS had two turnovers in the first half and finished the game with nine, their ninth contest with single-digit turnovers.
- The Eagles shot 70 percent in the first half.
- The Ragin' Cajuns outscored the Eagles 31-25 at the free-throw line, making 31 of 40 from the charity stripe.
Next up
The Eagles continue their four-game road trip at Georgia State next Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the contest will air live on ESPN+ and the GS Sports Network.
