JONESBORO (2/16/08) ? Arkansas State dropped a 65-59 decision to Sun Belt Conference foe Louisiana-Lafayette, 65-59, Saturday night in the Convocation Center. The loss puts the Indians at 9-17 overall and 4-11 in league, while the Ragin' Cajuns are 12-13 and 8-6.

“We're disappointed we couldn't get a win,” said ASU Head Coach Dickey Nutt. “But, I'm so proud of the way our players hung in there, played hard, and had a chance late. They played with a lot of heart and passion.”

The Tribe was led by Kewain Gant's 16 points, while Shawn Morgan had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Yima Chia-Kur and Ryan Wedel each had 11 points.

“Shawn had a great game,” continued Nutt. “He needs to work on his free throws, but you can't find fault with him when he plays as hard as he does.”

Louisiana-Lafayette utilized its depth throughout the game with 12 players putting points on the board in the first half. The Ragin' Cajuns scored 42 bench points to ASU's five. The Indians led by four early in the game but never regained the lead, trailing by as much as 14 midway through the second half.

Arkansas State ended up hitting 37 percent from the field to ULL's 46.9 percent. Both teams had problems at the free throw line, each hitting 56 percent.

“I thought we played well defensively tonight,” said Nutt. “But, losing can be contagious and so can winning.”

Down by four with 48 seconds remaining, both Wedel and Morgan had scoring opportunities only to see both shots fall short. Chia-Kur had to foul ULL's Travis Bureau with seven seconds on the clock, sending Bureau to the free throw line to end the game.

Arkansas State goes back on the road next week to play Arkansas-Little Rock Feb. 21 and North Texas on Feb. 23. Both games tip off at 7:05 p.m.

END