LAFAYETTE, La. (2/5/22) – On Saturday at the Cajundome, the Arkansas State women's basketball team dropped a 68-57 decision to Louisiana.
A-State (10-12, 3-6 SBC) matched the Ragin' Cajuns (13-5, 5-3) in rebounding at 35-all, but could not slow down Louisiana's offense, which shot 52.7 percent (29-of-55) from the field. The Red Wolves took care of the basketball, however, allowing just nine turnovers and handed out 10 assists to 18 field goals.
Lauryn Pendleton led the Red Wolves with 14 points, including 12 in the second half, while Trinitee Jackson added 10 points. Jireh Washington matched her career high with 10 boards and handed out 5 assists to move into sole possession of 10th all-time in program history with 292 career assists.
Morgan Wallace tallied 9 points with 6 rebounds while Jade Upshaw recorded 9 points on a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter. As a team, A-State shot 30.5 percent from the field (18-of-59) and 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from 3-point range, while recording an 82.4-percent clip (14-of-17) at the foul line.
Four players scored in double figures for Louisiana, led by Ty'Reona Doucet's 17 points and 13 boards. Tamera Johnson added 12 points while Makayia Hallmon and Lanay Wheaton scored 11 and 10, respectively.
The Red Wolves started off strong, surging to an early seven-point lead midway through the first after a 6-0 run. Louisiana countered with a 7-0 stretch, with Wheaton tying up the contest at 11-all with a short jumper. After a Wallace three and a Jackson layup gave A-State a one-score lead, the Cajuns closed with a 5-0 run capped off by a buzzer-beating trey by Morrison to give Louisiana an 18-16 lead after one quarter.
A-State struggled offensively in the second quarter, going just 1-of-12 from the field, but managed to keep it close throughout. Louisiana led by seven on four occasions, but a pair of Wallace free throws cut it to a 30-25 halftime deficit.
Louisiana stretched its lead out to 15 in the third quarter, but three consecutive threes by Upshaw cut it to a 10-point deficit after three, with the Cajuns leading 51-41. Pendleton caught fire in the fourth quarter, scoring 8 of her 14 points to try to pull the Red Wolves back into it, but it was not quite enough as the Ragin' Cajuns managed to stave off the rally.
NEXT UP
A-State closes out its Louisiana road swing Monday at ULM, in a game that was postponed due to moisture on the floor Thursday night. Tip-off from Fant-Ewing Coliseum is slated for 5 p.m. The game can be viewed live on ESPN+ while the radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network flagship station 95.3/96.9 The Ticket/970 AM.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State women's basketball program, follow @AStateWB on Twitter and @astatewbb on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/RedWolvesWBB.
