The Cougars returned to .500 Wednesday when they improved to 5-5 with a win over the University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. | Matthew Barrett/The Cougar
The women’s basketball team survived a late offensive surge from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Ragin’ Cajuns to leave Louisiana with a 69-64 win Wednesday.
“We came out a little flat and lethargic, but you have to be focused the entire game,” said head coach Ronald Hughey in a press release. “They battled. We kept going at them, and they kept coming at us. They threw the first punch, and I’m glad we responded.”
The Cougars led the majority of the contest, but cutting it close down the stretch. In the final three minutes of regulation, the Cajuns slashed the Cougars’ lead to two points.
Still, the Cougars stayed in the game.
Thanks in part to nine combined points between junior forward Brianna Coffman and freshman guard Jasmyne Harris, the Cajuns was never able to take the lead.
Harris continued her sensational freshman season, knocking in a career-high 23 points in the victory. The freshman showcased her shooting by going 7-for-12 from the field, 5-for-9 from three and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Senior guard Kierra Graves added 10 points and a team-leading five assists. Sophomore center Sharayla Brown led the team defensively with a career-high mark of four blocks.
The Cougars’ bench dominated, as they have all season, outscoring the Cajuns 46-17 in bench points.
The Cougars will head to San Antonio for the Rae & Craig Blair Memorial Tournament. The team’s first matchup will be against the tournament host University of Texas at San Antonio.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday.
