The UALR men's basketball team lost its regular season finale on Thursday night, but the Trojans will still get another game.
Louisiana-Lafayette used a balance scoring attack to beat UALR 75-69 at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La., handing UALR a second consecutive loss to end the regular season. But since Arkansas State lost to South Alabama, UALR has clinched a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament that begins Thursday in New Orleans.
UALR's seed in the tournament won't be decided until after Saturday's results, but will open the tournament at 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.
"We came here to win a game," UALR Coach Steve Shields said. "That locker room is hurting in there. Going into the tournament you want to be playing your best basketball and you want to have some fight to you."
Roger Woods had 17 points, J.T. Thomas had 14 and Josh Hagins had 12 points off the bench, including a three-pointer, including eight in the final two minutes while trying to get UALR back in the game. His three with 1:26 left got UALR within 67-64 with 1:26 left, but UALR committed a turnover on its next possession and Louisiana-Lafayette's Jay Wright made two free throws.
A Woods basket with 4:36 left got UALR to within 58-57, but the Ragin' Cajuns scored the next five points.
The Trojans shot 44.4 percent from the field, made 8 of 24 free throws and 9 of 9 free throws. The Ragin' Cajuns (18-12, 12-7) made 22 of 23 free throws and held a 39-21 rebounding edge.
Devonta Walker led Louisiana-Lafayette, which will enter as the No. 4 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, Wright had 14 points and Shawn Long had 13 points. Louisiana-Lafayette was 17 of 17 from the free-throw line in the second half.
SOUTH ALABAMA 81, ARKANSAS STATE 76
South Alabama shot 52.9 percent from the floor to hand Arkansas State a loss and render its regular-season fianle on Saturday meaningless.
Dionte Ferguson had 20 points and Ken Williams had 18 for the Jaguars (10-20, 8-11), whose victory eliminated the Red Wolves from Sun Belt Tournament contention.
ASU (11-17, 6-13) will miss the Sun Belt Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 1992.
If ASU wins Saturday and Texas State loses, the two teams will be tied with 7-13 Sun Belt records. The teams split the two-game season series, so the Sun Belt Conference tiebreaking procedure goes to record against the team with the best record. Both teams were swept by Georgia Southern, but Texas State beat Georgia State on Jan. 5, to give it the tiebreaker over ASU.
Georgia Southern and Georgia State play Saturday. The winner will be the No. 1 seed and the loser will be the No. 2 seed.
Anthony Livingston had 22 points and nine rebounds, while Sean Gardner had 21 points and Cameron Golden had 15 for the Red Wolves, who shot 45.6 percent from the field, but were 3 of 18 from three-point range.
South Alabama led 47-33 at halftime and 66-44 with 11:16 left. But ASU responded with a 10-0 run to get within 66-54 with 9:06 left, and later a 15-2 run to tie the game at 73-73 on two Golden free throws with 2:49 left.
But Williams made a three on South Alabama's next possession and ASU didn't make another run.