A late rally was the difference between the first meeting and the second, but Louisiana-Lafayette still handed UALR another loss Saturday.
Four weeks after the Ragin' Cajuns handed the Trojans one of their worst home losses, they jumped to a 20-point lead 12 minutes into the game and led by 24 points in the second half.
A late surge got UALR within six points, but it couldn't get any closer in a 88-82 defeat Saturday at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La.
UALR used a 18-2 run in the final minutes to get within 82-76 after Andre Jones and Marcus Johnson made consecutive threes within 13 seconds of one another in the final minute, but Johnathan Stove made two free throws to seal it.
The Trojans shot 50 percent from the floor, but it wasn't enough to keep up with the Ragin' Cajuns, who shot 61.7 percent, including 56.5 percent in the first half (13 of 23). It was reminiscent of Jan. 2, when Louisiana-Lafayette beat UALR 69-52 in Little Rock.
Johnson had 26 points for UALR (12-9, 3-5), including a three-pointer that set the final score.
Maurius Hill had 17 points before fouling out, while Deondre Burns had 12 points.
Frank Bartley had 20 points for Louisiana-Lafayette, while Bryce Washington had 13 and Jay Wright and Justin Miller each had 12. Louisiana-Lafayette made 10 of 20 three-pointers.
The final run didn't factor into the outcome because of UALR's slow start.
The Ragin' Cajuns started the game on a 17-3 run, less than eight minutes in, and led 21-5 at one point. They went up 29-9 13 minutes into the game. UALR cut it to 31-20 after an 11-2 run, but it was 45-25 at halftime.
Louisiana-Lafayette led by as much as 49-25 early in the second half and 62-49 with 12:32 left.
It was 80-58 with 4:39 left when UALR scored 10 in a row, capped by a Johnson three-pointer with 1:37 left that made it 80-68. A Jones three made it 82-73 with 44 seconds left and after a steal, Johnson's three made it 82-76 with 31 seconds left.
But Stove made two free throws and UALR never got a chance to get closer.
SOUTHLAND MEN
INCARNATE WORD 81, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 80
CONWAY -- Shawn Johnson's free throw with 2.4 seconds left finished Incarnate Word's comeback from a 14-point halftime deficit Saturday in Conway.
The Bears (4-18, 3-6 Southland) shot 55.0 percent in the first half while taking a 50-36 lead. They were held to 36.7 percent in the second half as the Cardinals (10-10, 5-4) fought back.
UCA's lead was 57-40 with 17:14 left in the game before a 14-2 run by Incarnate Word got it back in the game at 59-54 with 11:45 left. After a layup from UCA's Mathieu Kamba, Incarnate Word scored 10 in a row to go up 64-61 with 8:57 left. In all, it was a 24-4 run by Incarnate Word over 8:17.
The Cardinals pushed their lead to 80-75 after a three-pointer from Johnson with 55 seconds left, but Derreck Brooks made a three, and Jeff Lowery hit a layup with 13 seconds left to tie the game.
UCA's Tanner Schmit fouled Johnson with 2.4 seconds left, and he made the first free throw but missed the second.
Kamba had 25 points, while Jordan Howard had 18 and Brooks had 16 for the Bears, who have lost five in a row.
SWAC MEN
GRAMBLING STATE 61, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 53
GRAMBLING, La. -- Grambling State scored more than half of its points in the final 10 minutes to deny Arkansas-Pine Bluff a road victory Saturday.
Jaquan Lynch's three-point play with 10:11 left gave UAPB a 34-30 lead, but Grambling State made five shots in a row to take control and 9 of its last 15 to finish the victory at the Assembly Center.
The Tigers (9-12, 4-4 SWAC) made five three-pointers in the final 10 minutes, including one from Nigel Ribeiro that tied the game at 37-37 and another from Ribeiro that gave them a 40-39 lead with 8:21 left. The Golden Lions (5-17, 4-4) never reclaimed the lead.
Trent Steen led UAPB with 13 points and Lynch had 9.
Sports on 01/29/2017