UL junior guard Kia Wilridge

 

Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun women's basketball team recorded a non-conference victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Sam Houston St. Bearkats, 65-46, at the Cajundome.

The victory extended Louisiana's season-opening win streak to five games, marking only the second time in program history that they begin a season 5-0, matching the accomplishment of the 1983-1984 squad.

The triumph is even more impressive when one considers the fact that UL won by 19 points, and did so without the services of leading scorer Jaylin Gordon, who missed the game with concussion symptoms, and the limited playing time of second-leading scorer Keke Veal, who played only seven minutes, after fighting off the flu this week.

The UL defense got the Cajuns off to a good start, forcing 19 Sam Houston St. turnovers in the first half, to take a 28-11 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Cajuns out-shot the Bearkats from the field in the initial 20 minutes of play, 41%-33%, and held down a 19-12 rebound advantage, while holding the opposition to only 15 attempted field goals.

Kia Wilridge and Simone Fields led the way for Louisiana in the first half, with six points apiece, while Taylor Doesey paced Sam Houston St., with 6 points.

The UL defense continued to put the clamps on Sam Houston St. early in the second half, helping them extend their lead to as many as 28 points, before cruising to the 19-point win.

The Cajuns ended the game out-shooting the Bearkats from the field, 45%-40%, while finishing with a 33-31 rebound edge, and forcing 30 turnovers.

Wilridge led the way for Louisiana, finishing with 16 points and 8 steals, while Gabby Alexander added 14 points and five rebounds.

In a losing cause for Sam Houston St., Taylor Dorsey finished with a game-high 20 points, while pulling down six rebounds.

With the victory, the Cajuns improved to 5-0 on the season, while the Bearkats fell to 1-6.

Louisiana returns to the hardwood on Saturday, December 13, when they host Southern-New Orleans at 4:15 pm at the Cajundome.

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