Men’s Basketball: UL falls to UALR in Sun Belt semifinal

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, March 12, 2016

NEW ORLEANS – UL rallied from 14 points down in the first half to tie the game twice in the second, but the Ragin’ Cajuns never could regain the lead after the break in their semifinal-round game against No. 1 seed Arkansas-Little Rock at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

UALR went on to win 72-65 on Saturday afternoon at Lakefront Arena here, advancing to Sunday’s title game.

UL tied the game at 38-38 and 40-40, and were within three at 66-63.

But fourth-seeded Cajuns came up drive on their next three possessions – two offensive fouls, and a Kasey Shepherd trey try that came up short in between.

UALR improved to 28-4, while UL – which may still play in a postseason tournament of some sort – fell to 17-14.

The Cajuns played last season in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).

Shawn Long, who had a career-high 34 points in UL’s opening Sun Belt tourney win over South Alabama on Friday, finished with a team-high 25 points for the Cajuns on Saturday.

Shepherd added 18 points, including three second-half 3-pointers, but no one else from UL had more than Jonathan Stove’s eight.

Jalen Jackson led UALR with 16.