Women’s Basketball: Doucet and Mathis Record Double-Doubles To Lead Ragin’ Cajuns Over Jackson Sta

LAFAYETTE – For the second straight game sophomores Ty’Reona Doucet and Jomyra Mathis recorded double-doubles as Louisiana Women’s Basketball (2-2, 0-0 SBC) held off a late charge from Jackson State (1-3, 0-0 SWAC), winning 68-61, to get its first home victory of the season, Monday night at the CAJUNDOME.

For Doucet it is her fourth double-double of the season, in just four games, and she finished with 14 points (6-for-7 from the field) and 12 rebounds.  While Mathis, recording her second career double-double, finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds to help the Ragin’ Cajuns come away victorious.

As a team Louisiana was strong defensively, holding Jackson State to 37 percent shooting from the field and Louisiana outrebounded Jackson State 43-to-33 to control the boards.  From beyond the arc Louisiana shot lights out, finishing 5-for-12 to shoot 42 percent in the game.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (First Half): The first quarter was controlled by freshman Diamond Morrison who came out on fire, going a perfect 2-for-2 from the field scoring five points in the period.  After both teams traded a few baskets over the first six minutes of the first quarter, Louisiana began to assert its dominance, going on an 11-1 run over the final six minutes of the to pull ahead by eight points (15-7) entering the second quarter.
 
The run was sparked by Morrison nailing a three-point basket at the 5:52 mark and it gave Louisiana momentum heading into the next quarter.  It was during the second quarter that the Ragin’ Cajuns began to pad the lead, pushing it to a first half-high 18 points in the final minutes.
 
Rolling into the quarter, after Louisiana’s 11-1 run ended the first quarter, the Ragin’ Cajuns keep hitting shots and the 11-1 run was added to with a 7-0 run to start the period.  This time it was freshman Brandi Williams doing the damage, hitting a layup and three-point basket during the first 6:30 of the second quarter.
 
By the time halftime rolled along, Louisiana had pushed its lead to 17 points and took a 40-23 lead into the break.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Second Half): The second half continued much like the first half had gone for Louisiana, as the Ragin’ Cajuns kept hitting shots, but Jackson State would not let Louisiana pull completely away, something that would come back to haunt Louisiana.  Twice in the quarter with back-to-back free throws at 7:25 followed by a layup from freshman Andrea Cournoyer (5:02) and another layup from Doucet (3:21), Louisiana felt like it would pull away, but the lead never got over 19 points.
 
As the third quarter came to an end, Jackson State went on a 6-2 run, cutting slightly into Louisiana’s lead and when the game went into the final period Louisiana held a 52-38 lead.
 
Jackson State kicked off the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run and began to give Louisiana a tough game for the final 10 minutes.  But during the quarter, despite Jackson State twice getting within three points, first at 3:59 and lastly with 36 seconds left, Louisiana had the answers it needed to stay ahead.
 
In the final seconds of the game, off of Louisiana’s final timeout, the Ragin’ Cajuns ran a play for Doucet and she responded by hitting a big layup to essentially seal the deal for Louisiana.  Morrison added one more basket for good measure and Louisiana held on to get its first home win of the season, 68-61.
 
GAME NOTES:
– Doucet recorded the sixth double-double of her career and fourth straight with a 14-point, 12-rebound performance.
– Mathis added her second double-double of the season, and of her career, with her own 12-point, 10-rebound performance.
– The two double-doubles gave Louisiana its second-straight game with two double-doubles.
– Morrison made her first-career start, starting at the point guard position, and she performed well finishing with 14 points on 6-for-10 from the field.
– Louisiana shot 42 percent from beyond the arc for the best three-point shooting percentage of the season.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE CAJUNS: Louisiana hits the road for its first real road trip of the season when they head to Auburn, Ala., to take on the Auburn Tigers on Sunday Nov. 25, with tip scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.  The game will be broadcast on ESPN1420 with Steve Peloquin handling the call while on TV the game will be carried on SEC Network Plus and can be watched on the WATCHESPN App.
 
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE: Both season tickets and individual tickets for Louisiana Women’s Basketball are available for purchase by either heading to ragincajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the CAJUNDOME, (337) 265-2357, or by visiting the office in person. 
 
FOLLOWING THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS: Follow the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@RaginCajunsWBB) to stay up-to-date with Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Women’s Basketball.