Women’s Basketball:

Williams becomes program’s 20th 1,000-point scorer in WNIT defeat

MEMPHIS – Louisiana Women’s Basketball’s historic 50^th season came to an end at the 2021 Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) after it fell to the UT Martin Skyhawks, 58-48, on Saturday.

In a season unlike any other, the 2020-21 Ragin’ Cajuns will not be remembered for their exit in the WNIT, but for their first-ever Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championship, a program-record 15-game winning streak and a group of seniors that have made a huge impact on the team.

One of those seniors, Ty’Reona Doucet, was the team’s lone double-figure scorer in the contest with 15 points in the defeat, while junior Brandi Williams scored nine points in the game, becoming the 20^th 1,000-point scorer in program history.

Louisiana (16-8, 13-1 Sun Belt) was able to flip the script on the glass from its previous game, outrebounding UT Martin, 33-28. Jomyra Mathis led the team with eight of those rebounds and dished out seven assists.

The Skyhawks controlled the game on the floor, shooting at a 43.2 percent (19-for-44) clip compared to a 35.8 percent (19-for-53) mark for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Chelsey Perry was a force, leading all scorers with 37 of her team’s 58 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

After giving up three points early, Louisiana broke out on a 10-0 run to go up 10-3 when Doucet knocked down a jump shot outside the paint with 6:35 on the clock. That run was answered by a 13-2 stretch from UT Martin to close out the quarter, giving the Skyhawks a 16-12 lead.

It was dead even in the second period as both teams scored 14 points, sending the game to the break with the visitors ahead, 30-26.

UT Martin (21-6, 17-2 OVC) dominated the third quarter, outscoring Louisiana, 17-9, and going ahead by as many as 13 points (45-32) with 1:32 to play before taking a 47-35 advantage into the final 10 minutes.

Freshman Tamera Johnson was the Cajuns’ best offensive performer in the final stanza, scoring all nine of her points in the final period to try to help Louisiana fight back into the game, but it was not enough as the Skyhawks held its double-digit lead throughout quarter to secure the 58-48 victory.