Fast start powers Cajuns to road win over Warhawks

MONROE – Jordan Brown scored a game-high 21 points to lead five players in double figures and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns opened the game on a 21-4 run never looked back in claiming an 86-73 win over ULM in a Sun Belt Conference game on Thursday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Greg Williams, Jr., scored 18 points as Louisiana (13-4, 3-2 Sun Belt) finished 32-for-52 (61.5 percent) from the floor to post its best average from the floor in a SBC game since 2017. Joe Charles came off the bench to tie a career-high with 12 points with Terence Lewis II adding 11 and Kentrell Garnett 10.

Louisiana scored the game’s first seven points behind buckets from Brown and Lewis before Garnett buried the first of a pair of 3-pointers to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a 12-2 lead. Louisiana capped off its opening run when Brown found Charles alone under the bucket for one of his career-high six assists and a 21-4 advantage with 15:06 left in the half.

Brown, who was 8-for-11 from the floor, helped give Louisiana a 33-13 lead with a hook shot in the paint with 8:30 left in the half before a bucket by Charles gave Louisiana its biggest lead of the game, 43-19, with 5:51 remaining.

ULM (7-11, 3-2 Sun Belt) closed to within 47-30 at halftime and closed to within 76-69 on Thomas Howell’s basket with 4:07 remaining in the game before Louisiana would score the next six points as Brown and Jalen Dalcourt each hit a free throw, Garnett scored on a driving layup in the lane and Charles got a steal and dunk for an 82-69 lead with 2:25 left.

Langston Powell led ULM with 19 points with Howell and Savion Gallion scoring 13 each. Tyreke Locure added 12 points for the Warhawks, who were 28-for-62 (45.2 percent) from the floor and 5-for-18 (27.8 percent) from behind the 3-point line.

Louisiana will continue its four-game road swing on Saturday when it travels to Mobile, Ala., to face South Alabama in a 3 p.m. contest at the Mitchell Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.