Stroman, Gant lead Ragin’ Cajuns past ULM, 83-76

LAFAYETTE – Marcus Stroman and JaKeenan Gant combined for 42 points and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns moved into a three-way tie for fifth-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings after claiming an 83-76 victory over ULM before an announced crowd of 5,041 on Saturday at the Cajundome.

P.J. Hardy added 10 points and Justin Miller hauled down a game-high 12 rebounds as Louisiana (15-10, 6-6 SBC) shot 50 percent from the floor and led nearly from wire-to-wire. The Ragin’ Cajuns, who improved to 34-4 at home in the all-time series against ULM (13-11, 6-6 SBC), led 37-29 at halftime and 61-48 on a Gant alley-oop dunk with 8:54 left.

Stroman led Louisiana with 22 points, eclipsing the 20-point mark for the fifth time in his career. The senior point guard finished 8-for-11 from the floor and dished out a game-high nine assists to increase his career total at Louisiana to 374, moving him past Michael Allen (371) and Jay Wright (372) into 12th place on the school’s all-time.

Gant added 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots as Louisiana limited ULM to 8-for-24 from behind the 3-point line and 28-for-59 (47 percent) from the floor.

Stroman gave the Ragin’ Cajuns a 12-9 lead they would not relinquish when he converted a three-point play with 12:34 remaining in the first half.

After ULM’s Tyree White scored on a dunk that trimmed the Louisiana lead to 16-13 with 10:54 remaining in the first half, Jerekius Davis buried back-to-back 3-pointers for the Ragin’ Cajuns forcing the Warhawks to call a timeout.

A bucket by ULM’s Travis Munnings cut the Louisiana lead to 24-22, but Gant would follow with a dunk and the Ragin’ Cajuns would eventually push their lead to 33-24 on Davis’ third 3-pointer of the half.

Stroman converted on a jumper with 5:31 remaining in the game, giving Louisiana a 70-58 lead and never let the Warhawks get closer to five points as it made nine free throws in the final 1:02 to seal the win.

Daishon Smith lead ULM with a game-high 25 points, along with five assists and four steals. Munnings added 16 points for the Warhawks with Michael Ertel and JD Williams scoring 12 points each.

Louisiana will return to action on Saturday (Feb. 16) when it heads to the Metroplex to face UT Arlington at College Park Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

TICKETS AVAILABLE
• Tickets are available online at RaginCajuns.com using Account Manager, or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2357.

CAJUNS CARE TICKET INITIATIVE
• Help Louisiana Athletics continue to give back! After a successful start during the 2018 football season, the Cajuns Care program will allow Ragin’ Cajuns fans the opportunity to purchase Louisiana men’s basketball season tickets for $20.
• Tickets purchased through the Cajuns Care program will be donated to local charitable and philanthropic initiatives, including Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana, the United Way and area military servicemen and servicewomen.
• Fans and supporters of Louisiana men’s basketball can find the option to purchase Cajuns Care season tickets online, by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the Cajundome (337-265-2357) or visiting in-person.

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