Women’s Basketball: Late run lifts No. 3 Longhorns past Cajuns, 68-45

Ragin’ Cajuns open Preseason WNIT play on Tuesday vs. Colorado

AUSTIN, Texas – The tandem of Taylor Jones and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda combined for 31 points off the bench and No. 3-ranked Texas used a late 16-3 run to pull away and defeat the Louisiana Ragin” Cajuns, 68-45, in a women’s non-conference basketball game on Friday at the Moody Center.

Louisiana (1-1), which will open play in the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday against Colorado, cut an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to 52-42 on Sherry Porter’s bucket with 5:57 remaining.

The Longhorns (1-0), playing their first regular-season game in the newly built $375 million facility, would then score the next 14 points to pull away as Jones scored six of her game-high 21 points during the stretch while Louisiana went without a basket until Imani Ivery’s bucket in the final half minute.

Louisiana missed 14 consecutive shots midway through the game before Tamera Johnson scored five of her team-high 15 points on consecutive possessions with a layup and 3-pointer. Johnson hauled in seven rebounds to share game-high honors for Louisiana while Lanay Wheaton added 13 points on 6 of 18 shooting.

Mwenentanda and Shay Holle scored 10 points each for Texas, which finished 19-for-49 from the floor and 1-for-11 from behind the 3-point line.

LEADING THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS
Johnson posted her second straight 15-point game for Louisiana after finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds in Monday’s 55-48 win over Houston at the Cajundome. Wheaton and Johnson combined for seven of Louisiana’s 13 steals in the contest as the Ragin’ Cajuns forced 25 turnovers and held UT to 3-for-12 shooting in the third quarter.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana continues its rigorous early season stretch of games against teams coming off postseason berths beginning on Tuesday, November 15 when it faces Colorado and Jackson State (Nov. 16) in the Preseason WNIT in Lubbock, Texas. The Ragin’ Cajun will close out the Preseason WNIT on Sunday (Nov. 20) when it hosts Texas Tech in a 4 p.m. game at the Cajundome.

Admission to the Texas Tech game – and all games throughout the entire season – is free and open to the public.

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