Louisiana bench shines in close game against Northern Illinois 

The Ragin’ Cajuns were coming off of back-to-back roller coaster rides. Two down-to-the-wire games that ultimately lead to their demise. 

On the road against the Georgia Southern Eagles, the Cajuns couldn’t have asked for a better game offensively. They shot an incredible 45.5% from three, as opposed to the Eagles’ 34.4%. 

They also had a huge advantage getting to the line, something that can prove difficult when on the road. They were uber-efficient, going 24-25 while Georgia Southern was only 12-20. The Cajuns doubled the Eagles’ makes and did so at a 96% rate. 

Another thing was the points off of turnovers. There weren’t too many in the game, but the few turnovers that Louisiana did cause were not taken for granted. They scored 16 points off of turnovers compared to the Eagles’ eight. 

With all of these things going the Cajuns’ way, you would think singing the UL Fight Song in heroic victory was inevitable. It was not. 

In fact, just as unstoppable as we were from behind the arc, the Eagles were equivalent to that but inside. Don’t let the 34.4% from three distract you from the 76% they shot on all two-pointers. 

They won this game by dominating in the paint. They scored 38 inside, compared to our 24. 

In the clutch with nine seconds left, it was Georgia Southern guard Eren Banks who knocked down two free throws to extend the Eagles three-point lead. With one second left, it was Louisiana guard London Fields who got fouled, headed to the line and hit both free throws. 

Now it would’ve been amazing if we had a basketball rule-maker on speed dial. With their omnipotent power, they would change it to where free throws are worth double when there’s one second left. Then, we would’ve won. 

But those free throws still had the Cajuns trailing by one and that’s how the game would concede (83-82). 

Mo El Moutaoukkil led all Cajuns in scoring with 24 points, seven rebounds and shot 10/10 from the line. Kentrell Garnett also chipped in 17 points and five threes. 

For the Eagles, it was Adante’ Holiman with 24 as well to go along with five threes. 

Following their game in Statesboro, Georgia, the Cajuns had to take a gloomy trek up north to Dekalb, Illinois. There they would battle against another struggling team in the Northern Illinois Huskies (5-17). 

Even though we were favored to win coming in, it was the Huskies that started off hot. 

They got up by as much as 13 points in the first half. It was Huskies guard Quaran McPherson leading the way with 13 points at half. 

Louisiana struggled mightily on offense shooting only 10/30, but in the second half they flipped a switch. 

After only scoring eight points in the paint, they got more aggressive in the second half. It didn’t translate into more free throws, but that doesn’t matter if you’re dominating. 

The Cajuns scored 24 points in the paint in the second half. 

Similar to the last game, the Cajuns did a great job of taking advantage of their opponents’ mistakes. They scored 22 points off of turnovers and flourished in transition. You could tell that pushing the ball was a talking point in the huddle. 

Late in the second half, it was Garnett hitting a clutch three with 1:29 remaining, giving the Cajuns a six point lead. Even though the Huskies responded, El Moutaoukkil would keep them at bay with a layup to make the game 65-62. 

After a series of late-game free throw trips, Louisiana would maintain its lead, winning 66-64 on the road. 

Like it always seems to be, it was a tale of two halves. In this case, it benefited us to come out of halftime with a sense of urgency. 

We didn’t have a single player that stood out on the statsheet, but the MVP has to go to the entire bench unit. 

It was a collective effort across the board and 27 points from the bench just gives the team another added boost. 

Comparing it to the Northern Illinois rotation where it’s a tight seven-man rotation, guys are playing heavy minutes. They did a majority of the scoring with nobody to rely on and sustain the intensity when they became fatigued. 

This can be the difference to winning these close games that Louisiana always finds themselves in: The bench coming out and being productive, not just by scoring can prove viable. 

The game can turn into a battle of attrition, like it did in this game, where our closers simply had more time to rest, because the second unit came in with the same effort and intensity. 

The Ragin’ Cajuns’ next game will be at home against the 15-9 Troy Trojans on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.