LAFAYETTE, La. – JaKeenan Gant and Frank Bartley scored 12 points each to lead Louisiana-Lafayette to an 82-48 victory over ULM Saturday (Jan. 13) in the Cajundome. Gant, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with a hand injury, hit 5-of-6 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 3-pointers.
 
Both teams struggled offensively in opening minutes, as ULM went 1-of-7 from the floor while the Ragin' Cajuns missed their first 11 field-goal attempts. ULL (15-3, 5-0 Sun Belt) put together a 15-2 run midway through the first half to take a 21-6 lead on Justin Miller's three-point play with 6:56 left. Bartley buried a 3-pointer from the left wing at the first-half buzzer to send the Ragin' Cajuns to the locker room with a 33-15 lead. The Warhawks shot 24 percent (5-of-21) from the field in the opening half, including 0-of-7 from 3-point range, and committed 10 turnovers. ULL hit 13-of-33 field-goal attempts (39 percent), including just 3-of-16 3-pointers, but held an 11-0 advantage in points off turnovers in the first half.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns broke the game open in the second half by connecting on 12 of their first 14 field-goal attempts, including their first nine 3-pointers. Johnathan Stove's 3-pointer gave ULL its largest lead at 42, 82-40, with 3:48 left in the game. The Ragin' Cajuns shot 57 percent (17-of-30) from the field in the second half, including 73 percent (11-of-15) from behind the 3-point arc.
 
"We had a chance early in the game to do some good as they missed their first 11 shots, but turnovers just killed us," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "I think we had eight turnovers by the second media timeout. We didn't capitalize on the opportunity and it came back to haunt us.
 
"They're a really good team and the second half was too much for us to overcome. Their strong athleticism and shooting beat us up pretty good. They've now won all five conference games by double-figure margins. They're playing extremely well." 
 
ULL's 34-point win marked its largest margin of victory over ULM (7-9, 1-4) in the 76-game history of the series.
 
Four Ragin' Cajuns scored in double figures, as Stove and Marcus Stroman added 10 points each.
 
ULM's 48 points marked a season-low scoring output.  
 
Sam McDaniel paced the Warhawks with a game-high 19 points, hitting 6-of-10 shots from the floor including 2-of-4 3-pointers. Travis Munnings scored all 12 of his points in the second half while Sam Alabakis recorded a career-best 10 rebounds.
 
The Warhawks return to Sun Belt action next week with road games at Texas State (Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m.) and UT Arlington (Saturday, Jan. 20 at 4:15 p.m.).