LAFAYETTE, La. – By outscoring UL Lafayette 15-5 in the fourth quarter including 10 points at the line, the Texas State women's basketball team won in dramatic fashion over the Ragin' Cajuns by a score of 46-42 Thursday evening. UL Lafayette entered the game with an undefeated record of 7-0 at home while the Bobcats were seeking to bounce back after suffering their first loss at home last weekend.
 
How It Happened:
A 3-pointer with 2:13 remaining in the fourth quarter by senior guard Raven Burns granted Texas State its first lead of the ball game over the Cajuns. That 3-pointer followed up by a free throw by Burns capped an 8-0 run by Texas State to overcome a six-point deficit coming into the fourth quarter.
 
Until that point in the ball game, the Bobcats played catch up the entire night against the Cajuns. Both teams struggled offensively as through two quarters of play the score was 23-22 in favor of UL Lafayette.
 
In the second quarter, Texas State trailed by as many as 10 with 3:34 before the intermission. A 3-pointer by Walla followed by another one by Burns quickly saw the Cajun lead dwindle down to four with 1:37 on the clock. A pair of free throws by the Cajuns built their lead back up to six, but it was immediately answered by a jumper in the paint by Burns.
 
The first half ended on a 3-pointer by Ayriel Anderson, her third of the game, with three seconds on the clock to cut the UL Lafayette lead to one.
 
Once again in the third, the Bobcats saw themselves trail by double-digits after a jumper by Jordan Alexander with 58 seconds on the clock. A lay-up by Kiani Lurry cut the Cajun lead to eight and with 0.3 seconds on the clock, Anderson was fouled on a rebound that put her back to the line. She sunk both to make it just a six-point Cajun lead with 10 minutes to play.
 
It wasn't until 3:17 left in the game that a pair of free throws by Anderson sparked the 8-0 run to give Texas State the lead, 41-39.
 
Down two with three seconds on the clock, UL Lafayette called a timeout that it did not actually have, therefore resulting in a technical by the Cajun bench. Anderson went 1-for-2 from the line to give Texas State a three-point advantage and the ball. A free throw by Lurry with two seconds on the clock sealed the victory for Texas State.
 
The Bobcats outshot the Cajuns 29.3 to 27.8 from the floor while making seven 3's compared to just two by UL Lafayette. Texas State lost the rebounding battle 40 to 31. A key in the victory Thursday evening was that the Bobcat defense stopped the Cajuns leading scorer, Keke Veal, holding her to just two points.
 
Who Stood Out:
Senior guard Ayriel Anderson hit three big 3's in the first half and finished the game with a floor-high 16 points … Anderson finished the night going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe and owned all five of the Bobcats assists … Raven Burns finished with 11 points while Kiani Lurry added 10 for Texas State … Burns has now scored in double figures in four out of the last five games … Ericka May snagged 10 rebounds for the Bobcats.
 
What It Means:
Texas State improves to 10-8 overall and 5-3 in Sun Belt Conference play. The victory over the Cajuns snapped a two-game losing streak against UL Lafayette. The win at the Cajundome also snapped the Cajuns undefeated home streak.
 
Up Next:
The Bobcats will now travel north to UL Monroe for a 12 p.m. tip-off Saturday afternoon. The game tonight marked the first of four-straight games on the road for Texas State. Live stats and live audio will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com.