LAFAYETTE, La. –  Louisiana took full advantage of Texas State's first-half shooting woes to build a 21-point halftime lead en route to a 62-43 victory Thursday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference women's basketball action at the Cajundome.
 
The Bobcats, who made two of their first 20 field goal attempts, were limited to one field goal in the first quarter and five in the second for 21.4 first-half shooting percentage (6 of 28). Conversely, Louisiana knocked down seven shots in the first and six in the second for a 52.0 percentage (13 of 25).
 
Texas State (16-12, 11-6 Sun Belt) recovered at the intermission to make 12 of its 22 second-half shots (54.5 percent), including 62.2 percent in the third quarter. The Bobcats closed the game with a 36.0 shooting clip and were led by co-led by Erin Peoples, Amber Jones and Taeler Deer with eight points each. Deer scored her eight on 4 of 8 from the floor -- her 16th game of the season shooting 50 percent or better.
 
Louisiana (17-9, 11-6 Sun Belt) finished the game making 45.1 percent (23 of 51) and were led by Jaylyn Gordon's 20 points, while Nekia Jones and Malachi Williams also reached double-figures with 12 and 11, respectively.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns' outscored the Bobcats 22-20 in the paint and 18-9 off turnovers. TXST held a 33-27 advantage on the boards with Toshua Leavitt leading the way with six caroms.  
 
Texas State fell behind 9-0 to start the game before Peoples scored the Bobcats first points at the 6:02 mark of the first quarter. The Bobcats would only muster a single free throw throughout the remainder of the period as the Ragin' Cajuns ended the quarter on a 9-1 run for an 18-3 lead after 10 minutes of play.
 
De'Jionae Calloway scored inside on Texas State's first second-quarter possession, but the Bobcats would not capture any momentum as Louisiana reeled off the next seven points for a 25-5 lead with 5:41 to go before halftime. The Ragin' Cajuns stretched its lead to as many as 24 at 31-7 on Gordon's second three at the 2:41 mark. Texas State ended the half outscoring Louisiana 7-4, cutting the Ragin' Cajuns lead to 21 at 35-14.
 
The Bobcats shot considerably better in the third quarter, eight of its 13 shots to trim Louisiana's once 24-point lead to 15 at 48-33.
 
Kaitlin Walla scored a mid-range jumper on Texas State's first possession of the fourth quarter to close the Ragin' Cajun advantage to 13 (48-35). However, Louisiana responded with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to restore its 20-point lead and put the game out of reach.
  • Texas State closes its 2016-17 regular season at ULM at Noon on Saturday. Seedings and the bracket for the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championship will be released Saturday evening following the conclusion of all league games.
  • The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships ­that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from the Texas State ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.
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