LAFAYETTE, La. – The Texas State women's basketball team (13-14, 8-7 Sun Belt) defeated the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (7-18, 5-9 Sun Belt) by a score of 71-65 on Saturday afternoon at the Cajundome.

"I did not like the defensive effort or intensity in the first half," head coach Zenarae Antoine said. "That was definitely a discussion point in the locker room. I thought we did a much better job in the second half. I also thought we really boxed out well down the stretch. The one-and-done trips in the fourth quarter are what won us this game."

Senior guard Toshua Leavitt found her groove from behind the 3-point line. She led the Bobcats with 28 points and went 6-of-11 from behind the arc. The game marked the ninth 20-point outing of her senior campaign. Leavitt has made five-plus 3-pointers in 27 games during her four-year run in the Maroon and Gold. The Bobcats are 21-6 in those games.

Junior forward Jazza Johns registered another strong game in her second-consecutive start. She tallied 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Last time out, Johns scored a career-best 14 points against ULM. She added six rebounds to her line.

Freshman guard Brandi Williams carried the offensive burden for the Ragin' Cajuns. She tallied a team-best 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. Sophomore center Ty'Reona Doucet recorded 13 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench.

The Cajuns sliced up the Bobcat zone in the first half. Texas State struggled with the cutting action Louisiana ran and yielded several shots right at the rim. LA carried the offensive rhythm and a 34-29 lead into the halftime break.

Johns set the tone to open the third quarter. She snagged an offensive rebound and converted the second-chance opportunity to give the Bobcats the momentum early. Leavitt drilled three 3-pointers in a span of 2:37 of game time as TXST spurted ahead, 48-42, with 3:17 remaining in the third.

The lead quickly evaporated as Louisiana closed the quarter on an 8-0 scoring run. The Cajuns led 50-48 with 10 minutes left to play.

Freshman forward Da'Nasia Hood scored the first five points of the fourth on a putback and pick-and-pop triple from the top of the key. The game was tight for the remaining 8:43, although Louisiana was never able to recover.

The Cajuns pulled within a bucket at 64-62 with 41 ticks left on a spinning post move from Doucet. Leavitt and junior guard Brooke Holle iced the game away with each hitting a pair of free throws in the final 38 seconds of run. Holle finished the game with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Up next, Texas State will conclude the season with a three-game homestand. The Bobcats will host Troy (Feb. 28), South Alabama (March 2) and UT Arlington (March 9) in the final three games of the 2018-19 regular season.

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