HAMMOND, La. – UL Lafayette closed out the third quarter with an 11-1 run and Southeastern Louisiana was unable to recover, falling to the Ragin' Cajuns, 68-56, in non-conference women's basketball action Wednesday night in the University Center.
 
Playing at home for the first time since the home opener, the Lady Lions (1-8) could never get in a rhythm offensively, as the Ragin' Cajuns (4-6) held SLU to 32.8 percent (19-for-58) shooting in the contest and kept Southeastern from reaching double digits in the first and third quarters.
 
UL Lafayette made 22-of-30 free throws, while SLU was 7-for-17 from the charity stripe. The Lady Lions committed 28 fouls to just 14 for the Ragin' Cajuns.
 
Senior guard Taylin Underwood led all scorers with 20 points to pace the Lady Lions. Underwood was joined in double figures by junior forward Jyar Francis, who came off the bench with 12 points in her first game in the University Center as a Lady Lion after transferring from Wichita State.
 
Francis, sophomore guard Tyler Morrison and freshman forward Caitlyn Williams led SLU with five rebounds each. Morrison's four assists also were good for game-high honors.
 
UL Lafayette senior forward Simone Fields was the lone Ragin' Cajun in double figures with 19 points, though freshman guard Skyler Goodwin, sophomore forward Kimberly Burton and sophomore guard Jasmine Thomas added nine points apiece. Freshman center Ty'Reonne Doucet led UL Lafayette with 10 rebounds off the bench, while Goodwin had a team-high three assists.
 
The Lady Lions were held to 18.8 percent (3-for-16) shooting in the first quarter, as the Ragin' Cajuns took a 19-9 lead after the opening 10 minutes. However, the Lady Lions answered in the second quarter, as Underwood, Francis, junior guard Ashailee Brailey and sophomore guard Courtney Dawsey combined to go 5-for-7 from behind the arc to cut the halftime deficit to 30-26.
 
A three by sophomore Charliee Dugas cut the Ragin' Cajun lead to 34-33 with 6:38 left in the third quarter. UL Lafayette did not allow Southeastern to hit another field goal for the rest of the period. A Fields jumper capped the run and sent the Ragin' Cajuns into the final quarter with a 45-34 lead.
 
The lead would grow to as much as 15 in the final quarter. Consecutive treys by Francis and a Underwood bucket cut the deficit to eight in the final minute, but Southeastern would get no closer, losing to UL Lafayette for the sixth straight time.
 
Southeastern will close out its non-conference road schedule next Tuesday with a 6 p.m. contest at Auburn. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+. Live stats, provided by the host Tigers, will be accessible on the women's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.