Trojans Drop Heartbreaker to Cajuns

Saturday, January 10

Troy, Ala.

7:30 p.m.

Troy University

UL Lafayette

1/10/2009 6:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)

TROY ? Michael Vogler managed a desperation three-pointer for Troy as time expired, but it fell short handing the Trojans an 83-81 loss at the hands of Louisiana Lafayette in Sun Belt Conference basketball action at Trojan Arena.

Randell Daigle went to the line for the Cajuns with 35.4 seconds remaining and missed both free throws but the Trojans couldn't get a rebound. After two more Troy fouls, Tyren Johnson went to the line for the first time of the game and hit a pair to give his squad a three-point lead, 81-78.

Brandon Hazzard missed a jumper in the paint for the Trojans and Troy had to foul once more sending Xavier Adiefe to the line for two shots and a chance to make it a two possession game with less than 10 seconds to play. Adiefe hit both to make it a five-point game.

Vogler took the ball for the Trojans and drilled a three-pointer to cut it to two-points, 83-81. Next, another Trojans foul sent Travis Bureau to the line once more. For the first time on the night he missed a free-throw setting up Vogler's final try.

Bureau finished the game with a team-high 21 points, including hitting 10-of-11 free throws. As a team UL hit 16-of-23 shots from the charity stripe, compared to the Trojans' shooting just 50 % (10-of-20). The loss dropped Troy to 7-10 on the year and sub-500 in conference play at 2-3.

The Cajuns (6-9, 3-2 SBC) also hit a season-high and tied a school record with 15 three-pointers on the night out of 26 attempts.

“Tonight they were feeling it. They've got three really outstanding 3-point shooters. They hit 15 threes, that tells you right there. We were playing some really solid man-to-man defense. We were really right in their faces,” head coach Don Maestri said.

Troy forced UL into 17 turnovers, compared to committing just seven, but could never get over the hump and take the lead. The Trojans never led after holding a 7-6 advantage four minutes into the game.

“There was a point in the game with a few minutes left when we got two or three really good defensive stops in a row but we couldn't cash in. If we had made the baskets at that point, there would have been some real desperation at the end,” Maestri said.

Troy outscored Louisiana in the paint, 28-to-14, and off turnovers 17-to-8.

Vogler took the opening tip from Tom Jervis and went straight down the lane for two points and an early Trojans lead, but after Louisiana Lafayette turned the ball over on three of their first four possessions the Trojans failed to make them pay and Chris Gradnigo got a fast break dunk to tie the game at two points. Vogler finished the game with 15 points and six assists.

Gradnigo hit a three-pointer on the wing with 15:45, starting a string of three consecutive possessions where Louisiana Lafayette connected on three's from deep to put the Cajuns up 17-7 with 13:49 remaining in the first half.

The Trojans went cold until Kenny Ware hit his and the Trojans first three, but Gradnigo answered right back with three more for Louisiana. Hazzard kept the string going with a Troy three and after a Cajuns lay-up, Travis Lee picked up a loose ball and drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key in transition to cut UL's lead to 10 points, 25-15 with 11:20 to go in the opening half.

Lee got a runner in the lane to go and then found Mario Telfair down low for two on the next possession to cut the Cajun lead to just four points, 25-21, capping a 6-0 Troy run.

Hazzard and Travis Bureau traded buckets for the next 45 seconds with Bureau hitting a pair of three-pointers and Troy's junior guard hitting a long two-point jumper and a three ball of his own leaving Troy trailing by four points, 35-31.

The Trojans tied the game on buckets by Richard Delk and Hazzard with 5:43 left in the first half, but in a matter of seconds Daigle and Johnson hit deep bombs to run their lead back to six points.

With Johnson's three, the Ragin' Cajuns had hit nine of their first 14 three point attempts for a scorching 64 percent, compared to the Trojans 4-of-10 (40 %).

Ware and Hazzard both picked up lay up for the Trojans in the last two minutes and Antywan Jones got a block on Johnson with one second remaining to leave the Trojans behind by six at the half, 48-42. Ware posted a season-high 13 points, 10 of those in the first half.

The Trojans started off the second half in a strong way with Delk pinning a Gradnigo lay up on the backboard and taking it coast-to-coast before dishing it off to Hazzard for a wide-open three pointer just 22 seconds into the half.

Vogler drilled his first three of the night three minutes into the second half to cut the UL lead to three points, 53-50.

Daigle caught fire next for UL, hitting three three-pointers over a span of just more than three minutes to lead the Cajuns on a 9-2 run that included a Delk tip-in for Troy. After the outburst Troy's deficit stood at 62-52. Daigle scored 17 for the game on five three's.

Jervis completed a three-point play and Lee drilled a three-pointer to cut the Ragin' Cajuns lead to 66-62. Then Vogler picked up a steal on the next possession and laid it in at the other end to draw within two points, 66-64. Vogler's bucket capped a 9-2 run over 2:30 of game time.

Bureau completed a three-point play the hard way, hitting three free throws after being fouled by Vogler, throwing UL's lead back to six points with 3:19 to go.

The Cajuns were called for a five second penalty after failing to get the ball inbounds and on the subsequent possession, Vogler found Telfair down low for two points, cutting the deficit to 79-76 with just less than two minutes on the clock.

Delk grabbed a rebound after a Ryan McCoy miss and was fouled. He went to Troy's end and drained two free throws to trim the lead to just one point, 79-78. The shots from the charity stripe completed a 7-2 Trojans run. Delk grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds for the game and scored 13 points.

Hazzard paced the Trojans with 22 points, and Ware added a season-high 13 points and five rebounds. Also scoring in double-figures for the Cajuns was Gradnigo with 17 and Johnson with 13 and nine rebounds.

The Trojans are in action next on Thursday when they travel to face in-state rival South Alabama in more Sun Belt Conference action. Tip-off is set for 7 pm.