PENSACOLA, Fla. - The field is set for Sunday's 2021 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championship Game after West Division winner Louisiana defeated Little Rock, 58-48, Saturday afternoon at Pensacola Bay Center. The Ragin' Cajuns (16-5) will meet East Division winner Troy University (21-5) in the championship Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.
"We haven't had a lot of pretty games all year. That's 15 in a row, and a lot of them could have gone either way," said Louisiana head coach Garry Brodhead. "The leadership of the seniors and them sticking together, and there's not one player on our team that can control wins, it's the whole 14 of them. We were able to pull a tough one off, and I know tomorrow will be tougher. Troy is one of the better teams in the league."
Led by Mayra Caicedo's nine points in the first half, Little Rock possessed the lead for 19 of the first 20 minutes of action. Shooting 58.3% from the floor in the half, the Trojans scored 17 points in the first 10 minutes and led 28-27 at halftime.
"You've got to give Little Rock credit. They came out and hit some big shots. We've always had trouble guarding them." Brodhead said.
Louisiana improved from 31.3% shooting in the first half to 44.4% in the second half, knocking down 8 of 20 field goals and all 12 free throws in the final 20 minutes.
Ty'Reona Doucet and Skyler Goodwin combined for a six-point run to close the first half, and the momentum carried into the third quarter.
Brandi Williams opened the second half with a person 8-0 run, hitting 5-of-5 free throws and a 3-pointer, to put Louisiana in front by seven, 35-28. The Ragin' Cajuns didn't trail again. The junior guard from Lake Charles, Louisiana scored 13 of her 16 total points in the second half.
Louisiana went up by double-digits on a Williams layup and free throw with 6:51 to play in the game. The lead grew to 14 points before four late points by Little Rock.
Seven Ragin' Cajuns scored in all, including five who were perfect at the charity stripe and five with multiple baskets made.
Jomyra Mathis followed Williams with 11 points off the bench, while Doucet finished with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.
"I call it an instant offense. I have some kids off the bench that are looking for their shots. We have a lot of kids who can score, and score in bunches in a hurry. We're hard to guard," Broadhead said.
Ky'lie Scott and Caicedo each scored 11 to lead Little Rock.
Little Rock finishes its season with a 15-11 record.