Long Day in the Cajundome

 Woof.  Probably one of those days you'd rather forget.

It started OK.  BG was making some shots and had a four-point lead at parts of the early first half.  BG led by 2 with 10 minutes left. 22-20  86-60  For the next 30 minutes, BG was outscored 66-38. The Cajuns had a 10-point lead in the last minute of the first half and the game was a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.  BG trailed by as much as 28 on their way to a 26-point defeat.

Remember, this is the second-best team BG has played, after Akron, according to Kenpom.

It was a long day in Acadiana.  But if I need a trial lawyer down there, I got a firm.

The game went off at 65 possessions, which is slow for us.  In fact, BG seemed to be trying to slow it down, with Hill dribbling out shot clocks in the first half in the high 1-4.  BG had .92 points per possession, their 4th worst of the season and only time under 1 point per possession since MAC play started.

Remember, ULL is 2nd in the country in 3FG% and they do force turnovers.  In this game, BG shot 19% from 3FG (worst of the year) and had 21% turnovers, which was the worst since the WKU game. So, they did what they do.  BG made 56% from 2FG, which is pretty good, but took 38% of their shots from 3FG.  I was hoping for something more in the range of the 24% they took against UB. Our offensive rebounding was decent, but BG got to the line only 14 times and made only 8.

Louisiana meanwhile torched the BG defense.  Their 1.32 points per possession was BG's worst game of the year. They made 60% from 2FG (second worst) and 50% from 3FG (third worst).  They maximized their shots by taking care of the ball.  They didn't get much on the offensive boards and only got to the line 15 times but made 11.

 

Marcus Hill continues to be a stud for the Falcons. He had 22 on 10 of 15 2FG and 0 of 2 on 3FG.  He has six rebounds, but 21 assists over 4 turnovers. Agee had 14 on 5 of 7 shooting, 7 rebounds and five turnovers. The rest, including Thomas, Spurgin and Greer, it wasn't their night.

The good news is that this one doesn't count.  Next up is @EMU and then a tougher one @CMU.  BG is playing a short rotation (Sam Towns was DNP) and has lost 4 of 6.  They will need to find a way to rally to stay where they are in the standings.  It has been a fun year...no complaints.