South Alabama falls to Louisiana in Sun Belt Conference Championshp

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) -The South Alabama Jaguars went head-to-head with the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns with the Sun Belt Championship and a spot in the NCAA tournament on the line. It was the first appearance in the conference championship game for the Jags since 2009.

South Alabama made eight of their first 11 shots to jump out to an early lead. Louisiana would briefly take the lead midway through the first half, but the Jaguars would answer back with a 7-0 run. The Jags would hold Louisiana scoreless for about the last three minutes of the half to take a 4-point lead into the locker room.

The Ragin Cajuns came out of the locker room with the hot hand and used that momentum to jump out to 4-point lead, but neither team could find too much separation. The Jags would pull within three but Owen White’s 3-point attempt to send it to over time hits the rim twice before bouncing out and Louisiana holds on to a 71-66 win to claim the Sun Belt Championship.

Despite the loss Senior guard Isaiah Moore finished with a career high 33 points. Center Kevin Samuel also set a new school record for most blocks in a season with 86. Moore and White were both named to the Sun Belt all-tournament team.