Lafayette, La. – Senior Brandon Rush scored a team-high 14 points and graduate student DJ Burns posted a double-double, but the Youngstown State men's basketball team dropped a 72-62 decision to Louisiana on Monday night at the Cajundome.
The Penguins fall to 0-1 on the year while Louisiana improves to 1-0.
Burns, who recorded his first double-double with Youngstown State, scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Rush grabbed eight boards and senior Bryson Langdon added 11 points.
The Penguins built a 20-8 lead keyed by a 3-pointer by Burns and another 3-pointer by Rush at the 8:53 mark of the first half.
The Ragin Cajuns would score the next 11 points to cut the YSU lead down to one, 20-19, and then took a 25-24 lead at the 3:24 mark.
A basket and two free throws by Rush put Youngstown State back up three, 28-25, with 1:55 left before halftime, but Louisiana used a 10-3 run to close out the half with a 35-31 advantage at the intermission.
The Penguins began the second half strong by scoring eight of the first 10 points to take a 39-37 lead with 15:28 to go. Langdon hit a pair of shots to start the rally, and Burns made two layups to tie the game and regain the lead.
Louisiana used a 10-0 run to take an eight-point lead, 47-39, and extended its lead to 10, 51-41, at the 10:38 mark.
Two free throws and a driving layup by Ziggy Reid and a dunk by Gabe Dynes brought the Penguins back within four, 51-47, with just under nine minutes left.
After the Ragin' Cajuns extended the lead back to eight, the Penguins, who went 0-for-10 from 3-point range in the second half, would never get closer than five points.
Youngstown State visits Michigan, Friday, Nov. 10. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich. The game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and the Big Ten Network.
