UL-Lafayette Ready To Shine
Louisiana-Lafayette coach Jessie Evans wanted Blake Harmon to shoot. Harmon planned to shoot and teammate Lonnie Thomas thought he had.
South Alabama's defense changed everything and it was Thomas who wound up banking home a short jumper with 3.5 seconds to play. That earned Lafayette a trip to the NCAA tournament with a 51-50 victory over South Alabama in the finals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Tuesday night.
South Alabama's Ericson Beck missed a free throw with 12.6 seconds to play and the Jaguars in front 50-49. With Evans screaming at Harmon to "take it all the way," Harmon bolted for the basket, hung in the air, and dumped a pass to Thomas.
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That surprised Thomas.
"I thought it was a shot," Thomas said. "I was about to turn around and box out and it started coming down, and I just jumped up and grabbed it and hoisted it up there, and it went in."
Ravonte Dantzler didn't come close on the Jaguars' final shot.
His miss touched off a celebration that included a half-dozen shirtless Lafayette players hanging on the rim where Thomas made his winning shot. Players, cheerleaders and others tossed dozens of small white basketball into the stands.
South Alabama (20-10) swept Lafayette (25-8) during the regular season, but the Ragin' Cajuns scored the last five points in the tournament final.
"We won the national championship when I was (an assistant) at Arizona in 1997 and I can honestly say this feels better," Evans said. "It's taking my own team."
Lafayette's last trip to the NCAA was in 1994, when the Cajuns lost in the first round to Marquette. The Cajuns are headed for the tournament in Evans' third year. He was an assistant at Texas for two years in the 1980s when South Alabama coach Bob Weltlich was the head coach.
Three years ago, Weltlich's first South Alabama team beat Evans' first Lafayette team in the finals of the Sun Belt tournament.
Dantzler's free throw broke the 10th tie of the game and put the Jaguars in front 44-43. Dantzler's 16-footer made it 46-45 and Beck added two free throws with 3:00 to play.
Dusty Dubbs was good from 12 feet for 50-46 with 1:23 left. Brett Smith made a free throw and missed one, and then the Jaguars committed a shot clock violation. Harmon's driving shot cut the lead to one with 14.9 left and Evans immediately called a timeout. The Cajuns fouled Beck as soon as he caught the inbounds pass.
Thomas finished with 10 points and teammate Reggie DeGray scored 11.
South Alabama's Virgil Stanescu scored 14 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.
It was 24-24 at the half. Each team had 10 field goals, but the Jaguars had six more shots primarily because of eight offensive rebounds.
Harmon made a 3-pointer, South Alabama wasted several chances and Smith banked home a running hook for 31-26. Dubbs made a long 3-pointer and reserve Josh Hotz was good from long range for a 32-32 tie.
Hotz's third 3 gave South Alabama a 37-36 lead, the Jaguars' first lead in more than 10 minutes.
The first of Orlando Butler's two free throws tied it at 37 the eighth tie of the game and his second put Lafayette back in front.
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