BURN THE HORSE
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| UALR at La.-Lafayette 7 p.m. Thursday Lafayette, La. |
As UALR prepares for a rematch with Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday in Lafayette, La., the formula for victory isn’t all that different.
UALR got 16 more field-goal attempts, pulled down four more offensive rebounds, had half as many turnovers (11-22), more blocks (4-2) and steal (5-3). Points in the paint were equal, second-chance and fast-break points were virtually equal. And UALR had an 18-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
Those are all winning numbers. Yet UALR was soundly beaten 68-49 by the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Why? How? It’s pretty simple. UALR missed 50 field-goal attempts in that game. Yes, Louisiana-Lafayette had a huge advantage in rebounds. But much of that came strictly from the fact that UALR missed so many shots.
I watched the replay of the first game again last night just to see what was happening when the Trojans had the ball. There were times when Louisiana-Lafayette just played really good defense and made it difficult for the Trojans to score. But there were plenty of other times that UALR got quality, open shots -- both point-blank and mid-range jumpers -- that just didn’t go in.
UALR also settled a bit for the three-point shot. After Chuck Guy made a 25-footer in the opening minutes, UALR seemed to fall in love with the three-pointer. Guy, Courtney Jackson, Taggart Lockhart, D’Andre Williams and Will Neighbour all jacked up threes that weren’t wide open.
The Trojans are not a good enough outside-shooting team to take contested three-pointers. They’ve got to get the ball toward the paint and make some shots if they are to upset ULL on Thursday.
