LAFAYETTE, La. (Interstat) — Arkansas State raced to a large early lead and cruised to a 92-66 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in a Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at the Cajundome. The Red Wolves led 44-25 at halftime after scoring 29 points in the second quarter and never looked back, improving to 22-7 overall. The Ragin’ Cajuns fell to 4-24. Imani Daniel led Louisiana-Lafayette with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Amijah Price added 19 points. Arkansas State, which shot 50 percent from the floor, had a balanced attack with Mia Tarver and D’Arrah Allen each scoring 17 points. Attendance was announced at 846.

LAFAYETTE, La. (Interstat) — The Arkansas State women’s basketball team used a dominant first half and a barrage of three-pointers to cruise past Louisiana-Lafayette 92-66 in a Sun Belt Conference game Saturday at the Cajundome. The visiting Red Wolves (22-7, 13-3 Sun Belt) seized control early, holding the Ragin’ Cajuns to just seven points in the opening quarter while building a 15-point lead. The advantage ballooned to 44-25 by halftime, fueled by a 29-point second-quarter outburst. Arkansas State’s offense was firing from deep, connecting on 19 three-pointers on 48 attempts, a stark contrast to Louisiana-Lafayette, which missed all five of its attempts from beyond the arc. The most important part of the game was Arkansas State’s immediate and overwhelming perimeter assault, which rendered any hope of a home upset inert within the first ten minutes. The Red Wolves’ shooting spree created a deficit too large for a struggling Ragin’ Cajuns squad to overcome, despite a more competitive second half. Louisiana-Lafayette (4-24, 3-13) showed more fight after the break, outscoring Arkansas State 28-30 in a high-paced third quarter behind the interior efforts of Imani Daniel and Amijah Price. The Ragin’ Cajuns dominated points in the paint, finishing with a 44-24 advantage, but could never cut the deficit to single digits. Every attempt at a run was answered by an Arkansas State three-pointer. Mia Tarver and D’Arrah Allen each scored 17 points to lead a balanced Arkansas State attack. Tarver, a guard from Salt Lake City, hit five three-pointers, while Allen, from Los Angeles, connected on three from deep. Aniyah Ruddock added 12 points, and Mimi McCollister chipped in nine points, three rebounds and three assists. For Louisiana-Lafayette, Imani Daniel of Gramercy, Louisiana, recorded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds in 37 minutes. Amijah Price of Baton Rouge led all scorers with 19 points, adding five rebounds. Bianca Silva of Brazil contributed nine points and three assists, and Stephanie Mosley added 10 points and five rebounds. Arkansas State finished the game shooting 44.9% from the field and an efficient 84.6% from the free-throw line. While both teams committed a high number of turnovers — 20 for Arkansas State and 19 for Louisiana-Lafayette — and recorded an identical 10 steals and 10 assists, the Red Wolves’ superior shot-making from distance was the decisive factor. Their offensive rating of 119.2 on 77 possessions dwarfed the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 85.9. The game was a reversal of the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 15, which Arkansas State won 75-34. The Red Wolves have now won eight of their last nine games. Louisiana-Lafayette has lost three of its last four. An announced crowd of 846 watched the contest. Arkansas State next hosts Troy on Tuesday. Louisiana-Lafayette travels to face Georgia State on Friday.

LAFAYETTE, La. (Interstat) — A surging Arkansas State women’s basketball team will look to continue its push near the top of the Sun Belt Conference standings when it visits struggling Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday. The Red Wolves (21-7, 11-4 Sun Belt) enter the 2 p.m. EST contest at the Cajundome having won two straight, including a 75-61 road victory at Texas State on Wednesday. They sit in stark contrast to the Ragin’ Cajuns (4-23, 2-13), who have lost 10 of their last 11 games and are coming off an 83-61 home loss to Southern Mississippi. Arkansas State, which defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 75-34 in Jonesboro just over a month ago on Jan. 15, is led by guard Zyion Shannon. She is averaging 15.4 points over her last seven games, including a 22-point performance in the recent win at Texas State. Her backcourt scoring will be central to the Red Wolves’ attack. The Ragin’ Cajuns will counter with guard Imani Daniel, who has shown flashes of high-volume scoring. She dropped 24 points at Troy on Feb. 12 and 21 points at Akron on Feb. 7. Consistency has been an issue for Louisiana-Lafayette, which ranks near the bottom of the league in both scoring offense and defense. The matchup pits one of the conference’s most efficient teams against its most porous defense. Arkansas State’s balanced scoring, with contributors like Marlie Dickerson and Mimi McCollister supporting Shannon, will be heavily favored against a Louisiana-Lafayette squad allowing an average of 76.5 points per game in Sun Belt play. A win would solidify Arkansas State’s position for a high seed in the upcoming conference tournament, while Louisiana-Lafayette seeks a rare bright spot in a difficult season.