SHREVEPORT — LSUA’s basketball teams traveled up I-49 hoping to spring one upset Thursday night.
There was a shocker in the Red River Athletic Conference doubleheader finishing the regular season, but it wasn’t the one the visitors wanted.
The LSUA men, ranked No. 1 nationally in the NAIA Top 25, were knocked off by LSU Shreveport.
The LSUA women barely missed another surprise, falling by one to the RRAC regular-season champions.
LSUS MEN 101, LSUA 96: The loss snapped a 19-game winning streak for the Generals (25-2, 22-2 RRAC) but while it will probably cost them the No. 1 ranking, it won’t affect their top seeding in the upcoming conference tournament or the automatic NAIA playoff berth they earned by rolling to the regular-season RRAC title.
Kashie Natt led LSUA with 30 points and 10 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season, and added a team-high five assists. Jakemin Abney scored 21 points as he went 9-for-14 from the field. Jordan Decuir pitched in with 12 points.
The Pilots (18-10, 15-9) held the Generals to 29 percent shooting while building a 38-31 halftime lead
In an explosive second half, the Generals scored 65 points, but the Pilots tallied 63. LSUA knocked down 54.5 percent of its shots in the back half but the winner sank 56 percent, including 6 of 9 on 3-pointers, and drained 21 of 24 free throws.
The LSUS lead widened to 19, 71-56, with 9:42 remaining but LSUA began to chew into the deficit. Down by 11, the Generals scored 10 unanswered to move within 80-79 with just over five minutes to go.
But LSUS responded with a 9-2 run, pulling ahead 89-81. The Pilots kept the Generals out of reach, knocking down eight consecutive free throws over the next two minutes.
Tahjae Hill’s 27 points led five LSUS players in double figures on Senior Night for the Pilots at The Dock.
LSUS WOMEN 62, LSUA 61: The Generals raced to a 22-10 lead, but playing for outright ownership of the RRAC title, the Pilots rallied in the middle two quarters before the teams went toe-to-toe in the final 10 minutes.
There were four lead changes in the final period, the last with 5:55 left lifting LSUS ahead on a Paula Gonzales Herrero basket. LSUA tied the game but could not regain the lead and a partially blocked 3-point shot with five seconds left ultimately made the difference.
Nursing a 58-57 edge, LSUS got a pair of Helena Galunic baskets to open its biggest advantage of the game, 62-57 with 1:41 left. LSUA’s Benedetta Peracchi got an assist from Amani Gray with 1:14 left on a layup to make it a one-possession contest, but two potential tying treys in the final 33 seconds didn’t connect. The last one was deflected out of bounds with five seconds left on a block by LSUS’ Selma Markisic, but LSUA retained possession.
The Generals were unable to get off another 3-pointer, and Peracchi was fouled with one second left. She drained both free throws despite an LSUS timeout in between, but clinging to the one-point edge, the Pilots successfully inbounded and time ran out on the upset bid.
LSUS (24-3, 23-1) benefitted from a 26-10 advantage in points off turnovers, although the actual turnover count was deceptively close with the visitors giving it up 19 times to 15 for the Pilots.
Jewel Jones led the Generals (21-7, 17-6) with 16 points and Alexis Dyer finished with 15. Gray recorded a team-high 10 rebounds. Peracchi dished out six assists and recorded three steals.
When the RRAC Tournament begins next Friday at the Rapides Parish Coliseum, the LSUA women will be the No. 3 seed in the eight-team, three-day event.