LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Elfrid Payton scored 21 points, had seven assists and six steals as Louisiana-Lafayette beat Texas State 81-58 on Monday night.
Shawn Long added 18 points and nine rebounds for Louisiana (11-5, 2-1 Sun Belt). Payton and Long entered the game as the only duo in the nation averaging over 20 points — 20.1 and 21.5 respectively.
Texas State (5-12, 1-3) got 17 points from Joel Wright and Emani Gant added 12. The Bobcats shot 50 percent from the floor but were downed by 18 turnovers, 12 off of Louisiana steals.
Louisiana led 42-26 at halftime and pushed its lead to 20 in the first two minutes of the second half. Bryant Mbamalu added 14 points, including three of Louisiana’s eight 3-pointers. The Ragin’ Cajuns made 27 of 48 shots and 57 percent of their 14 3-point attempts.
