J.J. Thomas scored 25 points and Louisiana-Lafayette held off Western Kentucky 67-64 on Saturday night for its ninth straight win, the second-longest active streak in the nation.
The Ragin' Cajuns (12-14, 9-5 Sun Belt Conference) saw a 17-point second-half lead evaporate, but held on to snap the Hilltoppers' three-game winning streak. Western Kentucky (13-14, 7-7) also lost for the first time in five road games.
With Louisiana-Lafayette ahead 45-28 with 17:23 to go, the Hilltoppers used a 21-4 run to tie it at 49 with 9 minutes to go.
The Ragin' Cajuns regained a five-point lead, then Western Kentucky got to 65-63 with 1:26 to go. After the teams exchanged foul shots, Josh Brown went 1 of 2 from the line with 8 seconds left and Kahlil McDonald missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 1 second remaining.
Steffphon Pettigrew's 18 points led Western Kentucky.
