Recap: Louisiana vs. Western Ky

Lafayette, LA (Sports Network) - T.J. Price led an offensive explosion for Western Kentucky with 23 points as the Hilltoppers outlasted the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, 88-77, in Sun Belt Conference action at the Cajundome.

Jamal Crook tallied 21 points and six assists for WKU (15-14, 9-9 Sun Belt), which has won back-to-back games. Brandon Harris had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while George Fant chipped in 15 points and nine boards.

For Louisiana (11-18, 7-11), Elfrid Payton shot 9-of-13 from the field and 13- of-19 from the foul line for a career-high 31 points. Shawn Long logged a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, Bryant Mbamalu netted 11 points and Elridge Moore added 10 points.

WKU was on fire in the first 20 minutes, shooting 17-of-28 from the field (.607) and 13-of-14 from the foul line (.929) as it took a comfortable 53-36 lead into the break.

The Hilltoppers regressed to just 39.3 percent field goal shooting after intermission, but the Cajuns still never got closer than seven points of the lead.

WKU shot 10-of-20 from beyond the arc on the night and outrebounded Louisiana, 38-30.