University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, November 16
Houston, Texas
7:00 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Texas Southern
Cajun Hoops Continue Season On Friday At Texas Southern
11/14/2012 10:44:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 2
Louisiana (1-0) at Texas Southern (0-2)
Date: Friday, Nov. 16, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: H&PE Arena (8,100), Houston, Texas
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Steve Peloquin)
TV: None.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: UL 87, TSU 70 (at UL, 12/22/90)
Tickets: Available At Site
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 31-31 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 256-162 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 379-197 (20th year)
TEXAS SOUTHERN
MIKE DAVIS (Alabama '88)
At TSU: 0-2 (1st year)
Overall: 237-153 (13th year)
SETTING THE SCENE: Louisiana makes its first road trip of its 100th season of basketball when the Ragin' Cajuns travel to Houston to face Texas Southern on Friday, Nov. 16 beginning at 7:00 p.m. CST in the H&PE Arena on the TSU campus. The Cajuns opened the 2012-13 season on Sunday with a 90-79 win over Oakland, a team that has won 20 games or more in four straight seasons, advancing to postseason play each year. Under the direction of third-year head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns are coming off a 2011-12 season that saw them go 16-16 and appear in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, the school's first post-season appearance since 2002-03. Texas Southern is 0-2 after dropping an 81-63 decision at Boise State on Sunday and a79-49 setback at Northwestern on Wednesday. The Tigers return three starters from the squad that went 15-18 last season.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring six freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is excited about the possibilities for the 2012-13 season, knowing that the team that takes the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns will lean heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (15.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.0 apg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (14.0, 5.0, 8.0). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (4.0 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, should also play an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (14.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (15.0, 5.0, 5.0), a JC transfer from Lamar State. will unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshmen Matthew Moss (2.0, 1.0), Cornell Barnett and walkon Braylan Lazare (4.0, 2.0) providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson will provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the trio of Tulane transfer Kevin Brown (6.0 ppg) and freshmen Kasey Shepherd (7.0) and Steven Wronkoski (9.0) will also contribute, giving Louisiana one of the deepest backcourts in the Sun Belt. Marlin wants to utilize the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. Look for the Cajuns to use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
SHIPLEY BUST DEDICATED: A bust honoring legendary Ragin' Cajuns basketball coach Beryl Shipley was dedicated prior to the season opener Oakland. The bust, which is located just inside the main entrance of the Cajundome, honors a coach who compiled a 293-126 record (.699) in 16 seasons from 1958-73, setting records for most victories and career winning percentage. His teams won 20 or more games seven times. In 1970, Shipley guided the Cajuns as they moved to the NCAA Division I competition level, winning 71 games in the next three seasons.
SOTO AWAITS DECISION: Freshman guard Josh Soto did not play in the season-opening Oakland game as he awaits a ruling from the NCAA on whether a course he took as a freshman in San Juan, Puerto Rico allow him to meet the NCAA initial eligibility guidelines. The NCAA has already approved a waiver allowing him to be on scholarship and practice with the team. No time table on a decision regarding his eligibility is available.
RAGIN' CAJUNS CELEBRATE 100TH SEASON: The Cajuns are celebrating the 100th season of basketball during the 2012-13 season. The first season was in 1911-12 when the Cajuns posted a 4-1 record. Louisiana has gone on to win 20 or more games 21 times since, entering the year with a 1,296-984 overall record. Louisiana did not have a team in either 1973-74 or 1974-75 because of NCAA sanctions. In the first 99 seasons, the Cajuns have advanced to postseason play 18 times, including 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, winning 16 conference titles. Eight UL players have earned All-America honors with 94 being named all-conference.
A NEW LOOK: Not only do the Cajuns have a new look on their bench this year, but they have a new look on the floor as well. . . literally. This fall, the court in the Cajundome was resurfaced, changing the outline color from red to black. The new design features "Louisiana" written along both sidelines, a fleur-de-lis in the lane next to both foul lines. The center court design utilizes the split level Ragin' Cajuns logo.
SUN BELT CONFERENCE TO TELEVISE WKU GAME: Both games of the Feb. 23 doubleheader against Western Kentucky have been selected for the Sun Belt Conference Game of the Week package. The women will face the Hilltoppers at 5:00 p.m. followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.
FILLING THE DOME: Like most sports at Louisiana, the Cajuns have a rabid basketball following that has translated into strong attendance numbers. In 2010-11, the Ragin' Cajuns led the Sun Belt Conference by averaging 4,700 fans a game. Last year, UL was third with a 3,566 average. Strong attendance figures are nothing new for the Cajuns. In 27 years playing in the Cajundome, Louisiana has averaged 4,671 fans for the 380 games played.
. . . AND STRONG ATTENDANCE ABOUNDS: Basketball isn't the only sport that annually hosts large crowds. In both softball and baseball, Louisiana has led the Sun Belt Conference in attendance every year since 2000, while the football squad is currently second in average attendance (24,136). In softball last year, UL set school and league records for overall (29,171) and average attendance (1,287). In postseason play, softball led the 16 NCAA Regionals in total (14,097) and averaged attendance (2,350).
MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100% both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2012 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns recorded their third straight semester with a team GPA of better than 2.50, a feat accomplished just one other time since 1982. The last three semesters account for three of the top six terms for the basketball team during that time. In the two semesters last year, seven Cajuns posted a 3.0 GPA or better.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton showed his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out eight assists in the season opener, one short of his career high of nine set against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year. Bryant Mbamalu shattered his career high in the game, handing out five assists to surpass his old high of three accomplished three times in 2011-12.
. . . AND PAYTON FLIRTS WITH A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore guard Elfrid Payton has come into his own as a playmaker, showing the all-around skills to be capable of recording the first triple-double by a Cajun since the 2005-06 season. In tthe Sun Belt Championship opening round game against North Texas last year, Payton scored 13 points with eight rebounds and nine assists. In the season opener against Oakland, Payton had four points, five rebounds and five assists at halftime, finishing with 14 points with five rebounds and eight assists.
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING: The exhibition win over Loyola-New Orleans marked the Cajuns debut for forward Shawn Long. Long transferred to Louisiana last December after spending the fall semester at Mississippi State. The 6-9 native of Morgan City, La. practiced with the Cajuns during the final three months of the year but was not eligible to play. During the summer, he was granted a waiver of transfer rule that would have made him ineligible until early December, allowing him to play immediately. Eager to make up for the lost season, Long scored 11 of UL's first 18 points against Loyola, finishing the night with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, going seven-for-11 from the field with a pair of blocks. Long came back against Oakland to score 14 points with a game-high six rebounds.
TURNING TO THE BENCH: Another key to the win over Oakland was the performance of the Cajuns bench. With four of the five starters scoring in double figures, the bench came through as freshmen Steven Wronkoski (9 points) and Kasey Shepherd (7) and transfers Kevin Brown (6) and Braylon Lazare (4) helped Louisiana own a 28-3 lead in bench points.
. . . AND IT WAS QUITE AN IMPROVEMENT: The three-pointing shooting exhibition that the Ragin' Cajuns put on against Loyola is a considerable improvement from a year ago when they went 172-for-525 from three-point (.328) for an average of 5.5 three-point field goals a game. Darshawn McClellan was the only player to average at least one three-pointer a game last year, leading the team with 36 treys.
. . . AND NOT A BAD START TO THE SEASON: The three-point shot played an integral role in the season-opening win over Oakland as the Cajuns were six-for-nine from beyond the arc in the second half to help UL come back from a five-point halftime deficit. For the game, Louisiana was 8-for-20 from three-point (.400). In 32 games last year, the Cajuns made more than eight treys just four times.
MORE MOORE: Junior forward Elridge Moore made his Cajuns debut a memorable one, sharing the team scoring lead with 15 points while adding five rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks. Moore, who played one season at Nicholls State before transferring to Lamar State last season, missed just two shots in the game, going six-for-seven from the field and three-for-four from the line. A 6-5 forward from New Orleans, Moore started at forward.
TURNING UP THE TEMPERATURE: Bob Marlin said all pre-season that the Cajuns would take advantage of the quickness that the squad has this year by applying more pressure. The initial returns have been good as Louisiana forced 20 turnovers in the opener against Oakland, turning those miscues into a 32-11 advantage in points off turnovers. The 12 steals marked the most by the Cajuns since recording 15 last year in the win over Dillard. Going back even further, UL has had more than 12 steals only twice in the last seven seasons.
T WAS RAINING THREES: Head coach Bob Marlin said throughout the preseason that the three-point shot would play a more important role in the Cajuns offensive game plan this year. That was certainly the case against Loyola-New Orleans as UL made 16 of its 31 three-point attempts (.516) en route to a 20-point win. The total, had it occurred in a regular season game, and not an exhibition, would have broken the school record of 15 three-point field goals in a game set against Troy (1/10/09), Western Kentucky (3/2/96) and Ohio State (12/1/96). Even more impressive was the Cajuns did most of the damage in the first half, going 14-for-18 from beyond the stripe (.778) with seven different players knocking down treys in the game.
CAJUNS CHOSEN FOURTH IN SBC WEST DIVISION: With just one returning starter and 10 new faces on the roster, Louisiana has been picked to finish fourth in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference this year in a preseason balloting of league head coaches and select media. Middle Tennessee (East) and North Texas (West) were each unanimous choices to win their division. A look at the complete poll follows.
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOR CAJUN FANS: Cajuns basketball fans will once again have the opportunity to see the men's and women's squads in action on the same day as Louisiana will play five home doubleheaders in the Cajundome this year.The first doubleheader comes on Dec. 29 when the Cajuns host UALR. Arkansas State is the guest on Jan. 12) and UL plays ULM (Feb. 10), Florida Atlantic (Feb. 16) and Western Kentucky (Feb. 23) on successive weekends in February. In addition, the two squads will also play road twinbills at North Texas (Dec. 1), FIU (Jan. 5), Middle Tennessee (Jan. 19) and Troy (Feb. 2).
REBOUNDERS CLUB TO MEET: The third meeting of the Rebounders Club, a group of supporters of the Ragin' Cajuns basketball team, will be held on Tuesday (Nov. 27) beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Petroleum Club (111 Heymann). Information on becoming a Rebounds Club member is available by contacting Karren Hays at (337) 988-4557.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns continue the stretch that has them playing four of five games on the road. Louisiana makes a trip to Boise, Idaho to face Boise State on Sunday (Nov. 18) as part of the Spartan Showcase. UL then returns home to host Southern of New Orleans on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Cajundome.
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 2
Louisiana (1-0) at Texas Southern (0-2)
Date: Friday, Nov. 16, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: H&PE Arena (8,100), Houston, Texas
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Steve Peloquin)
TV: None.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: UL 87, TSU 70 (at UL, 12/22/90)
Tickets: Available At Site
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 31-31 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 256-162 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 379-197 (20th year)
TEXAS SOUTHERN
MIKE DAVIS (Alabama '88)
At TSU: 0-2 (1st year)
Overall: 237-153 (13th year)
SETTING THE SCENE: Louisiana makes its first road trip of its 100th season of basketball when the Ragin' Cajuns travel to Houston to face Texas Southern on Friday, Nov. 16 beginning at 7:00 p.m. CST in the H&PE Arena on the TSU campus. The Cajuns opened the 2012-13 season on Sunday with a 90-79 win over Oakland, a team that has won 20 games or more in four straight seasons, advancing to postseason play each year. Under the direction of third-year head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns are coming off a 2011-12 season that saw them go 16-16 and appear in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, the school's first post-season appearance since 2002-03. Texas Southern is 0-2 after dropping an 81-63 decision at Boise State on Sunday and a79-49 setback at Northwestern on Wednesday. The Tigers return three starters from the squad that went 15-18 last season.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring six freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is excited about the possibilities for the 2012-13 season, knowing that the team that takes the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns will lean heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (15.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.0 apg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (14.0, 5.0, 8.0). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (4.0 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, should also play an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (14.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (15.0, 5.0, 5.0), a JC transfer from Lamar State. will unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshmen Matthew Moss (2.0, 1.0), Cornell Barnett and walkon Braylan Lazare (4.0, 2.0) providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson will provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the trio of Tulane transfer Kevin Brown (6.0 ppg) and freshmen Kasey Shepherd (7.0) and Steven Wronkoski (9.0) will also contribute, giving Louisiana one of the deepest backcourts in the Sun Belt. Marlin wants to utilize the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. Look for the Cajuns to use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
SHIPLEY BUST DEDICATED: A bust honoring legendary Ragin' Cajuns basketball coach Beryl Shipley was dedicated prior to the season opener Oakland. The bust, which is located just inside the main entrance of the Cajundome, honors a coach who compiled a 293-126 record (.699) in 16 seasons from 1958-73, setting records for most victories and career winning percentage. His teams won 20 or more games seven times. In 1970, Shipley guided the Cajuns as they moved to the NCAA Division I competition level, winning 71 games in the next three seasons.
SOTO AWAITS DECISION: Freshman guard Josh Soto did not play in the season-opening Oakland game as he awaits a ruling from the NCAA on whether a course he took as a freshman in San Juan, Puerto Rico allow him to meet the NCAA initial eligibility guidelines. The NCAA has already approved a waiver allowing him to be on scholarship and practice with the team. No time table on a decision regarding his eligibility is available.
RAGIN' CAJUNS CELEBRATE 100TH SEASON: The Cajuns are celebrating the 100th season of basketball during the 2012-13 season. The first season was in 1911-12 when the Cajuns posted a 4-1 record. Louisiana has gone on to win 20 or more games 21 times since, entering the year with a 1,296-984 overall record. Louisiana did not have a team in either 1973-74 or 1974-75 because of NCAA sanctions. In the first 99 seasons, the Cajuns have advanced to postseason play 18 times, including 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, winning 16 conference titles. Eight UL players have earned All-America honors with 94 being named all-conference.
A NEW LOOK: Not only do the Cajuns have a new look on their bench this year, but they have a new look on the floor as well. . . literally. This fall, the court in the Cajundome was resurfaced, changing the outline color from red to black. The new design features "Louisiana" written along both sidelines, a fleur-de-lis in the lane next to both foul lines. The center court design utilizes the split level Ragin' Cajuns logo.
SUN BELT CONFERENCE TO TELEVISE WKU GAME: Both games of the Feb. 23 doubleheader against Western Kentucky have been selected for the Sun Belt Conference Game of the Week package. The women will face the Hilltoppers at 5:00 p.m. followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.
FILLING THE DOME: Like most sports at Louisiana, the Cajuns have a rabid basketball following that has translated into strong attendance numbers. In 2010-11, the Ragin' Cajuns led the Sun Belt Conference by averaging 4,700 fans a game. Last year, UL was third with a 3,566 average. Strong attendance figures are nothing new for the Cajuns. In 27 years playing in the Cajundome, Louisiana has averaged 4,671 fans for the 380 games played.
. . . AND STRONG ATTENDANCE ABOUNDS: Basketball isn't the only sport that annually hosts large crowds. In both softball and baseball, Louisiana has led the Sun Belt Conference in attendance every year since 2000, while the football squad is currently second in average attendance (24,136). In softball last year, UL set school and league records for overall (29,171) and average attendance (1,287). In postseason play, softball led the 16 NCAA Regionals in total (14,097) and averaged attendance (2,350).
MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100% both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2012 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns recorded their third straight semester with a team GPA of better than 2.50, a feat accomplished just one other time since 1982. The last three semesters account for three of the top six terms for the basketball team during that time. In the two semesters last year, seven Cajuns posted a 3.0 GPA or better.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton showed his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out eight assists in the season opener, one short of his career high of nine set against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year. Bryant Mbamalu shattered his career high in the game, handing out five assists to surpass his old high of three accomplished three times in 2011-12.
. . . AND PAYTON FLIRTS WITH A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore guard Elfrid Payton has come into his own as a playmaker, showing the all-around skills to be capable of recording the first triple-double by a Cajun since the 2005-06 season. In tthe Sun Belt Championship opening round game against North Texas last year, Payton scored 13 points with eight rebounds and nine assists. In the season opener against Oakland, Payton had four points, five rebounds and five assists at halftime, finishing with 14 points with five rebounds and eight assists.
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING: The exhibition win over Loyola-New Orleans marked the Cajuns debut for forward Shawn Long. Long transferred to Louisiana last December after spending the fall semester at Mississippi State. The 6-9 native of Morgan City, La. practiced with the Cajuns during the final three months of the year but was not eligible to play. During the summer, he was granted a waiver of transfer rule that would have made him ineligible until early December, allowing him to play immediately. Eager to make up for the lost season, Long scored 11 of UL's first 18 points against Loyola, finishing the night with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, going seven-for-11 from the field with a pair of blocks. Long came back against Oakland to score 14 points with a game-high six rebounds.
TURNING TO THE BENCH: Another key to the win over Oakland was the performance of the Cajuns bench. With four of the five starters scoring in double figures, the bench came through as freshmen Steven Wronkoski (9 points) and Kasey Shepherd (7) and transfers Kevin Brown (6) and Braylon Lazare (4) helped Louisiana own a 28-3 lead in bench points.
. . . AND IT WAS QUITE AN IMPROVEMENT: The three-pointing shooting exhibition that the Ragin' Cajuns put on against Loyola is a considerable improvement from a year ago when they went 172-for-525 from three-point (.328) for an average of 5.5 three-point field goals a game. Darshawn McClellan was the only player to average at least one three-pointer a game last year, leading the team with 36 treys.
. . . AND NOT A BAD START TO THE SEASON: The three-point shot played an integral role in the season-opening win over Oakland as the Cajuns were six-for-nine from beyond the arc in the second half to help UL come back from a five-point halftime deficit. For the game, Louisiana was 8-for-20 from three-point (.400). In 32 games last year, the Cajuns made more than eight treys just four times.
MORE MOORE: Junior forward Elridge Moore made his Cajuns debut a memorable one, sharing the team scoring lead with 15 points while adding five rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks. Moore, who played one season at Nicholls State before transferring to Lamar State last season, missed just two shots in the game, going six-for-seven from the field and three-for-four from the line. A 6-5 forward from New Orleans, Moore started at forward.
TURNING UP THE TEMPERATURE: Bob Marlin said all pre-season that the Cajuns would take advantage of the quickness that the squad has this year by applying more pressure. The initial returns have been good as Louisiana forced 20 turnovers in the opener against Oakland, turning those miscues into a 32-11 advantage in points off turnovers. The 12 steals marked the most by the Cajuns since recording 15 last year in the win over Dillard. Going back even further, UL has had more than 12 steals only twice in the last seven seasons.
T WAS RAINING THREES: Head coach Bob Marlin said throughout the preseason that the three-point shot would play a more important role in the Cajuns offensive game plan this year. That was certainly the case against Loyola-New Orleans as UL made 16 of its 31 three-point attempts (.516) en route to a 20-point win. The total, had it occurred in a regular season game, and not an exhibition, would have broken the school record of 15 three-point field goals in a game set against Troy (1/10/09), Western Kentucky (3/2/96) and Ohio State (12/1/96). Even more impressive was the Cajuns did most of the damage in the first half, going 14-for-18 from beyond the stripe (.778) with seven different players knocking down treys in the game.
CAJUNS CHOSEN FOURTH IN SBC WEST DIVISION: With just one returning starter and 10 new faces on the roster, Louisiana has been picked to finish fourth in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference this year in a preseason balloting of league head coaches and select media. Middle Tennessee (East) and North Texas (West) were each unanimous choices to win their division. A look at the complete poll follows.
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOR CAJUN FANS: Cajuns basketball fans will once again have the opportunity to see the men's and women's squads in action on the same day as Louisiana will play five home doubleheaders in the Cajundome this year.The first doubleheader comes on Dec. 29 when the Cajuns host UALR. Arkansas State is the guest on Jan. 12) and UL plays ULM (Feb. 10), Florida Atlantic (Feb. 16) and Western Kentucky (Feb. 23) on successive weekends in February. In addition, the two squads will also play road twinbills at North Texas (Dec. 1), FIU (Jan. 5), Middle Tennessee (Jan. 19) and Troy (Feb. 2).
REBOUNDERS CLUB TO MEET: The third meeting of the Rebounders Club, a group of supporters of the Ragin' Cajuns basketball team, will be held on Tuesday (Nov. 27) beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Petroleum Club (111 Heymann). Information on becoming a Rebounds Club member is available by contacting Karren Hays at (337) 988-4557.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns continue the stretch that has them playing four of five games on the road. Louisiana makes a trip to Boise, Idaho to face Boise State on Sunday (Nov. 18) as part of the Spartan Showcase. UL then returns home to host Southern of New Orleans on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Cajundome.
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