University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, January 31
Lafayette
7:00 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
North Texas
Cajuns Host North Texas On Thursday
1/28/2013 2:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 23
North Texas (8-14, 3-8) at Louisiana (7-15, 3-8)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: Ragin' Cajuns Network (Jeff Palermo & Ross Mouton)
Series: Louisiana Leads, 20-15
Last Meeting: UL 80, UNT 76 (12/1/12, Denton, Texas)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 37-46 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 262-177 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 385-212 (20th year)
vs. North Texas: 4-4
NORTH TEXAS
TONY BENFORD (Texas Tech '92)
At UNT: 8-14 (1st year)
Overall: 8-14 (1st year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-1
SETTING THE SCENE: After enjoying a seven-day break between games for the first time since early December, Louisiana returns to the Cajundome hardwood on Thursday, Jan. 31 for a 7:00 p.m. game against North Texas. Third place in the Sun Belt west division will be at stake when the Cajuns take on the Mean Green as both teams bring 3-8 league records into the contest. The game will be televised throughout Louisiana by the Ragin' Cajuns Network with Jeff Palermo and Ross Mouton providing the commentary. The Cajuns (7-15) are 1-6 since Jan. 1, but have played four of those contests without starting guard Bryant Mbamalu. Chosen as the favorite to win the west division in the league's preseason poll, North Texas has struggled under first year head coach Tony Benford, posting an 8-14 overall mark. Louisiana won the first meeting this year, an 80-76 decision in Denton on Dec. 1, giving the Cajuns a 20-15 lead in the all-time series. Louisiana holds a 13-4 record in games played in Lafayette (12-2 in the Cajundome).
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five 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 took the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (15.0, 6.0, 5.1). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (6.8 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (16.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.1, 3.7), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (6.4, 2.9), Kasey Shepherd (3.6) and Josh Soto (3.9) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. Marlin is utilizing 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.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Monday (Jan. 28) and included games through Jan. 27. Individually, Shawn Long ranked third nationally in double-doubles (13), 13th in rebounds (10.4) and 54th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton is 29th in steals (2.3) and 54th in assists (5.1).
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 21-point, 14-rebound effort against FIU on Jan. 24 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 13th double-double in 21 games to move into third place nationally. Towson's Jerrelle Benimon and Mike Muscala from Bucknell continue to share the national lead with 14 double-doubles. Long and Siena senior O.D. Anosike one back with 13 double-doubles. Long has registered double-doubles in five straight games and has seven double-doubles in 10 league games this season.
A TRIPLE-TWENTY: When Elfrid Payton (22 points), Alan-Michael Thompson (22) and Shawn Long (21) each surpassed the 20-point mark against FIU on Jan. 24, it marked the first time since 2005-06 season that the Cajuns had three players with 20 or more points in a game. That came when Michael Southall (21), Dwayne Mitchell (21) and Ed Turner (20) each surpassed that mark in an 89-77 win over McNeese State on Dec. 22, 2005, 224 games ago.
LONG ENJOYS SWATTING SHOTS: With 44 blocked shots in 22 games this year, Shawn Long ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in blocks. His block total ranks him eighth on the Louisiana single season chart, four short of seventh place Reginald Poole, who blocked 48 shots in 1996-97. Long's 2.0 blocks per game is fifth-best in school history.
THOMPSON ENJOYS A LONG-RANGE EVENING: Alan-Michael Thompson stepped up to provide the Cajuns with an outside shooting presence against FIU on Jan. 24, setting career highs for three-point field goals made (6) and attempted (16). The 16 three-point attempts was the second-highest single game total in school history, two shy of the school record of 18 set by Brad Boyd vs. Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 2002. The six treys is the most by a Cajun since Boyd had seven at Birmingham-Southern on Dec. 8, 2002. The effort allowed Thompson to equal the most three-point field goals made and attempted in the Sun Belt this season.
MARLIN NEARS MILESTONE: Third-year Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin is quickly closing in on the 600th game of his coaching career with Thursday's game vs. North Texas being his 598th with his 600th coming at home against UL-Monroe on Feb. 10. A 33-year coaching veteran, Marlin has served as a head coach for 20 seasons since taking over as head coach at Pensacola JC for the 1990-91 campaign. Marlin is 385-212 in those 20 seasons, going 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State. He is 37-46 in his third year at Louisiana.
CAJUNS USE A SEVENTH STARTING LINEUP: The youth of the Cajuns is evident this season in that head coach Bob Marlin has used six different starting lineups in in 22 games this season. The seventh came when Marlin inserted Alan-Michael Thompson back into the lineup against FIU, in place of Kasey Shepherd. The group of Elfrid Payton, Bryant Mbamalu, Steven Wronkoski, Elridge Moore and Shawn Long have started 12 times, leading UL to a 4-8 record. Payton is the only Cajun to start every game while Long and Moore have started 21 times and Wronkoski and Mbamalu have started 18 times. Last year, Marlin used 12 different starting lineups, including 10 different in the first 13 games before he settled on a lineup that started 15 of the final 21 games. A complete list of the Cajun starting units is on Page 6.
A SATURDAY OFF: After playing FIU on Jan. 24, the Cajuns took Saturday off last week, their first off-Saturday since late November. After going through the month of November without playing any games on a Saturday, the Cajuns had played games on eight straight Saturdays since Dec. 1, with five of those contests coming on the road. Another light week is ahead as UL will take next Thursday (Feb. 7) and Saturday (Feb. 9) off next week, playing their lone game on Sunday (Feb. 10) at home against UL-Monroe. The game was originally slated for Saturday, but had to be moved because of scheduling conflicts with the Cajundome and its Mardis Gras schedule.
PAYTON PASSES 500 POINT MARK: After reaching the 50-game milestone for his Cajuns career on Jan. 10, Elfrid Payton reached another milestone two days later (Jan. 12), scoring 13 points against Arkansas State to surpass the 500-point mark for his career. He heads into the North Texas game having scored 559 points in 54 games at Louisiana, 33 as a starter. He has played 1,497 minutes.
. . . AND PAYTON GOES ALL 40: Elfrid Payton has taken on an increased leadership role on the team this year, leading the team and ranking second in the Sun Belt averaging 35.0 minutes per game. Payton added another first against FIU on Jan. 24, playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his collegiate career. Payton, the only Cajun to start every game this year, leads the team with 771 minutes played.
AT HOME IN THE 'DOME: The Ragin' Cajuns are looking forward to their current stretch that has them playing six of eight games at home, a building where they have enjoyed great success since it opened in 1985-86. Louisiana is 6-4 at home this year, improving the Cajuns to 26-13 (14-7 SBC) in the three seasons under Bob Marlin. Winning at home is nothing new as Louisiana has recorded a winning record in 25 of the 27 seasons since the Cajundome opened its doors in the 1985-86 season. The Cajuns are currently on a string of 17 consecutive seasons with a .500 mark or better at the Cajundome. UL is 264-111 in games played in the Cajundome since it opened.
. . . AND SOME TOUGH DECISIONS: One of the best examples of the youth of the Cajuns this season is that Louisiana has not fared well in close games, going 2-9 in games decided by six points or less, including a pair of overtime losses. The lone wins came at UNT on Dec. 1 (80-76) and when they outlasted Arkansas State, 61-56, at home. For the year, the Cajuns are 0-1 in two-point games, 0-2 in three-point games, 1-0 in four-point games, 1-5 in five-point games and 0-1 in six-point decisions.
LONG MAINTAINS FRESHMAN REBOUNDING LEAD: With 13 or more rebounds in five straight games, Shawn Long has taken over the mantra as the top freshman rebounder in the country this year. Long has grabbed 228 rebounds in 22 games (10.4 rpg) to rank ahead of Kentucky's Nerlens Noel (9.4).
. . . AND LONG CONTINUES TO RANK AMONG THE TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that besides being the top freshman rebounder in the country this year, Shawn Long also ranks as seventh among freshmen in blocked shots (2.0) and scoring.
INJURIES ARE PILING UP: With at least 10 games left in the 2012-13 season, injuries are beginning to pile up with Louisiana heading into the FIU game having lost six different players this year for a total of 41 games. The Cajuns dressed just nine players for the Arkansas State game on Jan. 12, two of whom were walk-ons with only Elfrid Payton being the only player returning from last year to see action. Kevin Brown has missed 14 games with a broken foot while Donovan Williams has sat out the last 17 contests following knee surgery. In addition, Louisiana has lost four games from Bryant Mbamalu (thumb), three from Cornell Barnett (dental surgery), two from Braylon Lazare (eye) and one from Alan-Michael Thompson (ankle). The depth of the Cajuns has been limited by more than injuries as freshman Matt Moss left the program 13 games ago and Josh Soto missed the first six games while the NCAA clarified his eligibility.
. . . THAT MAKES THE ASU GAME A GREAT WIN: The win over Arkansas State on Jan. 12 is made a little more significant considering that the Cajuns had just nine players dressed in the game, with sophomore Elfrid Payton being the only player to see action who played last season. The victory allowed Louisiana to avenge a 87-70 loss to the Red Wolves in Jonesboro on Dec. 27.
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN CAME THROUGH: The freshman class turned in its most impressive performance against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 as the five Cajuns freshmen combined to score 43 of the 61 points and grab 28 of the 36 rebounds. The performance marked the third time this year that the freshmen class has scored 40 points or more. The group previously tallied a season-high 47 points in a 91-79 win over Duquesne and 41 points in a 76-66 victory over Southern-New Orleans.
SHEPHERD ENJOYS ROLE CHANGE: Freshman Kasey Shepherd celebrated his first career start against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 by setting his career highs for points (13), rebounds (7) and minutes played (37). He came back to score nine points with five rebounds in his second start at WKU on Jan. 17. In his three starts, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting .429 from three-point (6-14). For the season, Shepherd is averaging 3.6 points in 11.9 minutes a game.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of freshman Shawn Long (16.0 ppg), sophomore Elfrid Payton (15.0) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.0) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 61-percent of the points this season (934 of 1,536). Together, they have reached double figures 52 of the possible 62 times this year, including 15 games of 20-points or more. The Jan. 10 game vs. South Alabama was no different as the trio tallied 59 points, their third-highest total this season. They previously scored a season-best 62 points at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 3 when Payton scored 23, Mbamalu 22 and Long 17 and 60 points at North Texas on Dec. 1. The trio has totaled 50 points or more five times this year.
. . . WITH MBAMALU OUT, CAJUNS FIND THIRD SCORER: Senior Alan-Michael Thompson helped to offset the loss of Bryant Mbamalu against FIU on Jan. 24 by scoring a career-high 22 points. He teamed with Elfrid Payton (22 points) and Shawn Long (21) to score 65 of Louisiana's 75 points, the highest total of the year.
PAYTON IS CHASING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Elfrid Payton's quest for the first triple-double by a Cajun in almost a decade came one rebound short at FIU on Jan. 5, scoring 13 points with a career-high 10 assists and a career-high matching nine rebounds against the Golden Panthers. This was not the first time that Payton came close. He closed the 2011-12 season with a 13-point, eight-rebound and nine-assist game in the opening round of the Sun Belt Championship. He toyed with the stat in the season opener against Oakland (14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), SUNO (11,7 , 7) and on Dec. 1 at North Texas (14, 6, 9) and posted 17 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at McNeese State (Dec. 8). For the record, the last triple-double by a Ragin' Cajuns player came on Jan. 5, 2006 when Michael Southall scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and 11 blocks at North Texas.
. . . BUT PAYTON MUST WALK BEFORE HE RUNS: Although Elfrid Payton has flirted with a triple-double, it took him until the McNeese State game on Dec. 8 in his 41st career game to record the first of his three career double-doubles. Payton scored 17 points with 10 rebounds in the contest. It only took him three days to get the second, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds vs. Lamar on Dec. 11.
PAYTON PASSES STEAL TOTAL: Sophomore Elfrid Payton recorded four steals against FIU on Jan. 24, giving him 50 steals in 22 games this year to lead the Sun Belt and rank 29th nationally averaging 2.3 steals a game. He needs nine more steals to break into the Louisiana single season top 10. Payton, who had 37 steals in 32 games last year, had a career high seven steals at Michigan State on Nov. 25, falling one steal short of the school record, and came back to make four steals vs. Middle Tennessee.
THOMPSON FINDS HIS ROLE: After starting out the season slowly, senior Alan-Michael Thompson has found his niche by providing the Cajuns with an offensive spark off the bench. He returned to the lineup after missing the Arkansas State game with an ankle sprain and scored eight points against both WKU and Middle Tennessee and a career-high 22 vs. FIU on Jan. 24. Over his last eight games, Thompson is averaging 10.0 points, scoring in double figures four times. He has shot .431 from the floor (25-58) and .340 from three-point (16-47) during that span.
SUPPORTING CAST THE DIFFERENCE: The Louisiana bench has proven to be an important factor in determining success on the court this year. The Cajun bench has scored 20 points or more five times this year with UL going 4-1 in those games. In the seven Cajun wins, the reserves have totalled 130 points (18.6 ppg). At the other end of the spectrum, the bench has produced 189 points in the 14 losses (13.5 ppg), including seven points against Florida Atlantic on Jan. 3 and nine vs. South Alabama on Thursday.
CAJUNS BENEFIT FROM LATE FREE THROW SHOOTING: The free throw shooting by the Cajuns has been at its best late in the game as Louisiana has gone 101-for-142 (.711) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Alan-Michael Thompson (13-14), Shawn Long (17-22) and Steven Wronkoski (12-17) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .761 shooter (35-46), is 14-for-17 this year (.824). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
LONG TRIES TO EQUAL FRESHMAN SCORING FEAT: With a 16.0 scoring average through 22 games and a 1.0 points per game average ahead of second-leading scorer Elfrid Payton (15.0 ppg), freshman Shawn Long is on pace to become just the fifth freshman to lead the team in scoring. He would join Tim Thompson (14.2 ppg in 1957-58), Jerry Flake (17.6, 1965-66), Andrew Toney (21.0, 1976-77) and Chris Gradnigo (9.6, 2007-08).
. . . AND A SCORING, REBOUNDS & BLOCKS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Shawn Long's impact is more than just being a scorer. Ranking second in the Sun Belt in rebounding (10.4), third in scoring (16.0) and fourth in blocks (2.0), Long is on a pace to become just the third player in school history to lead the team in all three stat categories in a single season. Tyren Johnson was the most recent, averaging 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 2009-10. Reginald Poole is the other to accomplish it, doing it in both 1996-97 (16.0, 10.3, 1.7) and 1998-99 (14.7, 7.1, 0.9).
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.
. . . AND LONG SCORES THE BASKETBALL: With a third of the basketball season left to play (UL has played 22 of at least 32 games), Shawn Long's eight 20-point games remains on a pace to record the most 20-plus point performances by a Cajun since former Sun Belt Player of the Year Tyren Johnson accomplished it 12 times in 2009-10.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 112 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.1 assists per game. He set a career high with 10 assists at FIU on Jan. 5 and previously had nine assists at North Texas on Dec. 1 and against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
WRONKOSKI PROVES MARLIN RIGHT: Bob Marlin said many times during the fall that when he took over as head coach two years ago, one of the first recruits he looked at was Steven Wronkoski, deciding that the current UL freshman's spirited play would be perfect in a Cajun uniform. Wronkoski has yet to prove Marlin wrong, averaging 6.4 points and 2.9 rebounds this year. He posted back-to-back career highs of 12 points vs. SUNO on Nov. 21 and, in his first career start, 16 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 23. His Sun Belt debut was equally as strong as he scored all 13 of his points in the second half against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29. His current career scoring high is 17 points, set at McNeese State on Dec. 8.
MORE MOORE: Junior forward Elridge Moore has earned a place for himself in the lineup, starting all but one game and averaging 5.1 points. He is second on the team in assists (34), steals (23) and blocks (11) and is fourth in rebounding (3.5). He made his Cajuns debut a memorable one against Oakland on Nov. 11, 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.
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.
NEXT UP: Louisiana takes to the road to continue Sun Belt Conference play at Troy on Saturday, Feb. 2 starting at 7:30 p.m. CST. The game is a doubleheader with the UL women's team facing Troy at 5:15 p.m.
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 23
North Texas (8-14, 3-8) at Louisiana (7-15, 3-8)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: Ragin' Cajuns Network (Jeff Palermo & Ross Mouton)
Series: Louisiana Leads, 20-15
Last Meeting: UL 80, UNT 76 (12/1/12, Denton, Texas)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 37-46 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 262-177 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 385-212 (20th year)
vs. North Texas: 4-4
NORTH TEXAS
TONY BENFORD (Texas Tech '92)
At UNT: 8-14 (1st year)
Overall: 8-14 (1st year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-1
SETTING THE SCENE: After enjoying a seven-day break between games for the first time since early December, Louisiana returns to the Cajundome hardwood on Thursday, Jan. 31 for a 7:00 p.m. game against North Texas. Third place in the Sun Belt west division will be at stake when the Cajuns take on the Mean Green as both teams bring 3-8 league records into the contest. The game will be televised throughout Louisiana by the Ragin' Cajuns Network with Jeff Palermo and Ross Mouton providing the commentary. The Cajuns (7-15) are 1-6 since Jan. 1, but have played four of those contests without starting guard Bryant Mbamalu. Chosen as the favorite to win the west division in the league's preseason poll, North Texas has struggled under first year head coach Tony Benford, posting an 8-14 overall mark. Louisiana won the first meeting this year, an 80-76 decision in Denton on Dec. 1, giving the Cajuns a 20-15 lead in the all-time series. Louisiana holds a 13-4 record in games played in Lafayette (12-2 in the Cajundome).
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five 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 took the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (15.0, 6.0, 5.1). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (6.8 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (16.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.1, 3.7), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (6.4, 2.9), Kasey Shepherd (3.6) and Josh Soto (3.9) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. Marlin is utilizing 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.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Monday (Jan. 28) and included games through Jan. 27. Individually, Shawn Long ranked third nationally in double-doubles (13), 13th in rebounds (10.4) and 54th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton is 29th in steals (2.3) and 54th in assists (5.1).
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 21-point, 14-rebound effort against FIU on Jan. 24 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 13th double-double in 21 games to move into third place nationally. Towson's Jerrelle Benimon and Mike Muscala from Bucknell continue to share the national lead with 14 double-doubles. Long and Siena senior O.D. Anosike one back with 13 double-doubles. Long has registered double-doubles in five straight games and has seven double-doubles in 10 league games this season.
A TRIPLE-TWENTY: When Elfrid Payton (22 points), Alan-Michael Thompson (22) and Shawn Long (21) each surpassed the 20-point mark against FIU on Jan. 24, it marked the first time since 2005-06 season that the Cajuns had three players with 20 or more points in a game. That came when Michael Southall (21), Dwayne Mitchell (21) and Ed Turner (20) each surpassed that mark in an 89-77 win over McNeese State on Dec. 22, 2005, 224 games ago.
LONG ENJOYS SWATTING SHOTS: With 44 blocked shots in 22 games this year, Shawn Long ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in blocks. His block total ranks him eighth on the Louisiana single season chart, four short of seventh place Reginald Poole, who blocked 48 shots in 1996-97. Long's 2.0 blocks per game is fifth-best in school history.
THOMPSON ENJOYS A LONG-RANGE EVENING: Alan-Michael Thompson stepped up to provide the Cajuns with an outside shooting presence against FIU on Jan. 24, setting career highs for three-point field goals made (6) and attempted (16). The 16 three-point attempts was the second-highest single game total in school history, two shy of the school record of 18 set by Brad Boyd vs. Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 2002. The six treys is the most by a Cajun since Boyd had seven at Birmingham-Southern on Dec. 8, 2002. The effort allowed Thompson to equal the most three-point field goals made and attempted in the Sun Belt this season.
MARLIN NEARS MILESTONE: Third-year Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin is quickly closing in on the 600th game of his coaching career with Thursday's game vs. North Texas being his 598th with his 600th coming at home against UL-Monroe on Feb. 10. A 33-year coaching veteran, Marlin has served as a head coach for 20 seasons since taking over as head coach at Pensacola JC for the 1990-91 campaign. Marlin is 385-212 in those 20 seasons, going 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State. He is 37-46 in his third year at Louisiana.
CAJUNS USE A SEVENTH STARTING LINEUP: The youth of the Cajuns is evident this season in that head coach Bob Marlin has used six different starting lineups in in 22 games this season. The seventh came when Marlin inserted Alan-Michael Thompson back into the lineup against FIU, in place of Kasey Shepherd. The group of Elfrid Payton, Bryant Mbamalu, Steven Wronkoski, Elridge Moore and Shawn Long have started 12 times, leading UL to a 4-8 record. Payton is the only Cajun to start every game while Long and Moore have started 21 times and Wronkoski and Mbamalu have started 18 times. Last year, Marlin used 12 different starting lineups, including 10 different in the first 13 games before he settled on a lineup that started 15 of the final 21 games. A complete list of the Cajun starting units is on Page 6.
A SATURDAY OFF: After playing FIU on Jan. 24, the Cajuns took Saturday off last week, their first off-Saturday since late November. After going through the month of November without playing any games on a Saturday, the Cajuns had played games on eight straight Saturdays since Dec. 1, with five of those contests coming on the road. Another light week is ahead as UL will take next Thursday (Feb. 7) and Saturday (Feb. 9) off next week, playing their lone game on Sunday (Feb. 10) at home against UL-Monroe. The game was originally slated for Saturday, but had to be moved because of scheduling conflicts with the Cajundome and its Mardis Gras schedule.
PAYTON PASSES 500 POINT MARK: After reaching the 50-game milestone for his Cajuns career on Jan. 10, Elfrid Payton reached another milestone two days later (Jan. 12), scoring 13 points against Arkansas State to surpass the 500-point mark for his career. He heads into the North Texas game having scored 559 points in 54 games at Louisiana, 33 as a starter. He has played 1,497 minutes.
. . . AND PAYTON GOES ALL 40: Elfrid Payton has taken on an increased leadership role on the team this year, leading the team and ranking second in the Sun Belt averaging 35.0 minutes per game. Payton added another first against FIU on Jan. 24, playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his collegiate career. Payton, the only Cajun to start every game this year, leads the team with 771 minutes played.
AT HOME IN THE 'DOME: The Ragin' Cajuns are looking forward to their current stretch that has them playing six of eight games at home, a building where they have enjoyed great success since it opened in 1985-86. Louisiana is 6-4 at home this year, improving the Cajuns to 26-13 (14-7 SBC) in the three seasons under Bob Marlin. Winning at home is nothing new as Louisiana has recorded a winning record in 25 of the 27 seasons since the Cajundome opened its doors in the 1985-86 season. The Cajuns are currently on a string of 17 consecutive seasons with a .500 mark or better at the Cajundome. UL is 264-111 in games played in the Cajundome since it opened.
. . . AND SOME TOUGH DECISIONS: One of the best examples of the youth of the Cajuns this season is that Louisiana has not fared well in close games, going 2-9 in games decided by six points or less, including a pair of overtime losses. The lone wins came at UNT on Dec. 1 (80-76) and when they outlasted Arkansas State, 61-56, at home. For the year, the Cajuns are 0-1 in two-point games, 0-2 in three-point games, 1-0 in four-point games, 1-5 in five-point games and 0-1 in six-point decisions.
LONG MAINTAINS FRESHMAN REBOUNDING LEAD: With 13 or more rebounds in five straight games, Shawn Long has taken over the mantra as the top freshman rebounder in the country this year. Long has grabbed 228 rebounds in 22 games (10.4 rpg) to rank ahead of Kentucky's Nerlens Noel (9.4).
. . . AND LONG CONTINUES TO RANK AMONG THE TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that besides being the top freshman rebounder in the country this year, Shawn Long also ranks as seventh among freshmen in blocked shots (2.0) and scoring.
INJURIES ARE PILING UP: With at least 10 games left in the 2012-13 season, injuries are beginning to pile up with Louisiana heading into the FIU game having lost six different players this year for a total of 41 games. The Cajuns dressed just nine players for the Arkansas State game on Jan. 12, two of whom were walk-ons with only Elfrid Payton being the only player returning from last year to see action. Kevin Brown has missed 14 games with a broken foot while Donovan Williams has sat out the last 17 contests following knee surgery. In addition, Louisiana has lost four games from Bryant Mbamalu (thumb), three from Cornell Barnett (dental surgery), two from Braylon Lazare (eye) and one from Alan-Michael Thompson (ankle). The depth of the Cajuns has been limited by more than injuries as freshman Matt Moss left the program 13 games ago and Josh Soto missed the first six games while the NCAA clarified his eligibility.
. . . THAT MAKES THE ASU GAME A GREAT WIN: The win over Arkansas State on Jan. 12 is made a little more significant considering that the Cajuns had just nine players dressed in the game, with sophomore Elfrid Payton being the only player to see action who played last season. The victory allowed Louisiana to avenge a 87-70 loss to the Red Wolves in Jonesboro on Dec. 27.
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN CAME THROUGH: The freshman class turned in its most impressive performance against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 as the five Cajuns freshmen combined to score 43 of the 61 points and grab 28 of the 36 rebounds. The performance marked the third time this year that the freshmen class has scored 40 points or more. The group previously tallied a season-high 47 points in a 91-79 win over Duquesne and 41 points in a 76-66 victory over Southern-New Orleans.
SHEPHERD ENJOYS ROLE CHANGE: Freshman Kasey Shepherd celebrated his first career start against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 by setting his career highs for points (13), rebounds (7) and minutes played (37). He came back to score nine points with five rebounds in his second start at WKU on Jan. 17. In his three starts, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting .429 from three-point (6-14). For the season, Shepherd is averaging 3.6 points in 11.9 minutes a game.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of freshman Shawn Long (16.0 ppg), sophomore Elfrid Payton (15.0) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.0) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 61-percent of the points this season (934 of 1,536). Together, they have reached double figures 52 of the possible 62 times this year, including 15 games of 20-points or more. The Jan. 10 game vs. South Alabama was no different as the trio tallied 59 points, their third-highest total this season. They previously scored a season-best 62 points at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 3 when Payton scored 23, Mbamalu 22 and Long 17 and 60 points at North Texas on Dec. 1. The trio has totaled 50 points or more five times this year.
. . . WITH MBAMALU OUT, CAJUNS FIND THIRD SCORER: Senior Alan-Michael Thompson helped to offset the loss of Bryant Mbamalu against FIU on Jan. 24 by scoring a career-high 22 points. He teamed with Elfrid Payton (22 points) and Shawn Long (21) to score 65 of Louisiana's 75 points, the highest total of the year.
PAYTON IS CHASING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Elfrid Payton's quest for the first triple-double by a Cajun in almost a decade came one rebound short at FIU on Jan. 5, scoring 13 points with a career-high 10 assists and a career-high matching nine rebounds against the Golden Panthers. This was not the first time that Payton came close. He closed the 2011-12 season with a 13-point, eight-rebound and nine-assist game in the opening round of the Sun Belt Championship. He toyed with the stat in the season opener against Oakland (14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), SUNO (11,7 , 7) and on Dec. 1 at North Texas (14, 6, 9) and posted 17 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at McNeese State (Dec. 8). For the record, the last triple-double by a Ragin' Cajuns player came on Jan. 5, 2006 when Michael Southall scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and 11 blocks at North Texas.
. . . BUT PAYTON MUST WALK BEFORE HE RUNS: Although Elfrid Payton has flirted with a triple-double, it took him until the McNeese State game on Dec. 8 in his 41st career game to record the first of his three career double-doubles. Payton scored 17 points with 10 rebounds in the contest. It only took him three days to get the second, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds vs. Lamar on Dec. 11.
PAYTON PASSES STEAL TOTAL: Sophomore Elfrid Payton recorded four steals against FIU on Jan. 24, giving him 50 steals in 22 games this year to lead the Sun Belt and rank 29th nationally averaging 2.3 steals a game. He needs nine more steals to break into the Louisiana single season top 10. Payton, who had 37 steals in 32 games last year, had a career high seven steals at Michigan State on Nov. 25, falling one steal short of the school record, and came back to make four steals vs. Middle Tennessee.
THOMPSON FINDS HIS ROLE: After starting out the season slowly, senior Alan-Michael Thompson has found his niche by providing the Cajuns with an offensive spark off the bench. He returned to the lineup after missing the Arkansas State game with an ankle sprain and scored eight points against both WKU and Middle Tennessee and a career-high 22 vs. FIU on Jan. 24. Over his last eight games, Thompson is averaging 10.0 points, scoring in double figures four times. He has shot .431 from the floor (25-58) and .340 from three-point (16-47) during that span.
SUPPORTING CAST THE DIFFERENCE: The Louisiana bench has proven to be an important factor in determining success on the court this year. The Cajun bench has scored 20 points or more five times this year with UL going 4-1 in those games. In the seven Cajun wins, the reserves have totalled 130 points (18.6 ppg). At the other end of the spectrum, the bench has produced 189 points in the 14 losses (13.5 ppg), including seven points against Florida Atlantic on Jan. 3 and nine vs. South Alabama on Thursday.
CAJUNS BENEFIT FROM LATE FREE THROW SHOOTING: The free throw shooting by the Cajuns has been at its best late in the game as Louisiana has gone 101-for-142 (.711) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Alan-Michael Thompson (13-14), Shawn Long (17-22) and Steven Wronkoski (12-17) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .761 shooter (35-46), is 14-for-17 this year (.824). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
LONG TRIES TO EQUAL FRESHMAN SCORING FEAT: With a 16.0 scoring average through 22 games and a 1.0 points per game average ahead of second-leading scorer Elfrid Payton (15.0 ppg), freshman Shawn Long is on pace to become just the fifth freshman to lead the team in scoring. He would join Tim Thompson (14.2 ppg in 1957-58), Jerry Flake (17.6, 1965-66), Andrew Toney (21.0, 1976-77) and Chris Gradnigo (9.6, 2007-08).
. . . AND A SCORING, REBOUNDS & BLOCKS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Shawn Long's impact is more than just being a scorer. Ranking second in the Sun Belt in rebounding (10.4), third in scoring (16.0) and fourth in blocks (2.0), Long is on a pace to become just the third player in school history to lead the team in all three stat categories in a single season. Tyren Johnson was the most recent, averaging 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 2009-10. Reginald Poole is the other to accomplish it, doing it in both 1996-97 (16.0, 10.3, 1.7) and 1998-99 (14.7, 7.1, 0.9).
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.
. . . AND LONG SCORES THE BASKETBALL: With a third of the basketball season left to play (UL has played 22 of at least 32 games), Shawn Long's eight 20-point games remains on a pace to record the most 20-plus point performances by a Cajun since former Sun Belt Player of the Year Tyren Johnson accomplished it 12 times in 2009-10.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 112 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.1 assists per game. He set a career high with 10 assists at FIU on Jan. 5 and previously had nine assists at North Texas on Dec. 1 and against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
WRONKOSKI PROVES MARLIN RIGHT: Bob Marlin said many times during the fall that when he took over as head coach two years ago, one of the first recruits he looked at was Steven Wronkoski, deciding that the current UL freshman's spirited play would be perfect in a Cajun uniform. Wronkoski has yet to prove Marlin wrong, averaging 6.4 points and 2.9 rebounds this year. He posted back-to-back career highs of 12 points vs. SUNO on Nov. 21 and, in his first career start, 16 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 23. His Sun Belt debut was equally as strong as he scored all 13 of his points in the second half against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29. His current career scoring high is 17 points, set at McNeese State on Dec. 8.
MORE MOORE: Junior forward Elridge Moore has earned a place for himself in the lineup, starting all but one game and averaging 5.1 points. He is second on the team in assists (34), steals (23) and blocks (11) and is fourth in rebounding (3.5). He made his Cajuns debut a memorable one against Oakland on Nov. 11, 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.
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.
NEXT UP: Louisiana takes to the road to continue Sun Belt Conference play at Troy on Saturday, Feb. 2 starting at 7:30 p.m. CST. The game is a doubleheader with the UL women's team facing Troy at 5:15 p.m.
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