University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, January 4
Monroe, La.
4 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
ULM
Cajuns Open Sun Belt Play At ULM On Saturday
12/31/2013 11:53:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 14
Louisiana (9-4, 0-0) at ULM (3-5, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014
Time: 4:00 p.m. CST
Site: Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000), Monroe, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 48-19
Last Meeting: Louisiana 71, ULM 63 (3/2/13, Monroe, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 52-55 (4th year)
4-Year Overall: 277-186 (16th year)
All Collegiate: 400-221 (21st year)
vs. ULM: 15-2
ULM
KEITH RICHARD (ULM '82)
At ULM: 17-78 (4th year)
Overall: 167-195 (13th year)
vs. Louisiana: 6-11
SETTING THE SCENE: After one of the most successful non-conference performances in school history, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball teamwill open their 18-game Sun Belt Conference slate at ULM on Saturday, Jan. 4 beginning at 4:00 p.m. in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Louisiana (9-4) routed Central Methodist, 90-58, on Monday night in the Cajundome to match the 1982-83 and 1990-91 teams by winning nine games before the new year. The win was a notable one as not only did junior Elfrid Payton become the 40th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career, but it was also the 400th victory in the coaching career of Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin. ULM enters the game with a 3-5 record against an aggressive schedule that included losses at Kansas (80-63), LSU (61-54), Ole Miss (75-62) and Ohio State (71-31). The Cajuns own a 48-19 lead in the all-time series.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: Louisiana is off to an 9-4 start in 2013-14, benefiting from the return of five starters and a total of 10 lettermen from last year's squad that went 13-20, leading fourth-year head coach Bob Marlin to feel confident that the Cajuns are on a path to return to national prominence. The team is centered around the duo of point guard Elfrid Payton (19.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.6 apg, 2.0 spg) and forward Shawn Long (21.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.6 bpg), both of whom were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team this year. Long plays mostly at center with Elridge Moore (6.6, 4.9) normally starting as an under-sized forward but is sidelined currently with an ankle injury. Bryant Mbamalu (13.8, 3.7 in 2012-13), who started 26 games as a wing guard last season, has returned after missing the first 12 games with a foot injury. With Mbamalu out, junior Kevin Brown (6.5, 1.5), who is returning after missing most of last season with an injury, has seen increased playing time with Steven Wronkoski (6.1, 2.8) starting on the other wing. The bench has been a source of a good offensive spark as junior Xavian Rimmer (7.0, 2.0) and sophomore Kasey Shepherd (8.8, 2.5) providing the biggest lift at guard with freshman Hayward Register (2.4) also seeing time. Junior J.J. Davenport (2.6, 3.0), who played the last two seasons at New Mexico Junior College, and freshmen Vieux Kande (1.3, 0.8), and Luka Kamber (0.6, 1.3) are the primary reserves inside with both Davenport and Kande playing center and Kamber a forward. Marlin is utilizing the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. The Cajuns use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns were featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released on Tuesday, Dec. 23. Shawn Long was third in rebounding (11.3), fourth in double-doubles (7), 21st in scoring (21.2) and 33rd in blocks (2.7). Junior Elfrid Payton was 34th in scoring (19.9), 36th in assists (5.5) and 53rd in steals (2.1). As a team, the Cajuns were 22nd in scoring offense (83.4) and 48th in three-point field goal defense (.290).
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-percent both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2013 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns set a program record with a 2.904 grade point average for the team. They backed that up with a 2.840 during the recently completed fall semester, the second-highest average in the 31 years that athletics has tracked grades, with eight of the 15 players posting a 3.0 or better. In seven semesters under head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns have recorded seven of the top 10 semesters in program history.
SHIPLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Legendary Louisiana men's basketball coach Beryl Shipley, who guided the Cajuns to a 293-126 record with winning records in 15 of his 16 seasons, will be one of eight individuals selected for enshrinement in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Shipley was the first head coach of a predominantly white state college in the deep south to give scholarships to black student-athletes. Under Shipley's leadership, the Cajuns finished in the national top 20 in each of his last six seasons - the first four in the college division polls, the last two in Division I. Starting in 1963, Shipley rattled off five Gulf States Conference Championships in six seasons, including a win at the 1964-65 NAIA District 27 Tournament Championship. The 2014 induction class will be enshrined on Saturday, June 21.
MARLIN CLAIMS 400TH VICTORY: Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin used a 90-58 win over Central Methodist on Monday night to claim his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the ULM game with a 400-221 record (.645) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola Junior College (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Dec. 14 and owns a 52-55 record.
MBAMALU BACK: After missing the first 12 games of the season with a foot injury suffered in September, senior Bryant Mbamalu returned to action in the win over Central Methodist on Monday. Mbamalu played 15 minutes, scoring four points with two rebounds and two assists. As a junior in 2012-13, Mbamalu started all but seven games as a wing guard, averaging 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, finishing second on the team with 49 treys. He scored in double figures 21 times, including five 20-point games.
PAYTON PASSES THE 1,000 POINT MARK: A 17-point effort against Central Methodist on Monday allowed Elfrid Payton to become the 40th player in school hisotry to surpass the 1,000-point mark for a career. Payton, who is averaging 19.7 points this season with two 30-point games, now has 1,009 career points.
. . . AND PICKS UP LSWA HONOR: A 31-point explosion against Houston on Dec. 14 helped junior guard Elfrid Payton to pick up the Louisiana Player of the Week award from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Payton was 10-for-19 from the field and 11-for-19 from the line with five rebounds and five assists.
CAJUNS TIE RECORD HEADING INTO NEW YEAR: The win over Central Methodist on Monday improved the Cajuns to 9-4 on the year, tying the school record of nine wins before the new year, which was set in both 1982-83 and 1990-91.
LONG CLOSES IN ON 100TH BLOCK: A two-block effort against Central Methodist has left sophomore Shawn Long one block short of becoming just the sixth player in program history to block 100 shots in a career. Long enters the ULM game with 99 blocks in his career, 11 shy of Marvin Lancaster (1987-89), who ranks fifth with 110 blocks. Long had 65 blocks as a freshman, the sixth-highest single season total in school history, and has started his sophomore campaign with 34 blocks in the first 13 games, ranking him 20th on the single season list.
SHOOTING RECORDS FALL: The win over Centenary on Dec. 17 featured a pair of impressive shooting performances. Shawn Long tied the school record for field goal percentage in a game by making all 12 of his field goal attempts. He equalled the record set by both Todd Hill (10-for 10 vs. McNeese State on 2/27/92) and Chris Manuel (10-for-10 vs. Lamar on 2/19/98). Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd made all five of his three-point attempts to break the school record for three-point percentage in game, formerly held b Aaron Mitch (5-6, .833 vs. Bellhaven on 11/27/87) and Randell Daigle (5-6, .833 vs. FIU, 2/4/10).
PLAYING OVERTIME: The win over Houston on Dec. 14 was the first overtime game of the season for the Cajuns and improved the to 7-4 in the four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin. Last year, Louisiana dropped double overtime decisions at Texas Southern (74-71) and vs. South Alabama (91-89).
20-POINT GAMES: The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the four Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 18 times in the first 13 games this season. Shawn Long (8) and Elfrid Payton (7) lead the way, including four contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (2) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have come off the bench to reach the mark. Last year, Cajuns players had 25, 20-point games, with all but one coming from a starter. Payton and Long had nine each with Bryant Mbamalu adding five and Alan-Michael Thompson getting two.
. . . AND 30-POINT EFFORTS: When Shawn Long set a career-high with 30 points against Centenary, it marked the third time this season that Ragin' Cajuns player scored 30 or more points in a game. Elfrid Payton owns the other two games, scoring 31 points against Houston (Dec. 14) and a career-high 32 points in the win over Oakland (Nov. 23). Last year, Payton scored 32 points against Western Kentucky for the only 30-point game by a Cajun.
SCORING OFF THE GLASS: Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 31 baskets off his 51 offensive rebounds this season or an average of 5.2 points a game. Long ranks third in the Sun Belt averaging 4.0 offensive rebounds a game and second in scoring (21.6).
PAYTON NEARS ASSIST TOP 10: With 73 assists in 13 games this year, Elfrid Payton has moved into 12th place on the Louisiana career assist list. Payton has 351 assists, and needs 20 assists to catch 11th place Michael Allen (371 assists from 1992-94) and 37 to pass 10th place Andrew Toney (387 from 1977-80).
SHEPHERD IS HEATING UP: Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd is in a zone, averaging 14.0 points and 3.9 rebounds over the last seven games. Shepherd averaged just 2.7 points in his first six contests before scoring 17 points with six rebounds against Northwestern State on Nov. 27. He came back on Dec. 4 to score a career-high 22 points with six rebounds at Louisiana Tech, add 18 points with five rebounds at Louisville on Dec. 7 and 19 vs. Centenary. Over the last five games, Shepherd is shooting .627 (32-51) from the field, .609 from three-point (14-23) and a .950 from the foul line (19-20) to raise his scoring average to 8.8 points per game. He leads the Sun Belt, shooting .613 three-point (18-29).
LONG RECORDS QUICK DOUBLE-DOUBLES: After ranking sixth nationally last year with 18 double-doubles, sophomore Shawn Long has started the year with eight double-doubles in the first 13 games, achieving two before halftime. He scored 23 points with 14 rebounds in the season-opening win over Louisiana College. He needed just 18:07 to get his first double-double of the year, grabbing his 10th rebound of the night (to go with 14 points at the time) as part of an 18-point, 11-rebound effort in the first half. Against Northwestern State on Nov. 26, Long had 16 points and 12 rebounds at halftime, accomplishing the double-double with 2:51 to play. He finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Long did not have a double-double by halftime during the 2012-13 season.
. . . AND PAYTON ADDS HIS SIXTH: Elfrid Payton is also getting into the double-double action, recording three already this season including in back-to-back games against Louisiana Tech (Dec. 4) and Louisville (Dec. 7) to give him six career double-doubles. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds at Louisiana Tech and came back to record 12 points and 10 assists against the Cardinals. Payton has been diverse in putting his double-doubles together, owning three point-rebound double-doubles and three with points and assists. Payton registered his first double-double of the year in the season opener, scoring 21 points with a career-high matching 10 assists.
LONG STARTS YEAR ON A ROLL: Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in eight of the first 13 games to rank fourth nationally. He enters the ULM game leading the Sun Belt in both rebounding (11.4) and defensive rebounding (7.2), ranked second in scoring (21.5) and blocks (2.6), third in offensive rebounds (4.2) and sixth in field goal percentage (.580).
JERRY FLAKE HONORED: Jerry Flake was feted on Dec. 14 when his No. 20 was raised to the Cajundome rafters at halftime of the Houston game. Over four decades after completing his career, Flake still ranks fifth in school history with 2,058 career points, averaging 19.2 points a game over the course of his career. Flake's number 20 becomes the fifth retired jersey, joining Dwight "Bo" Lamar's No. 10, the No. 14 worn by Marvin Winkler, Andrew Toney's No. 24 and the No. 12 worn by Dean Church, which was retired in February, 2012.
LONG NAMED TOURNAMENT MVP: Sophomore forward Shawn Long was tabbed as the most valuable player of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland after averaging 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games, shooting .667 from the field (14-for-21) and .600 from three-point (3-for-5). He scored 24 points with a career-high matching 17 rebounds and five blocks in the opening round comeback win over Oakland and came back to score all 18 of his points in the second half in the title game vs. Coastal Carolina.
. . . AND LONG RECEIVES FIRST LSWA HONOR: Shawn Long's strong start to his sophomore year has also led to him earning the first player of the week award of the year rom the Louisiana Sports Writers Association on Dec. 3. The award covered the first month of the season, during which Long averaged 20.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in helping the Cajuns to a 5-2 record and the team championship at the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland Classic.
. . . AND LONG EARNS SECOND SUN BELT HONOR: It took Shawn Long just three weeks to garner a pair of Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week awards. Long earned the honor on Nov. 12 after scoring 23 points with 14 rebounds and four blocks in the season opener against Louisiana College. He came back on Nov. 26 to pick up the award again after being named the MVP of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland.
PAYTON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50: Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.
. . . AND MORE HONORS FOR PAYTON: Being selected to the Wooden Award list is the latest in a long list of preseason awards for Elfrid Payton. Earlier in the fall, Payton was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, Payton was named to the Mid-Major All-America first team by NBCSports.com and to the Lou Henson All-America team, which honors the nation's top mid-major players and is presented by CollegeInsider.com.
CAJUNS SNAP ROAD STREAK: The win at Coastal Carolina on Nov, 24 snapped a 19-game road losing streak against non-conference opponents that dated back to the end of the 2009-10 season. The win did not come easy as the basketball gods toyed with the Cajuns, nearly allowing Coastal Carolina to rally back from 15 points down with 5:13 left before Louisiana escaped with a 73-69 win. The Cajuns did that streak one better by winning at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 4, before having their modest two-game win streak snapped at Louisville.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns return home to continue Sun Belt Conference play with games against SBC newcomers UT Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 2:00 p.m. and vs. Texas State on Monday, Jan. 13 at 6:00 p.m.
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 14
Louisiana (9-4, 0-0) at ULM (3-5, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014
Time: 4:00 p.m. CST
Site: Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000), Monroe, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 48-19
Last Meeting: Louisiana 71, ULM 63 (3/2/13, Monroe, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 52-55 (4th year)
4-Year Overall: 277-186 (16th year)
All Collegiate: 400-221 (21st year)
vs. ULM: 15-2
ULM
KEITH RICHARD (ULM '82)
At ULM: 17-78 (4th year)
Overall: 167-195 (13th year)
vs. Louisiana: 6-11
SETTING THE SCENE: After one of the most successful non-conference performances in school history, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball teamwill open their 18-game Sun Belt Conference slate at ULM on Saturday, Jan. 4 beginning at 4:00 p.m. in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Louisiana (9-4) routed Central Methodist, 90-58, on Monday night in the Cajundome to match the 1982-83 and 1990-91 teams by winning nine games before the new year. The win was a notable one as not only did junior Elfrid Payton become the 40th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career, but it was also the 400th victory in the coaching career of Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin. ULM enters the game with a 3-5 record against an aggressive schedule that included losses at Kansas (80-63), LSU (61-54), Ole Miss (75-62) and Ohio State (71-31). The Cajuns own a 48-19 lead in the all-time series.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: Louisiana is off to an 9-4 start in 2013-14, benefiting from the return of five starters and a total of 10 lettermen from last year's squad that went 13-20, leading fourth-year head coach Bob Marlin to feel confident that the Cajuns are on a path to return to national prominence. The team is centered around the duo of point guard Elfrid Payton (19.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.6 apg, 2.0 spg) and forward Shawn Long (21.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.6 bpg), both of whom were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team this year. Long plays mostly at center with Elridge Moore (6.6, 4.9) normally starting as an under-sized forward but is sidelined currently with an ankle injury. Bryant Mbamalu (13.8, 3.7 in 2012-13), who started 26 games as a wing guard last season, has returned after missing the first 12 games with a foot injury. With Mbamalu out, junior Kevin Brown (6.5, 1.5), who is returning after missing most of last season with an injury, has seen increased playing time with Steven Wronkoski (6.1, 2.8) starting on the other wing. The bench has been a source of a good offensive spark as junior Xavian Rimmer (7.0, 2.0) and sophomore Kasey Shepherd (8.8, 2.5) providing the biggest lift at guard with freshman Hayward Register (2.4) also seeing time. Junior J.J. Davenport (2.6, 3.0), who played the last two seasons at New Mexico Junior College, and freshmen Vieux Kande (1.3, 0.8), and Luka Kamber (0.6, 1.3) are the primary reserves inside with both Davenport and Kande playing center and Kamber a forward. Marlin is utilizing the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. The Cajuns use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns were featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released on Tuesday, Dec. 23. Shawn Long was third in rebounding (11.3), fourth in double-doubles (7), 21st in scoring (21.2) and 33rd in blocks (2.7). Junior Elfrid Payton was 34th in scoring (19.9), 36th in assists (5.5) and 53rd in steals (2.1). As a team, the Cajuns were 22nd in scoring offense (83.4) and 48th in three-point field goal defense (.290).
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-percent both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2013 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns set a program record with a 2.904 grade point average for the team. They backed that up with a 2.840 during the recently completed fall semester, the second-highest average in the 31 years that athletics has tracked grades, with eight of the 15 players posting a 3.0 or better. In seven semesters under head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns have recorded seven of the top 10 semesters in program history.
SHIPLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Legendary Louisiana men's basketball coach Beryl Shipley, who guided the Cajuns to a 293-126 record with winning records in 15 of his 16 seasons, will be one of eight individuals selected for enshrinement in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Shipley was the first head coach of a predominantly white state college in the deep south to give scholarships to black student-athletes. Under Shipley's leadership, the Cajuns finished in the national top 20 in each of his last six seasons - the first four in the college division polls, the last two in Division I. Starting in 1963, Shipley rattled off five Gulf States Conference Championships in six seasons, including a win at the 1964-65 NAIA District 27 Tournament Championship. The 2014 induction class will be enshrined on Saturday, June 21.
MARLIN CLAIMS 400TH VICTORY: Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin used a 90-58 win over Central Methodist on Monday night to claim his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the ULM game with a 400-221 record (.645) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola Junior College (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Dec. 14 and owns a 52-55 record.
MBAMALU BACK: After missing the first 12 games of the season with a foot injury suffered in September, senior Bryant Mbamalu returned to action in the win over Central Methodist on Monday. Mbamalu played 15 minutes, scoring four points with two rebounds and two assists. As a junior in 2012-13, Mbamalu started all but seven games as a wing guard, averaging 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, finishing second on the team with 49 treys. He scored in double figures 21 times, including five 20-point games.
PAYTON PASSES THE 1,000 POINT MARK: A 17-point effort against Central Methodist on Monday allowed Elfrid Payton to become the 40th player in school hisotry to surpass the 1,000-point mark for a career. Payton, who is averaging 19.7 points this season with two 30-point games, now has 1,009 career points.
. . . AND PICKS UP LSWA HONOR: A 31-point explosion against Houston on Dec. 14 helped junior guard Elfrid Payton to pick up the Louisiana Player of the Week award from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Payton was 10-for-19 from the field and 11-for-19 from the line with five rebounds and five assists.
CAJUNS TIE RECORD HEADING INTO NEW YEAR: The win over Central Methodist on Monday improved the Cajuns to 9-4 on the year, tying the school record of nine wins before the new year, which was set in both 1982-83 and 1990-91.
LONG CLOSES IN ON 100TH BLOCK: A two-block effort against Central Methodist has left sophomore Shawn Long one block short of becoming just the sixth player in program history to block 100 shots in a career. Long enters the ULM game with 99 blocks in his career, 11 shy of Marvin Lancaster (1987-89), who ranks fifth with 110 blocks. Long had 65 blocks as a freshman, the sixth-highest single season total in school history, and has started his sophomore campaign with 34 blocks in the first 13 games, ranking him 20th on the single season list.
SHOOTING RECORDS FALL: The win over Centenary on Dec. 17 featured a pair of impressive shooting performances. Shawn Long tied the school record for field goal percentage in a game by making all 12 of his field goal attempts. He equalled the record set by both Todd Hill (10-for 10 vs. McNeese State on 2/27/92) and Chris Manuel (10-for-10 vs. Lamar on 2/19/98). Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd made all five of his three-point attempts to break the school record for three-point percentage in game, formerly held b Aaron Mitch (5-6, .833 vs. Bellhaven on 11/27/87) and Randell Daigle (5-6, .833 vs. FIU, 2/4/10).
PLAYING OVERTIME: The win over Houston on Dec. 14 was the first overtime game of the season for the Cajuns and improved the to 7-4 in the four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin. Last year, Louisiana dropped double overtime decisions at Texas Southern (74-71) and vs. South Alabama (91-89).
20-POINT GAMES: The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the four Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 18 times in the first 13 games this season. Shawn Long (8) and Elfrid Payton (7) lead the way, including four contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (2) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have come off the bench to reach the mark. Last year, Cajuns players had 25, 20-point games, with all but one coming from a starter. Payton and Long had nine each with Bryant Mbamalu adding five and Alan-Michael Thompson getting two.
. . . AND 30-POINT EFFORTS: When Shawn Long set a career-high with 30 points against Centenary, it marked the third time this season that Ragin' Cajuns player scored 30 or more points in a game. Elfrid Payton owns the other two games, scoring 31 points against Houston (Dec. 14) and a career-high 32 points in the win over Oakland (Nov. 23). Last year, Payton scored 32 points against Western Kentucky for the only 30-point game by a Cajun.
SCORING OFF THE GLASS: Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 31 baskets off his 51 offensive rebounds this season or an average of 5.2 points a game. Long ranks third in the Sun Belt averaging 4.0 offensive rebounds a game and second in scoring (21.6).
PAYTON NEARS ASSIST TOP 10: With 73 assists in 13 games this year, Elfrid Payton has moved into 12th place on the Louisiana career assist list. Payton has 351 assists, and needs 20 assists to catch 11th place Michael Allen (371 assists from 1992-94) and 37 to pass 10th place Andrew Toney (387 from 1977-80).
SHEPHERD IS HEATING UP: Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd is in a zone, averaging 14.0 points and 3.9 rebounds over the last seven games. Shepherd averaged just 2.7 points in his first six contests before scoring 17 points with six rebounds against Northwestern State on Nov. 27. He came back on Dec. 4 to score a career-high 22 points with six rebounds at Louisiana Tech, add 18 points with five rebounds at Louisville on Dec. 7 and 19 vs. Centenary. Over the last five games, Shepherd is shooting .627 (32-51) from the field, .609 from three-point (14-23) and a .950 from the foul line (19-20) to raise his scoring average to 8.8 points per game. He leads the Sun Belt, shooting .613 three-point (18-29).
LONG RECORDS QUICK DOUBLE-DOUBLES: After ranking sixth nationally last year with 18 double-doubles, sophomore Shawn Long has started the year with eight double-doubles in the first 13 games, achieving two before halftime. He scored 23 points with 14 rebounds in the season-opening win over Louisiana College. He needed just 18:07 to get his first double-double of the year, grabbing his 10th rebound of the night (to go with 14 points at the time) as part of an 18-point, 11-rebound effort in the first half. Against Northwestern State on Nov. 26, Long had 16 points and 12 rebounds at halftime, accomplishing the double-double with 2:51 to play. He finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Long did not have a double-double by halftime during the 2012-13 season.
. . . AND PAYTON ADDS HIS SIXTH: Elfrid Payton is also getting into the double-double action, recording three already this season including in back-to-back games against Louisiana Tech (Dec. 4) and Louisville (Dec. 7) to give him six career double-doubles. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds at Louisiana Tech and came back to record 12 points and 10 assists against the Cardinals. Payton has been diverse in putting his double-doubles together, owning three point-rebound double-doubles and three with points and assists. Payton registered his first double-double of the year in the season opener, scoring 21 points with a career-high matching 10 assists.
LONG STARTS YEAR ON A ROLL: Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in eight of the first 13 games to rank fourth nationally. He enters the ULM game leading the Sun Belt in both rebounding (11.4) and defensive rebounding (7.2), ranked second in scoring (21.5) and blocks (2.6), third in offensive rebounds (4.2) and sixth in field goal percentage (.580).
JERRY FLAKE HONORED: Jerry Flake was feted on Dec. 14 when his No. 20 was raised to the Cajundome rafters at halftime of the Houston game. Over four decades after completing his career, Flake still ranks fifth in school history with 2,058 career points, averaging 19.2 points a game over the course of his career. Flake's number 20 becomes the fifth retired jersey, joining Dwight "Bo" Lamar's No. 10, the No. 14 worn by Marvin Winkler, Andrew Toney's No. 24 and the No. 12 worn by Dean Church, which was retired in February, 2012.
LONG NAMED TOURNAMENT MVP: Sophomore forward Shawn Long was tabbed as the most valuable player of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland after averaging 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games, shooting .667 from the field (14-for-21) and .600 from three-point (3-for-5). He scored 24 points with a career-high matching 17 rebounds and five blocks in the opening round comeback win over Oakland and came back to score all 18 of his points in the second half in the title game vs. Coastal Carolina.
. . . AND LONG RECEIVES FIRST LSWA HONOR: Shawn Long's strong start to his sophomore year has also led to him earning the first player of the week award of the year rom the Louisiana Sports Writers Association on Dec. 3. The award covered the first month of the season, during which Long averaged 20.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in helping the Cajuns to a 5-2 record and the team championship at the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland Classic.
. . . AND LONG EARNS SECOND SUN BELT HONOR: It took Shawn Long just three weeks to garner a pair of Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week awards. Long earned the honor on Nov. 12 after scoring 23 points with 14 rebounds and four blocks in the season opener against Louisiana College. He came back on Nov. 26 to pick up the award again after being named the MVP of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland.
PAYTON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50: Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.
. . . AND MORE HONORS FOR PAYTON: Being selected to the Wooden Award list is the latest in a long list of preseason awards for Elfrid Payton. Earlier in the fall, Payton was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, Payton was named to the Mid-Major All-America first team by NBCSports.com and to the Lou Henson All-America team, which honors the nation's top mid-major players and is presented by CollegeInsider.com.
CAJUNS SNAP ROAD STREAK: The win at Coastal Carolina on Nov, 24 snapped a 19-game road losing streak against non-conference opponents that dated back to the end of the 2009-10 season. The win did not come easy as the basketball gods toyed with the Cajuns, nearly allowing Coastal Carolina to rally back from 15 points down with 5:13 left before Louisiana escaped with a 73-69 win. The Cajuns did that streak one better by winning at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 4, before having their modest two-game win streak snapped at Louisville.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns return home to continue Sun Belt Conference play with games against SBC newcomers UT Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 2:00 p.m. and vs. Texas State on Monday, Jan. 13 at 6:00 p.m.
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