Cajuns Continue Road Trip at Louisiana Tech

Game 8

Louisiana (4-3) at Louisiana Tech (1-6)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Site: Thomas Assembly Center
Radio: www.ESPN977.com
TV: None
Live Stream/Stats: www.LATechSports.com
Series: Louisiana Tech leads 38-0.
Last Meeting: Louisiana Tech 81, Louisiana 50, Dec. 9, 2002 in Ruston.
Louisiana season tickets available at RaginCajuns.com and by calling the Cajundome (337) 265-2357.

THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
GARRY BRODHEAD (Louisiana '80)
At Louisiana: 14-24 (2nd Season)
Overall: Same
vs. LA Tech: First Meeting

Louisiana Tech
Teresa Witherspoon
At LA Tech: 88-57 (6th Season)
Overall: Same
vs. Louisiana: First Meeting

Game Notes

Setting the Scene: The Ragin' Cajuns continue their road trip with a game against in-state foe Louisiana Tech, a team Louisiana is winless against in 38 tries dating back to Jan. 14, 1976. The Cajuns are coming off a loss to Mississippi State, 78-51, in Starkville on Wednesday. Freshman Jaylyn Gordon led the Cajuns with 10 points and was the only Ragin' Cajuns player to reach double-digits. Sophomore Adrienne Prejean did her part defensively, grabbing nine rebounds, her second most of the season.

About the Opponent: Louisiana Tech is 1-6 on the season, with their lone win coming against New Orleans, 69-39, on Nov. 29. The Lady Techsters have had a tough road schedule, with games at South Carolina, Virginia, and Ole Miss. They are led by a duo of juniors in Whitney Frazier (18.0 ppg) and Chrisstasia Walter (12.3 ppg, 5.9 apg) along with freshman Jaquan Jackson (14.7 ppg). They are currently on a two-game losing streak to Nicholls State (80-78) and Ole Miss (79-68).

Off the Bench: Freshman guard Jaylyn Gordon has played in all seven games this season, starting just one, while averaging 8.3 points a game. In games she has come off the bench she averages 8.8 points, 3.0 assists, 2.7 turnovers and 1.5 steals in 22.3 minutes. She leads all non-starters in points, minutes, and steals per game, while leading the entire team with 3.1 assists a game.

Double (Figure) Trouble: Sophomore Keke Veal has scored in double-digits in all but two games this season, scoring a season-high 18 points against Jackson State, with 17 points against Sam Houston State, 15 against both Nebraska Omaha and SUNO, and 14 against Lamar. She is the only player on the team to average over 10 points a game. As a team, the Cajuns have had four players in double-figures in three games, doing so against Nebraska Omaha, SUNO and Sam Houston State.

To Their Defense: The Cajuns are third in the Sun Belt allowing just 68.1 points per game. They trail South Alabama by just 0.4 points (67.7) and UALR by 4.3 points (63.8). The Cajuns currently hold a +0.3 scoring margin, which is also third in the Sun Belt, behind WKU (+3.7) and Arkansas State (+2.6).

From Downtown: Sophomore guard Sylvana Okde hit 74 3-pointers in her freshman season, marking the fourth-highest season in Ragin' Cajuns history. To put into perspective, she has already cracked the top-10 list for 3-point shots made in a career, ranking ninth in just her first season. She became the first player since Rhonda McCullough with 70-or-more 3-pointers in a season in 1989-90. McCllough also holds the all-time record for 3-pointers in a season, knocking down 102 triples in the 1987-88 season. As a sophomore, Okde has added to that total, hitting 14 of 46 shots from behind the arc for 87 career triples. She is five away from tying Alexis Green (2008-10) for eighth all-time in a career.

Avoiding the Turnover: Louisiana ranked 33rd in the nation with a +4.83 turnover margin, as of Dec. 1. The Cajuns have forced 149 turnovers while turning the ball over 120 times, for averages of 24.8 takeaways a game over 20.0 giveaways a game. Freshman guard Jaylyn Gordon leads Louisiana with a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio, the third-highest in the conference behind Alisha Andrews (GSU) and Kaylan Martin (TXST) with 2.0 and 1.8, respectively.

Like she stole Something: Keke Veal averaged 3.17 steals a game through the first six games, leading both the team and conference. She also ranks 16th in the nation, and is second among teams on Louisiana's schedule in steals per game, behind Chrisstasia Walter of Louisiana Tech (3.5). D.J. Fowler of Charleston Southern leads the nation with 5.2 steals a game.

What's Next? The Ragin' Cajuns continue their road trip with a stop in New Orleans to take on UNO (Dec. 14) before returning home for a home contest against Alcorn State (Dec. 19) at Earl K. Long Gymnasium. Louisiana will take 10 days off for the holidays, and finish their nonconference schedule with Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 29 at the Cajundome. Louisiana opens conference play on Jan. 4 when it travels north to take on ULM at 2 p.m. on Jan. 4.

-- Ragin Cajuns --

Cajuns Continue Road Trip at Louisiana Tech

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