Cajuns Take to the Road to Face UT Arlington

Game 21

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (10-10, 3-6) at UT Arlington Mavericks (2-18, 1-10)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Site: College Park Center
Radio: ESPN 1420 (Jay Walker)
TV: None
Live Video Stream/Stats: www.UTAMavs.com
Series: Louisiana leads 10-2
Last Meeting: Louisiana 66, UTA 64, January 11, 2014 in Lafayette.
Louisiana season tickets available at RaginCajuns.com and by calling the Cajundome (337) 265-2357.

THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
Garry Brodhead
At Louisiana: 20-31 (2nd Season)
Overall: Same
vs. UTA: 1-0

UT Arlington
Krista Gerlich
At UTA: 2-19 (1st Season)
Overall: 170-71 (7th Season)
vs. Louisiana: 0-1

Game Notes

Setting the Scene: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team continues Sun Belt play with a trip to the state of Texas, opening up a two-game trip at UT Arlington on Thursday, Feb. 6 at noon. The Cajuns are coming off of five-straight losses after opening the season 10-5, most recently falling to ULM, 66-59 at the Cajundome. Sophomore Sylvana Okde leads the Cajuns on the offensive side, averaging 12.0 points a game with at least one 3-pointer in each game this season. Okde is averaging 15.0 points a game in Sun Belt play, with fellow sophomore Brooklyn Arceneaux posting a 12.8 scoring average in conference games as well, while grabbing 6.7 rebounds a game. The duo have started every conference game this season, and Okde is the only player on the roster to have started all 20 games thus far.

About the Opponent: UTA is coming off their second win of the season, defeating Georgia State on the road, to improve to 2-18 on the season and 1-8 in Sun Belt play. The conference newcomers are led by a trio of scorers averaging above 10-points a game. Briana Walker leads the way with 14.5 points, Desherra Nwanguma trails her with 11.9 and Laila Suleiman chips in with 10.3 points per game. The Mavericks also picked up a win against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 75-64, on Dec. 21.

No Sleep For Brooklyn: Sophomore Brooklyn Arceneaux has found her stride in the wake of Keke Veal's injury, posting double-digit points in six of the last eight games, including her first career double-double, scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds against Troy (11/18/14), and a pair of career-high 19 point games against South Alabama (1/15/13) and UALR (1/29/14). Arceneaux is averaging 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in conference play.

Avoiding the Turnover: The Cajuns have forced the most turnovers per game among all Sun Belt teams at 22.6, while turning the ball over an average of 16.6 times, the third-least in the Sun Belt, for a conference best +6.05 turnover margin. That would be the 13th best margin in the NCAA as of January 30.

Century Mark for Okde: Sophomore guard Sylvana Okde hit 74 3-pointers as a freshman in 2012-13 and has made 51 so far this season, becoming the eighth player in school history to reach 100 career triples. Two players have reached the 200-mark, with Rhonda McCullough (1987-90) holding the school record with 260, and Kim Perrot (1986-90) with 202. Perrot achieved that feat despite the 3-point shot being nonexistent in her first season with the Ragin' Cajuns. She currently ranks sixth all-time at Louisiana in 3-pointers made with 125 career triples, behind Onna Charles (2005-08) with 143.

Shades of 2006-07: The Ragin' Cajuns posted a four-game winning streak beginning with a Dec. 14 victory against New Orleans through the Sun Belt Conference opener at ULM on Jan. 4. The win against ULM marked the longest winning streak and first time the Cajuns have won their conference opener since the 2006-07 season. The Cajuns won seven straight games from Jan. 3-25, 2007, all Sun Belt match ups. The Cajuns earned a bid to the NCAA tournament in 2007, falling to Marquette in the opening round.

Double-Double²: The Cajuns have four double-doubles on the season, with two by Jasmin Mills, and one each from Brooklyn Arceneaux and Kia Wilridge. The double-doubles have come in groups, with Mills' coming in back-to-back games, and Wilridge and Arceneaux's also coming in back-to-back games. Mills scored 20 points with 11 rebounds against Nebraska Omaha (11/8/13) and followed that with 16 points and 11 rebounds against SUNO (11/11/13). Wilridge scored 11 points with 11 boards against South Alabama (1/15/14), and Arceneaux scored 18 points with 11 rebounds against Troy (11/18/14).

What's Next? The Ragin' Cajuns continue Sun Belt play in the state of Texas, when they travel to San Marcos to take on the Texas State Bobcats on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. The Cajuns fell to Texas State earlier in the season, 65-53, at the Cajundome, and trail the all-time series with Texas State, 5-3.

GAME NIGHT STORY LINES

• The Cajuns are coming off their fifth-straight loss, falling to ULM, 66-59 at home. The Cajuns are now 3-6 in Sun Belt games and 10-10 overall after starting 10-5 and 2-1.

• This is the 13th meeting between Louisiana and UT Arlington, dating back to Feb. 21, 1987 and a 73-65 win by the Cajuns. This is the second meeting this season between the two schools, with the Cajuns winning the first one at the Cajundome, 66-64 on Jan. 11. Sophomore Sylvana Okde scored 20 points and Kia Wilridge added 13 points to lead the Cajuns.

• Ragin' Cajuns guard Sylvana Okde hit one 3-pointer against ULM, and now has a 3-pointer in 23 consecutive games.

• The Cajuns are 0-1 this season when facing teams for the second time.

-- www.RaginCajuns.com --

Cajuns Take to the Road to Face UT Arlington

Next Event

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics