University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns at South Alabama Game Notes
2/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Cajuns at
South Alabama Game Notes
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004
Game Information
Date: Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004
Location: Mobile, Ala.
Time: 7:05 p.m. (CT)
Arena: Mitchell Center (10,000)
The Teams: Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (13-5,
8-1 Sun Belt), South Alabama Jaguars (9-12, 3-6 Sun Belt)
The Coaches: Louisiana-Lafayette - Jessie Evans
(125-77, 7th season at UL Lafayette and overall); South
Alabama - John Pelphrey (23-26, 2nd season at USA and
overall)
TV: NONE
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420-AM and 107.9 KRKA-FM (live
Internet streaming available at
www.ragincajuns.com
and www.weareradio.com)
- Jay Walker play-by-play. Pre-game show begins 30 minutes
prior to tip-off.
The Series: Cajuns lead 17-16
Last Meeting: South Alabama 76-73 (1/15/04 at UL)
Last Time in Mobile: South Alabama 93-89 (1/9/03)
Current Streak: South Alabama - 1 win
Cajuns Most Recently: Defeated Denver 94-74
(2/7/04)
Jaguars Most Recently: Lost to Arkansas State
54-56 (2/7/04)
Updated stats for South Alabama available at:
http://www.southalabama.edu/athletics/results/mbb/2003-04/Teamcume21.html
Updated Sun Belt standings
available at:
http://basketball.sunbeltsports.org/x/M/standings
Updated Sun Belt stats
available at:
Cajuns Open Five-Game Road Trip at South
Alabama
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team (13-5, 8-1 Sun Belt) begins its longest road trip of the season Thursday, Feb. 12 in a 7:05 p.m., game against South Alabama (9-12, 3-6 Sun Belt) at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala…Thursday's game will be the first of five straight road games for Louisiana-Lafayette over 11 days spanning Thursday, Feb. 12 through Monday, Feb. 23…The Cajuns enter the game on a season-high seven-game win streak, winning every game since losing to South Alabama on Jan. 15 in the Cajundome…The Cajuns will attempt to extend their win streak and create more distance between themselves and the rest of the Sun Belt in the race for the league title…South Alabama enters the game having lost five straight conference games and four straight overall…The Jaguars are just 1-3 at home in Sun Belt play…USA won the previous meeting this season, using a 16-3 run over the final 5:38 of the game to post a 76-73 win at the Cajundome on Jan. 15.
The Site: Mitchell Center (capacity: 10,000)
Opened in time for the 1999-2000 season, giving South Alabama a state-of-the-art, on-campus facility...Replaced theMobile Civic Center as home of the Jaguars men's basketball team...Nicknamed “The Jungle”...USA sports a 48-21 record (.696) since the facility opened...From Dec. 21, 1999 until Dec. 23, 2000, the Jags won 16 consecutive home games, which ranked among the best in the nation heading into the 2000-2001 season. Since the 1995-96 season, the Jags are 94-28 (.770) at home that has included such venues as Jag Gym, the Civic Center and the Mitchell Center...In 2001, the arena hosted the first-ever combined Sun Belt Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament.
The Series – Cajuns Lead 17-16
Thursday's game marks the 34th meeting all-time between the Cajuns and Jaguars, second this season, 5th in the Mitchell Center and 15th in the city of Mobile...UL Lafayette has won five of the last eight meetings …USA won the previous meeting this season taking a 76-73 decision at the Cajundome...Louisiana-Lafayette leads the series 16-13 in Sun Belt play while the two teams have split four meetings in the Mitchell Center...Jaguars won the last meeting in the Mitchell Center, 93-89 on Jan. 9, 2003…Cajuns and Jaguars met in the 2000 Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game in Little Rock, Ark., with a Lonnie Thomas bank shot with one second remaining giving UL Lafayette a 51-50 win and its first NCAA appearance under head coach Jessie Evans.
The Tentative Starters
Louisiana-Lafayette (2003-04 record:
13-5, 8-1 Sun Belt)
F- 45 Brian Hamilton (6-6, 186, Jr., Missouri City, Texas)
Season Stats: 11.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 61.2% FG, 66.3%
FT, 61 off rebs, 72 def rebs, 34 stls
C- 11 Chris Cameron (6-11, 256, So., Melbourne, Australia)
Season Stats: 7.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 46.2% FG, 81.6% FT, 33 off
rebs, 15 turnovers
G- 21 Laurie Bridges (6-4, 206, Sr., New Orleans, La.)
Season Stats: 11.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 42.7% FG, 81.4%
FT, 62 assists, 30 steals
G- 3 Brad Boyd (6-6, 195, Sr., Opelousas, La.)
Season Stats: 13.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 37.3% FG, 37.4%
3FG, 80.0% FT, 65 assists, 20 steals
G- 4 Antoine Landry (5-11, 170, Sr., New Orleans, La.)
F- 00 Michael Phillips (6-6, 210, Jr.-JC, Mobile, Ala.-Okaloosa-Walton CC) Season Stats: 8.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 45.8% FG, 33.3% 3FG, 49.0% FT, 22 steals
F- 40 Malerick Bedden (6-6, 220, Sr., Pensacola, Fla.)
Season Stats: 13.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 43.3% FG, 30.2% 3FG, 68.8% FT, 21 steals
C- 25 Tamsir Ba (6-9, 235, Jr.-JC, Dakar, Senegal-Dixie State (Utah) College)
Season Stats: 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 57.7% FG, 75.0% FT (3-for-4), 10 blocks
G- 3 Chris Young (6-1, 185, Sr., Fort Pierce, Fla.)
Season Stats: 12.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 36.6% FG, 36.3% 3FG, 83.8% FT, 42 assists, 22 steals
G- 11 Carlos Smith (6-0, 175, Fr., College Park, Ga.)
Season Stats: 4.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 32.4% FG, 29.0% 3FG, 70.6% FT, 53 assists, 23 steals
The UL Lafayette Head Coach – Jessie Evans
Native of Lebanon, Tenn., and graduate of Eastern Michigan University…In his seventh year at Louisiana-Lafayette…125-77 in Cajun Country and overall…With the Cajuns 110-102 win over Western Kentucky on Jan. 29, Evans surpassed former South Alabama head coach Ronnie Arrow into second place on the Sun Belt Conference all-time conference-coaching victories list with his 70th SBC win....Led the Cajuns to a 20-10 record last season and their third postseason appearance in last four years with a berth in the 2003 NIT…Was named the 2002-03 NABC District 8 Coach of the Year...His teams have collected 20 wins the past two seasons marking the first back-to-back 20-win campaigns since 1991-92/1992-93....Guided the Cajuns to a 25-9 record in 1999-00 and a berth in the NCAA Tournament…During each of his previous six seasons, has guided the Cajuns to no worse than a No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament…Has appeared in the Sun Belt championship game three times out of six seasons…Has led UL Lafayette to 10-plus conference victories in five of six seasons and the last four…Served as an assistant coach at Arizona under the legendary Lute Olson from 1988-97, winning a national championship in 1997…Was named to the UL Lafayette post on March 14, 1997, and had a national championship when he officially took over the Cajuns program in April 1997…Evans helped tutor a total of 14 Arizona players that have played in the NBA, including Mike Bibby of the Sacramento Kings.
Evans Year-By-Year
1997-98 – 18-13 (12-6 Sun
Belt)
1998-99 – 13-16 (7-7 Sun Belt)
1999-00 – 25-9 (13-3 Sun Belt) NCAA Tournament
2000-01 – 16-13 (10-6 Sun Belt)
2001-02 – 20-11 (11-4 Sun Belt) Owens Corning NIT
2002-03 – 20-10 (12-3 Sun Belt) Owens Corning NIT
2003-04 – 13-5 (8-1 Sun Belt)
Overall – 125-77 (73-30 Sun Belt)
On the Air
Thursday evening's game against South Alabama can be heard locally on the UL Lafayette Sports Radio Network through its flagship stations SportsRadio ESPN 1420 KPEL-AM and KRKA 107.9 FM in Lafayette. Nationwide, the game will be available via live Internet streaming at www.ragincajuns.com or www.weareradio.com. Jay Walker, in his 12th season covering the Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball program, will provide all of the play-by-play action live from the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala., on the University of South Alabam campus. The pre-game show begins 30 minutes prior to tip-off. On Monday's of each week, fans can tune into the “Jessie Evans Show” live on KLAF (channel 17) at 10:30 p.m., for the latest happenings within the UL basketball program.
Louisiana-Lafayette Update
The Cajuns extended their season-high win streak to seven games with Saturday's 94-74 win over Denver...The seven-game win streak is currently the third-longest in the Jessie Evans era...The win kept the Cajuns undefeated all-time against the Pioneers in regular season play (10-0)...The win also created a three-game lead for the Cajuns over the rest of the Sun Belt teams in the race for the overall league championship...At 13-5, the Cajuns are off to their best start since the 1999-2000 season - the last time the program advanced to the NCAA Tournament...Laurie Bridges collected his first double-double of the season against North Texas scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-best 13 rebounds – his first career double-double – and followed it up with 12 points and 14 boards against Denver for his second straight double-double...The Cajuns had six players score in double-figures against Denver – the 15th straight game with at least three players in double-figures...Six (6) players are now scoring in double-figures as Dwayne Mitchell (10.3) rejoined the mix after his career-high, 24-point performance against NT...UL Lafayette has yet to lose a game since Orien Greene joined the lineup (7-0)...The Cajuns shot 80 percent at the free throw line (8-of-10) vs. Denver as their percentage climbed to a season-high 72.2 percent (262-for-363)...The Cajuns are 9-0 this season when scoring 80-plus and have eclipsed that plateau in three of the last four outings...Eight (8) players have double-digit steals led by Brian Hamilton's 34...Five (5) players have at least 30 assists...The Cajuns have had a different leading scorer in each of the last seven games...Against Denver, the Cajuns won the battle of the boards 39-28 marking the third straight game which UL Lafayette outrebounded its opponent...Louisiana-Lafayette has collected at least 39 rebounds in its last three games and is averaging 40.3 rebounds a game during the stretch.
South Alabama Update
Since opening leauge play 3-1, the Jaguars have hit a skid losing five straight Sun Belt games to fall to 3-6...USA had its losing streak extended to four straight overall and five straight in the league with losses to Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State last week...USA started the week in Little Rock and suffered its worst Sun Belt loss in history, falling 86-53...The 33-point defeat surpassed the 74-43 loss at FIU during the 1998-99 season...On Saturday against ASU, the Jags shot a season-low 30.4 percent in the 56-54 home loss to the Indians...Shooting woes continue to haunt the Jaguars, whose season's average has dipped to .403 from the field and .335 from 3-point range...In the last six games, the Jags have shot just .387 from the field and .295 from beyond the arc...Opponents have connected on 50 percent from the floor during the same stretch...USA is 1-5 in those contests...USA is the only team to defeat Louisiana-Lafayette...USA plays four of its final six games at the Mitchell Center...The starting five of Carlos Smith, Chris Young, Malerick Bedden, Michael Phillips and Tamsir Ba has been the most effective for the Jags this season, with a 3-1 record...USA has used 10 different lineup combinations this season...USA's defense has been pretty stingy this season – the Jags have given up 80 or more points just four times this year, all four have resulted in losses...Each time the Jags have yielded 80 or more points, it has occurred on the road.
Coaches vs. the Opposition
Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Jessie Evans meets South Alabama for the 16th time in his career and is 7-8 all-time against the Jaguars...South Alabama head coach John Pelphrey, in his second season at USA, is meeting Louisiana-Lafayette for the fourth time in his career and is 2-1 vs. the Cajuns.
Cajuns In February
Thursday's game against South Alabama will be Louisiana-Lafayette's third in the month of February this season...The Cajuns began the month with a 94-81 win over North Texas last Thursday and follwed up with a 94-74 rout of Denver Saturday...UL Lafayette is 35-17 overall in February under Jessie Evans which includes a 21-5 record in the Cajundome...The USA game begins a five-game road trip which runs Feb. 12-23...The road trip takes the Cajuns to South Alabama (Feb. 12), New Orleans (Feb. 14), New Mexico State (Feb. 18) and North Texas (Feb. 23) in Sun Belt play...An appearance in ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday event on Feb. 21, breaks up the NMSU-NT swing...Following the NT game, the Cajuns finish the month and regular season with home games against Arkansas State (Feb. 26) and Arkansas-Little Rock (Feb. 28).
February Record Year-By-Year
Under Evans
1997-98 – 7-1 (5-0 home,
2-1 away)
1998-99 – 2-5 (1-2 home, 1-3 away)
1999-00 – 6-3 (3-1 home, 3-2 away)
2000-01 – 5-4 (2-1 home, 3-3 away)
2001-02 – 6-2 (4-0 home, 2-2 away)
2002-03 – 7-2 (4-1 home, 3-1 away)
2003-04 – 2-0 (2-0 home, 0-0 away)
Overall – 35-17 (21-5 home, 14-12 away)
Last Time Out...Feb. 7, 2004 vs. Denver
LAFAYETTE – Antoine Landry scored 18 points, while Laurie Bridges added 12 points and 14 rebounds, as Louisiana-Lafayette defeated Denver 94-74 on Saturday night. The Ragin' Cajuns (13-5, 8-1 Sun Belt) had six players who scored in double figures, including Brad Boyd with 15, Brian Hamilton 13, Orien Greene 12 and Dwayne Mitchell 11. Boyd was 5-of-6 from 3-point range and Landry hit four from long range. The Cajuns were 12-of-22 from long distance as a team and shot 52 percent from the floor overall. Erik Benzel scored 18, including five 3-pointers, for Denver (13-8, 5-4), which trailed 47-35 at the half. Carvell McAlister and Antonio Porch each added 12 points for the Pioneers. Louisiana-Lafayette outrebounded Denver 39-28...The Ragin' Cajuns took a slim one-point lead (23-22) off a Chris Cameron layup with 7:43 left in the first half. An old-fashioned 3-point play by Brian Hamilton made the score 33-29 with just 3:31 remaining. The Cajuns finished the first half on a 14-6 run, holding a 47-35 lead at the intermission. The Ragin' Cajuns came out of the gate on fire hitting five 3-point buckets in the first six minutes of the half. Boyd showed no signs of slowing early in the second half as he nailed another pair of threes 36 seconds apart giving the home team an 18 point lead after one minute of play. Boyd's hot hand woke up the Pios' old nemesis Antoine Landry. Landry went on an 11-point tear starting at the 17:54 mark. Antoine's outburst began with a 2-point jumper and culminated with a trio of treys with 14:40 left to play as the Cajuns led 64-46.
Last Time vs. USA...Jan. 15, 2004 in Lafayette
LAFAYETE – Louisiana-Lafayette committed a season-high 20 turnovers in the game, none more costly than an errant pass by Laurie Bridges with nine seconds remaining with the Ragin' Cajuns trailing by one point, as South Alabama escaped with a 76-73 victory. Malerick Bedden scored a game-high 18 points for the Jaguars (7-7, 2-1 Sun Belt) including the game-winning basket with 19 seconds left to play. Bedden put back a missed layup by Shane Spencer to give USA a 74-73 lead – its first lead since the 17-minute mark of the second half. The Cajuns (6-5, 1-1 Sun Belt) had a chance to setup an attempt for the winning basket. After the inbounds pass following a timeout, Bridges was penetrating inside the wing when he decided to dish the ball back out on the perimeter. The only problem was no one from UL Lafayette was on the receiving end of the pass and it landed out-of-bounds turning the ball back over to the Jaguars. Richard Law was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass by USA and was sent to the charity stripe with seven seconds on the clock. Law made both freebies to extend the USA lead to 76-73. On Louisiana-Lafayette's return possession, Dwayne Mitchell opted for the quick layup for two points, but his attempt rolled off the rim and the clock expired on the Cajuns.
The Race For the Title
Louisiana-Lafayette currently has a three-game lead over its nearest competition in the race for the Sun Belt Conference regular season title with six games left to play...The Cajuns enter Thursday's game with an 8-1 record which is three games better than Arkansas-Little Rock, Denver, New Orleans, North Texas and Western Kentucky all at 5-4 in league play...Since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1991-92, Louisiana-Lafayette has never won the league's championship outright...In the 1999-2000 season, the last time the Cajuns were Sun Belt champions, they shared the league title with South Alabama.
Record Through 18
Louisiana-Lafayette, now 13-5, has its best overall record through 18 games since it was 13-5 in 1999-2000...It's tied for the best start in the Evans era...The 1999-2000 season also happened to be the last time the Cajuns advanced to the NCAA Tournament...The 1999-2000 team would get off to a 16-5 start and had its 10-game win streak snapped against South Alabama Feb. 3, 2000 in a 69-65 losss at the Cajundome.
Boyd Chasing the Trifecta Record
Senior guard Brad Boyd, coming off a season in which he drained 104 three-pointers, entered the 2003-04 season needing just 76 three-point baskets to break Sydney Grider's career record of 253 three-point field goals made...Boyd has made 64 three-point baskets so far this season moving him to 242 for his career and 12 away from breaking the record.
Three-Point Streak Continues
As a team, UL Lafayette has made at least one 3-point field goal in 66 straight contests dating back to the 2001-02 season...The last time the Cajuns failed to make at least one three-point field goal occurred on Jan. 3, 2002 in the Cajundome against South Alabama (0-for-6).
Fixture in the Lineup
With a start against Denver, Laurie Bridges extended his streak of consecutive games started to 39 – the longest current streak of any Cajuns player...The New Orleans native broke into the starting lineup Dec. 28 of last season against Loyola-Chicago and remained a starter for the final 21 games.
Dishing It Out
The Cajuns have three of the Sun Belt's Top 10 assists men – Brad Boyd (3.61 apg), Dwayne Mitchell (3.53 apg) and Laurie Bridges (3.44)...The trio ranks fifth through seventh in the SBC rankings...Boyd leads the way with 65 total assists and is joined by Bridges (60) with 60-plus assists...Dwayne Mitchell has 53 assists through 15 games having played three fewer games than Boyd and Bridges...Bridges' assists total is a new single-season best eclipsing the 59 from last season...As a team, the Cajuns average a SBC-best 17.2 apg and have hit 20-plus four times.
Turning 'Em Over
UL Lafayette has had a decisive advantage in the turnover department this season...The Cajuns have induced 325 turnovers from their opponents in 18 games (18.1 per game) while committing only 248 (13.8 per game)…The Cajuns sport a +4.3 turnover margin...UL Lafayette is 10-2 this season when committing fewer turnovers and 2-3 when committing more turnovers...The Cajuns have forced 20-plus turnovers turnovers seven times including 23 at then-No. 4 Arizona...In Sun Belt games, Louisiana-Lafayette is forcing on average 18.0 turnovers through eight games (162 total).
Playing the Percentages
The Cajuns have won 21 straight games in which the opposition shoots below 40 percent...The last time the Cajuns lost when holding an opponent under 40 percent was Feb. 4, 2002, when New Orleans shot 33 percent (18/54) and won 63-61...The Cajuns have won 48 of their last 53 games in which the opponent shot below 40 percent...Four times this season, and three of the last six games, an opponent has shot below 40 percent (Loyola-New Orleans, 34.6%, New Mexico State, 38.1%, FIU 38.9% and Middle Tennessee 34.4%).
Coming Out Strong
The Cajuns have led at the half in 15 of the last 17 outings since trailing Georgia Tech in the season opener...UL Lafayette is 13-2 this season when ahead at halftime and 0-3 when trailing...In Sun Belt play, South Alabama is the only team to lead the Cajuns at the half (38-35 on Jan. 15) which happens to be the last time the Cajuns trailed at the break.
Keep 'Em Under 70
The Cajuns are 80-21 (.792) under head coach Jessie Evans when holding opponents below 70 points...UL Lafayette is 7-1 this season when the opponent scores below 70.
Bridges Honored As Sun Belt Player of the Week
Laurie Bridges turned in two of his best career performances last week and deservingly so was named the Sun Belt Conference's Player of the Week on Monday. Bridges averaged a double-double last week in wins over North Texas and Denver, averaging 12.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, as the Ragin' Cajuns (13-5, 8-1 Sun Belt) extended their season-high win streak to seven games. He had 13 points and 13 boards Thursday against North Texas for his first career double-double. He followed it up with 12 points and 14 rebounds against Denver on Saturday for his second straight double-double. Prior to last week's games, Bridges had never recorded a double-double. Of his 27 rebounds for the week, 12 were on the offensive glass. His selection is the Cajuns third this season and second straight in as many weeks. UL Lafayette's other honorees this season were Antoine Landry who was named SBC Player of the Week on Jan. 5 and Brian Hamilton who received the honor last Monday.
Valuing the Ball
Through 18 games, Louisiana-Lafayette has a 1.3 assist:turnover ratio as a team – a figure which is tops in the Sun Belt Conference...For the season the Cajuns have 310 assists to 248 turnovers making them one of only two Sun Belt teams with more assists than turnovers...Six (6) Cajuns sport a positive assist:turnover ratio...Orien Greene leads the way with a 2.6 ratio (23 assists, 9 turnovers)...As a team, Louisiana-Lafayette has had a positive assist:turnover ratio in all but five games this season (5 assists:19 turnovers at Ga. Tech; 15 assists:18 turnovers vs. McNeese; 18 assists:20 turnovers vs. South Alabama; 13 assists:14 turnovers vs. UNO; 15 assists, 20 turnovers at Middle Tennessee).
Balanced Attack
For the season, the Cajuns have six (6) players averaging double-figures scoring...The players averaging double-figures include: Antoine Landry (14.3), Brad Boyd (13.3), Brian Hamilton (11.8), Laurie Bridges (11.1), Orien Greene (10.3) and Dwayne Mitchell (10.3)...Seven players are averaging at least nine points...UL Lafayette has had at least three players score in double-figures the last 15 games.
Quick Hands
Seven (7) times UL Lafayette has reached double-figures in steals including tying a season-high with 16 against North Texas last Thursday...The Cajuns lead the Sun Belt Conference in steals averaging 9.1 picks per game...Thirteen (13) times the Cajuns have collected at least seven steals in a game...Brian Hamilton leads the Cajuns with 34 steals (1.9 per game) and ranks second in the SBC for steals per game...All eight players in the rotation have double-digit steals...As a team, Louisiana-Lafayette has 163 steals to just 100 for the opponent.
80-plus = Done Deal
UL Lafayette is undefeated (9-0) when scoring at least 80 points...The Cajuns have broken 80 points in six (6) of the last 10 games...Last week against North Texas, the Cajuns scored 94 points in each game…Since the Western Kentucky game UL Lafayette has scored 90-plus points in three-of-four games and has averaged 93 points per game.
Winning Big
Of the Cajuns 13 victories this season, 10 have come by double-digit margins...The lone single-digit wins were against Western Kentucky (110-102), Denver (83-81) and McNeese State (76-70)...Louisiana-Lafayette's average win margin this season is 17.6 (13 wins, 229 points)...Since Orien Greene became eilgible (Jan. 17 vs. UNO), the Cajuns have won by double-digits in six-of-seven games for an average scoring margin of 15.1 points (seven wins, 106 points).
In A League of Their Own
Louisiana-Lafayette is the only team in the Sun Belt to win at least 10 conference games in each of the last four years...Louisiana-Lafayette is on pace to make it five straight years with double-digit league wins and has six more games to pick up two more wins to get them to 10...The Cajuns are 73-30 under head coach Jessie Evans in Sun Belt play and have won double-digit league games in five of six seasons under his direction.
Year-By-Year Sun Belt Record
Under Evans
1997-98 – 12-6 (7-2 home,
5-4 away)
1998-99 – 7-7 (6-1 home, 1-6 away)
1999-00 – 13-3 (7-1 home, 6-2 away)
2000-01 – 10-6 (6-2 home, 4-4 away)
2001-02 – 11-4 (7-0 home, 4-4 away)
2002-03 – 12-3 (7-1 home, 5-2 away)
2003-04 – 8-1 (4-1 home, 4-0 away)
Seven-Year Record – 73-30 (.709)
Boyd Moving Up Sun Belt Charts
Senior guard Brad Boyd joined the Top 5 on the all-time Sun Belt Conference three-point field goals made list with his final three-pointer last Thursday against North Texas...Boyd currently has 242 career three-point baskets which places him in 5th place just seven three-pointers behind South Alabama's Derek Turner for fourth place...His total is the highest among any Cajuns player ever to play in the Sun Belt...Earlier in the season Boyd passed Blane Harmon (212) for the most three-pointers by a Cajuns player in the Sun Belt era...Boyd and Western Kentucky's Mike Wells are the only two active players in the league that are in the Top 25.
About the Winning Streak
The Cajuns current seven-game win streak is the third-longest in the Jessie Evans era...The longest streak under Evans' watch came in the 1999-2000 season when UL Lafayette won 10 straight from Dec. 28, 1999 through Jan. 29, 2000...A win over South Alabama would give the Cajuns their eighth straight win, which would be tied for the second-longest win streak under Evans...Last season the Cajuns won eight straight from Jan. 18, 2003 through Feb. 15, 2003...The school record for longest winning streak came during the 1971-72 season – Bo Lamar's senior season – when the Cajuns won 13 straight games from Dec. 4, 1971 through Jan. 26, 1972...The Cajuns would have to run the table the rest of the regular season to break record win streak of the 1971-72 season.
About the Winning Streak, Part II
The Cajuns enter Thursday's game with South Alabama having won seven straight Sun Belt Conference games...The school record for consecutive Sun Belt wins is nine (9) set last season from Jan. 11, 2003 (78-71 win at UNO) through Feb. 15, 2003 (69-58 win at NMSU)...Arkansas State broke the streak with an 84-72 win in Jonesboro on Feb. 20, 2003.
Winning on the Road in the 'Belt
Louisiana-Lafayette has begun Sun Belt Conference play with four straight road wins...The Cajuns are the only Sun Belt team undefeated on the road in league play...UL Lafayette will put the streak to the test on its current five-game road trip which includes four dates with Sun Belt opponents…Dating back to last season, the Ragin' Cajuns have won nine of their last 11 Sun Belt regular season road outings...Louisiana-Lafayette ended with a 5-2 Sun Belt Conference road record in 2002-03…Since defeating Arkansas-Little Rock last season (85-81 on Feb. 22, 2003), the Cajuns have won their last five road Sun Belt games.
Chairman of the Boards
Junior transfer Brian Hamilton (Missouri City, Texas) continues to be the driving force behind the Cajuns rebounding efforts...He leads the squad with a 7.4 rebounds per game average...He has had at least seven rebounds in 12 games this season and began a stretch of at least seven boards in the Cajuns game with New Mexico State Jan. 22 (last six games)...Hamilton pulls his weight on both ends of the floor – of his 133 total rebounds he has 61 offensive and 72 defensive...In his final season at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, he led the Islanders with 6.9 rebounds per game and had seven (7) double-digit rebounding games.
Leaders of the Pack
The Cajuns lead the Sun Belt in seven different statistical categories: scoring, scoring margin, 3-point field goals made, steals, assists, turnover margin and assists:turnover ratio.
Climbing the Charts
Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Jessie Evans enters Thursday's game with 73 Sun Belt victories through 103 games...He is currently in second place all-time on the conference-coaching victories list trailing only the legendary Gene Bartow (111 wins at UAB)...Evans, Bartow and Arkasnas State's Dickey Nutt are the only coaches to amass 70 Sun Belt wins in a career...Evans' career Sun Belt winning percentage of .709 (73-30) ranks as the highest amongst the league's current coaches and is in the Top 10 in conference history.
Fastbreak Points
>One more win will guarantee the Cajuns a winning season for the fifth straight season. It would be the sixth winning season (out of seven) under Jessie Evans. The last time the Cajuns had five straight winning seasons was 1988-89 through 1992-93 under former head coach Marty Fletcher.
>Saturday's win over Denver clinched the Cajuns fifth straight winning Sun Belt record. UL Lafayette has never had a losing Sun Belt record under Evans (7-7 in 1998-99). Since joining the Sun Belt in 1991-92, the Cajuns have had just one losing record (4-14 in 1994-95), three .500 marks and nine (9) winning records. UL Lafayette's all-time Sun Belt record entering Thursday's game is 131-78 (.627).
>The Cajuns have shot above 40 percent in all but four games this season. Saturday UL Lafayette shot 52 percent against Denver which was the seventh time this season above 50 percent and third in the last five outings. The Cajuns season-high percentage came Jan. 29 at Western Kentucky when they shot 64.3 percent (36-of-56).
>UL Lafayette is 12-2 this season when putting up at least 70 points and 1-3 when scoring fewer than 70.
>UL Lafayette has kept all but three of its opponents below 80 points this season. Denver scored 81 points to become the first opponent to reach 80 on the Cajuns this season. Western Kentucky became the second last Thursday when the Hilltoppers reached 102. North Texas became the third on Thursday, scoring 81. All three teams to score 80-plus on the Cajuns have lost.
>Louisiana-Lafayette has made at least 70 percent of its free throws in 12 of the last 15 games and the last four. UL Lafayette is shooting 74.7% at the charity stripe in Sun Belt games (136-of-182) and has made 72-of-92 (78.3%) in its last four games including a season-high 81.5% against Middle Tennessee Saturday, Jan. 31 (22-of-27).
>The Cajuns are shooting 72.2 percent (262-for-363) for the season at the free throw line – a total which would be the highest in the Evans era if the season ended today (highest under Evans is 66.5 percent in 1997-98). The last time the Cajuns shot above 70 percent at the charity stripe for the season was 1993-94 (71.6 percent).
>Chris Cameron has made 16 straight free throws – 12 shy of tying the school's single-season record of 28 set by Jerry Flake during the 1966-67 season.
>The Cajuns are 4-2 in overtime games under head coach Jessie Evans and have won the last three. The last time the Cajuns went into overtime was Feb. 11, 2003 in the Cajundome against Denver (W, 72-69).
>The Cajuns have faced six (6) teams this season that advanced to the 2003 postseason...UL Lafayette has faced this year's Pre-Season NIT champion Georgia Tech (NIT), Dayton (NCAA), Xavier (NCAA), Valparaiso (NIT) and Arizona (NCAA)...Western Kentucky (NCAA) became the sixth postseason team that the Cajuns faced this season.
A Cajuns Win Would...
Mark the eighth straight win – extending the longest win streak of the season and tying the for the second-longest win streak in the Jessie Evans era...Improve the Cajuns to 14-5 overall and 9-1 in Sun Belt play...Be the Cajuns fifth straight Sun Belt road win and keep them undefeated (5-0) on the road in league play.
A Cajuns Loss Would...
Snap a season-high, seven-game win streak...Mark the first time since the 1999-2000 season that South Alabama swept the season series...Drop the Cajuns to 13-6 overall and 8-2 in Sun Belt play...Be the Cajuns second straight loss at the Mitchell Center.
Next on the Schedule...
Louisiana-Lafayette continues its current five-game road swing Saturday when they travel to face I-10 rival New Orleans at 6 p.m., at the Lakefront Arena...The game will be televised on ESPN Plus and tape-delayed on Cox Sports (channel 27 in Lafayette) at 11 p.m.
It's Official: Cajuns at Rice In ESPN Bracket Buster
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team will be headed to Houston for the 2004 ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday event. ESPN announced last Monday that the Ragin' Cajuns will face Rice in a Noon game on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Autry Court on the Rice University campus. The matchup will televised live on ESPN FULL COURT, an out-of-market pay-per-view service. Anyone with the ESPN FULL COURT package will be able to pick up the game. Cox Sports (channel 27 in Lafayette) will carry the game on tape-delay basis at a time to be announced. As part of the agreement, Rice will play a “return” game at the Cajundome in November or December of next season. Fans interested in attending the game should call the Rice Ticket Office at (713) 348-4068.
Boyd Joins 1,000-Point Club
Brad Boyd became the 35th player in UL Lafayette history to reach 1,000 points in a career Thursday against North Texas when he drained a three-point basket at the 16:58 mark of the second half...It marked the second straight season that a Cajuns player broke 1,000 in a career – Anthony Johnson did so last season on Jan. 9, 2003 at South Alabama – and it marks the fifth occurrence under Jessie Evans' tenure (Chris Manuel '97-98, Lonnie Thomas '00-01, Blane Harmon '00-01, Anthony Johnson '02-03 and Brad Boyd '03-04)...At 1,026 career points scored, Boyd ranks 35th on the list trailing No. 34 Elvin Ivory (1966-68, 1,028 points) by two (2) points.
Home Cooking – Cajuns Style
Over the last six-plus years opponents have not had much success playing in the Cajundome...Since Jessie Evans took over the Cajuns program in 1997-98, UL Lafayette has won 73-of-88 games played at the Cajundome…The Cajuns have won 30 of the last 33 games the past three seasons...UL Lafayette is 45-5 over the last 50 contests within the friendly confines...Last season the Cajuns went 10-1 at home in the Cajundome and extended their Cajundome-record win streak to 21 games before losing to Western Kentucky in the home finale on Feb. 26… The previous record was set Feb. 4, 1993-Feb. 5, 1994 a span of 14 games…The Cajuns set the record with their 81-74 victory over New Mexico State on Jan. 2.
Year-By-Year at Home Under Evans
1997-98 – 12-5 (7-2 Sun
Belt)
1998-99 – 10-2 (6-1 Sun Belt)
1999-00 – 12-2 (7-1 Sun Belt)
2000-01 – 9-3 (6-2 Sun Belt)
2001-02 – 12-1 (7-0 Sun Belt)
2002-03 – 10-1 (7-1 Sun Belt)
2003-04 – 8-1 (4-1 Sun Belt)
Overall – 73-15 (44-8 Sun Belt)
Consistent Winner
Since Jessie Evans took over as head coach of the Cajuns in the 1997-98 season, Louisiana-Lafayette has been one of the more consistent teams among the Sun Belt Conference's current membership...UL Lafayette has won 125 games – a total second only to New Mexico State's 126...The Cajuns have had just one losing season during Evans tenure...Of the members of the SBC when the Cajuns joined in 1991-92 (ASU, UALR, UNO, USA & WKU), Louisiana-Lafayette has the most wins, ahead of Western Kentucky's 121.
Homegrown Talent
Of the 13 rostered players for Louisiana-Lafayette this season, eight (8) hail from the Bayou State...The Cajuns have two Lafayette natives in freshmen Adam James and Ross Mouton while Opelousas native Brad Boyd gives Louisiana-Lafayette three players from the Acadiana area...The Cajuns list of Louisiana natives includes: Brad Boyd (Opelousas), Laurie Bridges (New Orleans), Rhett Hebert (Erath) Adam James (Lafayette), Antoine Landry (New Orleans), Dwayne Mitchell (New Orleans), Ross Mouton (Lafayette) and Alphonso Williams (Cecilia).
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
