University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Return Home, Begin Three-Game Homestand Saturday vs. FIU
1/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Cajuns Return
Home, Begin Three-Game Homestand Saturday vs. FIU
Friday, Jan. 21, 2005
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team, fresh off of a three-game sweep of the South Alabama-UNO-New Mexico State road trip following an 89-79 overtime win at NMSU Thursday, will look to turn its newfound success into success at home and keep its season-high win streak intact.
The Ragin' Cajuns return to Lafayette on Saturday, Jan. 22, for the first of three games at the CAJUNDOME over a one-week span, playing host to Sun Belt East Division foe Florida International in a 7:05 p.m., game.
Saturday's game with FIU is the first of three straight inter-divisional meetings for Louisiana-Lafayette. The Cajuns will face Sun Belt East Division members Western Kentucky (Jan. 27) and Middle Tennessee (Jan. 29) next weekend.
The Ragin' Cajuns are also beginning a stretch where seven of the team's next nine Sun Belt games will be played within the friendly confines of the CAJUNDOME – a key factor as the midway point of the conference season draws near. Louisiana-Lafayette enters the stretch winners of 22 of the last 25 SBC games contested in the 'DOME.
Louisiana-Lafayette's recent success has been boosted by the return of senior guard Orien Greene. Greene will be taking the floor at the CAJUNDOME for the first time since Dec. 4 (vs. St. Mary's-Texas).
The Cajuns have won six of their last eight games since the N.C. State loss (Dec. 15) dropped the team to 3-5. The current three-game win streak is the longest of the Robert Lee Era. The streak has helped put the Cajuns hopes for another SBC West Division title on more solid ground after the 0-1 start following a home loss to Denver on Jan. 8.
FIU (7-10, 0-4) has lost five straight games overall and is off to a 0-4 start in Sun Belt play. The Golden Panthers are much improved from last season and lead the Sun Belt in field goal percentage defense by holding opponents to 39.5 percent shooting through 17 games (38.8 percent in Sun Belt play).
The Cajuns have dominated the series with FIU over the past five seasons, winning all six meetings. Last season, Louisiana-Lafayette trounced FIU 78-58 at Pharmed Arena in Miami. FIU hasn't won a game in the series since sweeping the season series during the 1998-99 season.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 0-1 at home in Sun Belt play while FIU is 0-2 on the road.
At Home in the 'Dome…
Opened in time for the 1985-86 season…First game was played Nov. 22, 1985 against Georgia (lost 75-78)…Replaced Blackham Coliseum, which served as the home of Ragin' Cajuns basketball from 1950-1984…This season marks the 20th season of play at the Cajundome…To date, Louisiana-Lafayette has posted a 207-72 record (.742) within the friendly confines…Over the last five-plus seasons, Louisiana-Lafayette has posted a 57-9 (.864) record in the facility…Played host to the 1998 and 1999 Sun Belt Tournaments and will host of the 2007 Sun Belt Tournament…UL Lafayette has won 36 of the last 40 games contested in the Cajundome and 22 of the last 25 Sun Belt games…The Cajuns have lost just six Sun Belt games at the 'Dome since the 1999-2000 season (33-6 record).
Louisiana-Lafayette at the CAJUNDOME since 1999-2000
1999-2000 – 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 – 10-1 (6-1 Sun Belt)
2004-05 – 4-1 (0-1 Sun Belt)
Combined Record – 57-9 (.864) - 33-6 Sun Belt
The Series – Louisiana-Lafayette Leads 8-2 (Cajuns lead 6-2 in Sun Belt play)
Saturday's game marks the 11th meeting all-time between the Cajuns and Golden Panthers and the only one during the 2004-05 regular season.
Louisiana-Lafayette has won the last six meetings overall and the last three in the CAJUNDOME.
UL Lafayette leads the series 6-2 in Sun Belt games since FIU joined the league in 1998-99.
Five of the last seven meetings between the two schools have been decided by six points or less with the Cajuns winning five of the seven; last season's 78-58 Cajuns win in Miami was just the third double-digit victory by either team since FIU joined the Sun Belt, but marked the second straight game decided by double figures.
Louisiana-Lafayette won the last meeting in the CAJUNDOME 64-51 on Jan. 18, 2003.
The last FIU win in the series came on Feb. 17, 1999, in the Cajundome (Golden Panthers won 63-62).
The first meeting ever between the two schools took place on Nov. 27, 1982, at legendary Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette (Cajuns won 105-54). The two programs met just one more time until FIU joined the Sun Belt Conference in time for the 1998-99 season – a 104-93 double-overtime victory by then-USL on Dec. 30, 1991.
Cajuns
vs. FIU All-Time
11-27-82 W, 105-54 Lafayette
12-30-91 W, 104-93 (2OT) Lafayette
Since Golden Panthers joined the Sun Belt Conference
(2000-01 season)
2-13-99 L, 65-88 Miami, Fla.
2-17-99 L, 62-63 Lafayette
1-27-00 W, 64-60 Miami, Fla.
2-19-00 W, 75-69 Lafayette
1-13-01 W, 67-61 Lafayette
2-9-02 W, 65-60 Miami, Fla.
1-18-03 W, 64-51 Lafayette
1-24-04 W, 78-58 Miami, Fla.
Last Time Out…Won 89-79 in OT at New Mexico State (1/20/05)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead behind the surge of eight three-point baskets.
In the second half, the three-point well ran out for the Aggies, who made none in the second period, allowing Louisiana-Lafayette to rally and force overtime at 70-70.
Chris Cameron, who had no field goals made in regulation play, connected on two three-point baskets in the extra session and the Cajuns defense came up with a pair of last-minute stops to rally for an 89-79 overtime victory over the Aggies here Thursday evening at the Pan American Center.
Cameron's first triple answered one from Mike Mitchell and tied the game at 75-75 in the extra session. His second three-pointer came with 1:31 left in overtime and put the Cajuns ahead to stay at 82-79.
From there, Louisiana-Lafayette finished off the Aggies on the defensive end.
Orien Greene grabbed a defensive rebound off a missed jumper by Josh Jenkins at 1:14 and then lofted a long outlet pass to Dwayne Mitchell who was trailing in the backcourt for an easy dunk and an 84-79 lead.
Greene then came up with a steal on the ensuing possession, picking the pocket of Antwan Alexander and racing in for the layup and the foul for the old-fashioned three-point play that increased the Cajuns lead to 87-79.
The Aggies continued to struggle from field in desperation time and missed their final three attempts as the Cajuns escaped with their third straight Sun Belt road victory.
The win was the Ragin' Cajuns (9-7, 3-1 Sun Belt) third straight overall – the longest win streak of the season and under head coach Robert Lee. It was also the Cajuns seventh straight victory over NMSU and increased Louisiana-Lafayette's lead in the all-time series to 9-2.
Four players scored in double figures for Louisiana-Lafayette led by 22 points by Tiras Wade who claimed team-high scoring honors for the 14th time this season. Joining Wade in double figures were Dwayne Mitchell with a season-high 19, Orien Greene tying his season-high with 18 and Brian Hamilton chipped in with 16 points.
The Cajuns struggled from the field in the opening half, shooting 11-of-33 (33 percent), but rebounded to shoot 14-of-27 (51 percent) in the second half and made 7-of-8 (88 percent) in the overtime period.
The turning point in the second half came when the Cajuns were down 51-41 with 13:15 left to play. The visitors rolled of an 11-2 run that cut the NMSU lead to 53-52.
The game was tied at 11-11 with 13:11 left to play in the opening half when Spencer Ford used his quickness to beat Duane John off the dribble for an easy inside layup.
The Aggies then used a barrage of four three-pointers to fuel a 14-3 run that gave the hosts a 25-14 lead at 11:16.
After a basket by Ford pulled the Cajuns within 32-30, Louisiana-Lafayette went on to miss 13 of its final 14 field goal attempts of the half which included a scoreless drought that lasted the final 4:43 of the half. NMSU used 9-1 run which stretched the halftime lead to 42-31.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (9-7, 3-1) Wade, Tiras 7-15 3-4 22; Mitchell, Dwayne 8-11 2-2 19; Greene, Orien 5-10 7-8 18; Hamilton, Brian 7-14 2-2 16; Ford, Spencer 3-8 0-0 7; Cameron, Chris 2-7 1-2 7; James, Adam 0-1 0-0 0; Mouton, Ross 0-1 0-0 0; Rhodman, Anthony 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-68 15-18 89. NEW MEXICO STATE (4-13, 0-4) Mitchell, Mike 7-14 5-5 23; John, Duane 4-13 7-10 15; Jones, Jeff 4-8 4-5 12; Lawrence, Trevor 4-4 1-1 9; Davis, Byron 2-3 1-2 7; Jenkins, Josh 3-9 0-0 7; Alexander, Antwan 1-5 0-0 3; Haynes, Allen 1-5 0-0 3. Totals 26-61 18-23 79.
Halftime Score: NMSU 42, UL Lafayette 31. End of Regulation: NMSU 70, UL Lafayette 70. 3-point goals - UL Lafayette 10-27 (Wade 5-11; Cameron 2-5; Ford 1-4; Mitchell 1-2; Greene 1-3; Mouton 0-1; Rhodman 0-1), NMSU 9-27 (Mitchell 4-7; Davis 2-2; Haynes 1-5; Jenkins 1-5; Alexander 1-3; John 0-5). Fouled out--UL-Lafayette-Ford, NMSU-None. Rebounds - UL Lafayette 39 (Hamilton 10), NMSU 34 (John 14). Assists - UL Lafayette 15 (Greene 5), NMSU 10 (Jenkins 6). Total fouls - UL Lafayette 18, NMSU 16. A - 4,256.
Last Time vs. Florida International…Cajuns won 78-58 in Miami (1/24/04)
MIAMI – Orien Greene scored 17 points in his return to the Sunshine State and led Louisiana-Lafayette to a 78-58 victory over Florida International.
Greene, a Gainesville native who spent two seasons at the University of Florida, also had eight rebounds, four assists and four steals off the bench. It was his first game in the state since transferring from Florida in 2002.
Greene was 6-of-8 shooting from the floor Saturday, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Teammates Brian Hamilton and Chris Cameron scored 11 points apiece. Greene, who had scored seven points apiece in each of his previous two outings and had struggled from three-point land shooting just 11 percent (1-of-9), scored a season-high and converted 4-of-6 three-point attempts (67 percent).
The Cajuns shot 73 percent (16-of-22) in the second half and ended the game at a 52 percent showing (32-of-62).
UL Lafayette had a 15-point lead at the half and stretched that lead out to 17 points at 50-33 with 15:51 remaining in the game.
The Golden Panthers would then use a 17-7 run over the next seven-plus minutes to pull within 57-50 with 8:01 showing on the clock.
The Cajuns then outscored FIU 12-3 over the next five minutes to regain a comfortable margin of 69-53 with 3:45 left to play.
Both offenses got off to a slow start in the opening half. Louisiana-Lafayette scored the game's first two points when Laurie Bridges drove the left side of the lane and hit a layup to give the Cajuns a 2-0 lead at the 19:48 mark.
The next four minutes saw neither team score as the Cajuns began a streak of 14 straight missed field goals.
Greene made his first three-pointer of the game on the ensuing possession to give UL Lafayette a 5-4 lead at 13:15. Greene's trey snapped a scoreless drought for the Cajuns that lasted 6 ˝ minutes.
FIU hung tough tying the game at 7-7 at 9:54 on a three-point basket by Marcus Robinson from the right corner.
The Cajuns answered on their next possession with Greene's second 3-pointer to retake the lead 10-7. Greene's three sparked a 7-0 run that pushed UL Lafayette's lead to 14-7 at 8:28.
The Golden Panthers kept the deficit under double-digits at the 3:49 mark on a reverse layup by Taurance Johnson cut the Cajuns lead to 28-19.
Louisiana-Lafayette would stretch the advantage back into double-figures with five consecutive points by Greene. His third 3-pointer of the opening half made it 31-19.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (9-5, 4-1 SBC) Greene, Orien 6-8 1-1 17; Hamilton, Brian 4-6 3-6 11; Cameron, Chris 5-10 1-1 11; Bridges, Laurie 4-8 0-0 9; Boyd, Brad 3-11 0-0 9; Mitchell, Dwayne 4-7 0-0 8; Williams, Cedric 4-7 0-0 8; Landry, Antoine 1-4 0-0 3; Williams, Chris 1-1 0-0 2; Hebert, Rhett 0-0 0-0 0; Mouton, Ross 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-62 5-8 78. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (3-14, 0-5 SBC) Morban, Carlos 6-11 1-3 15; Johnson, Taurence 4-7 0-0 8; Robinson, Marcus 2-12 1-2 7; daSilva, Raphael 3-5 1-4 7; Lazo, Gabriel 2-2 0-0 6; Burnett, Byron 2-6 2-4 6; Gale, Warren 1-1 2-2 4; Lum, Harry 1-8 1-3 3; Bamba, Belco 0-1 2-2 2; Garcia, Daniel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-54 10-20 58.
Halftime Score: UL 39, FIU 24. 3-point goals-UL 9-23 (Greene, 4-6; Boyd 3-11; Bridges 1-1; Landry 1-4; Cameron 0-1), FIU 6-21 (Robinson 2-9; Lazo 2-2; Morban 2-6; Lum 0-1; daSilva 0-1; Johnson 0-2). Fouled out--UL-Williams, Cedric, FIU-None. Rebounds - UL 42 (Greene 8; Hamilton 8; Cameron 8), FIU 29 (daSilva 7). Assists - UL 21 (Mitchell 5; Bridges 5), FIU 13 (Morban 3; Lazo 3). Total fouls - UL 16, FIU 11. A - 1,146.
Sun Belt's Newest Generals to Meet Saturday…
Saturday evening's meeting between the Ragin' Cajuns and Golden Panthers features the only two new head coaches in the Sun Belt Conference this season.
Robert Lee (Louisiana-Lafayette) and Sergio Rouco (Florida International) are both in their first seasons as the top boss of their respective programs. Lee spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant at Louisiana-Lafayette under former head coaches Marty Fletcher and Jessie Evans. Rouco, an assistant at Texas-El Paso during the 2003-04 season, took over the reigns at FIU this past March replacing Donnie Marsh and beginning his third stint with the Miami-based school.
Lee has the early lead in the race for the best record amongst the SBC's newbies. UL Lafayette is 9-7 heading into Saturday's game while FIU is 7-10.
Cajuns vs. Sun Belt East Division…
Saturday's game is the Cajuns first of five games this season against a team from the Sun Belt East Division. It is also the first of three straight against the SBC East – Cajuns host Western Kentucky (Jan. 27) and Middle Tennessee (Jan. 29) next week.
Last season, Louisiana-Lafayette swept through the Sun Belt East Division in regular season play for the first time. The Cajuns will carry a five-game win streak against SBC East team heading into Saturday's game with FIU.
The Cajuns are 79-45 overall all-time versus the Sun Belt East teams and are 13-7 in regular season play since the league began divisional play in the 2000-01 season.
Last season vs. the Sun Belt
East
Jan. 24, 2004 at FIU W, 78-58
Jan. 29, 2004 at Western Ky. W, 110-102
Jan. 31, 2004 at Middle Tenn. W, 74-64
Feb. 26, 2004 vs. Arkansas St. W, 82-62
Feb. 28, 2004 vs. UALR W, 70-66
2004-05 Schedule vs. Sun Belt
East Teams
Jan. 22, 2005 vs. FIU
Jan. 27, 2005 vs. Western Ky.
Jan. 29, 2005 vs. Middle Tenn.
Feb. 24, 2005 at Arkansas State
Feb. 26, 2005 at UALR
Taking Advantage of Charity…
After shooting at or below 50 percent in each of the previous five games, Louisiana-Lafayette sank 85 percent (23-of-27) of its freebies last Saturday at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.
The percentage and total number of makes were both season-highs for the squad. The Cajuns outscored the Privateers 23-6 at the charity stripe alone.
As a team, Louisiana-Lafayette made 10-of-10 freebies in that final 1:44 to withhold a late charge by UNO. Dwayne Mitchell led the charge going 6-for-6 in that final 1:44.
The Cajuns recent resurgence at the charity stripe continued Thursday at New Mexico State. As a team, the Cajuns made 15-of-18 free throws (83.3 percent) marking the second straight game above 80 percent. UL Lafayette was 8-of-9 in the second half making the squad 27-29 (93.1 percent) from the free throw line in the second half in the last two games combined (19-of-20 at UNO).
The recent success has improved the team's free throw percentage in Sun Belt play to an even 70 percent (49-of-70).
Comparing First Years on the Job…
Through 16 games, new Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Robert Lee is off to a 9-7 start.
Former head coach Jessie Evans was 7-9 through 16 games in his first season (1997-98) while Marty Fletcher had a 7-9 record through his first 16 outings.
Lee's start is the best for a first-year head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette since Bobby Paschal started with the exact same 9-7 record during the 1978-79 season. Paschal went on to an 11-7 start that season.
Quick Hitters…
<The Cajuns are 3-1 this season against Sun Belt West Division foes and are 27-7 against the division since the 2001-02 season.
<For the first time since the Sun Belt created the travel partner program, the Cajuns swept the UNO-South Alabama road swing.
<Louisiana-Lafayette made 11 three-point field goals last Thursday at South Alabama. The tally marked the first time since the season opener against Louisiana Tech that the Cajuns reached double digits in three-pointers and was a season-high.
<Before Orien Greene was injured, the Cajuns had collected double digits in steals in six of seven games and were averaging right around 13 steals per game. Since Greene's injury, the Cajuns hit double digits in steals just once before his return Thursday and the season average dipped to 9.9 per game. In the three games since Greene's return, Louisiana-Lafayette has averaged 10.6 steals per game and reached double figures each game (10 at South Alabama, 12 at UNO, 10 at NMSU).
<The last time the Cajuns played back-to-back overtime games was the 2002-03 season. Louisiana-Lafayette defeated UNO 79-75 in OT on Feb. 8, 2003, then turned the trick again on Feb. 11, 2003, in a 72-69 OT win over Denver.
<The last time the Cajuns lost back-to-back Sun Belt games at the Cajundome was the 2000-01 season (L, 55-58 vs. South Alabama on Jan. 27 and L, 80-82 vs. Arkansas State on Feb. 3).
<Dwayne Mitchell has made eight straight free throws dating back to the final 1:44 of the UNO game last Saturday. Mitchell's recent stretch has improved his season percentage to 47.8 percent. He is shooting 9-of-10 (90 percent) in conference play after hitting just 24-of-59 (40.7 percent) in non-conference outings.
<Brian Hamilton has scored in double digits in each of the last eight games. During the stretch he is averaging 15.5 points per game and shooting 58.7 percent (54-of-92) from the floor. Prior to the current streak, Hamilton was averaging 11.1 points per game and shooting just 45 percent.
<CLEAN SWEEP: The Cajuns pulled off a three-game sweep of a road trip for the second time in as many years. The Cajuns defeated South Alabama (59-56), UNO (72-67) and New Mexico State (89-79 in OT) to pull off the latest trick. Last season, the Cajuns swept through consecutive road games against FIU (W, 78-58), Western Kentucky (W, 110-102) and Middle Tennessee (W, 74-64) Jan. 24-31. 2004.
A Cajuns Win Would…
Increase the Cajuns season-high and Robert Lee Era-best winning streak to four straight games…Avoid a two-game losing streak at the CAJUNDOME for the first time since the 2000-01 season…Be the seventh straight over FIU and increase the series lead over the Golden Panthers to 9-2…Make the Cajuns winners for the 23rd time in the last 26 Sun Belt outings at the CAJUNDOME…Get the Cajuns off to a 4-1 start through five Sun Belt games for the third straight season…Make Robert Lee the fastest to 10 wins in a debut season since Bobby Paschal in 1978-79 (10-7 as well)…Extend the Cajuns win streak over Sun Belt East Division teams to six straight…Improve the team's overall record to 10-7 and Sun Belt mark to 4-1.
A Cajuns Loss Would…
Snap a season-high and Robert Lee Era-best, three-game winning streak…Be the second straight loss at the CAJUNDOME and make the Cajuns 0-2 at home in Sun Belt play…Be the first loss to FIU since the 1998-99 season when the Golden Panthers won 63-62 on Feb. 17, 1999…Snap a six-game win streak over FIU and cut the Cajuns' series lead to 8-3…Snap a five-game losing streak against Sun Belt East Division teams and be the first loss sicne losing 84-72 at Arkansas State on Feb. 20, 2003…Drop the Cajuns overall record to 9-8 and Sun Belt mark to 3-2.
Next on the Schedule…
The Cajuns will continue their current three-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 27 against Western Kentucky at 7:05 p.m., in the CAJUNDOME.
It's the first meeting in the 'Dome since WKU snapped the Cajuns 21-game homecourt win streak on Feb. 26, 2003, with a 69-66 win before a live national audience on ESPN2.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
