University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Third Time's a Charm? Cajuns Make Another Attempt at Win No. 1
11/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Third Time's a Charm? Cajuns Make Another Attempt at Win No.
1
Louisiana-Lafayette meets Georgia State at the GSU
Sports Arena in Atlanta for the first game of a
home-and-home series
Sunday, Nov. 27, 2005
Third Time's a Charm? Cajuns Take Another Shot at Win No. 1…
The old saying is that "the third time's a charm"? Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team will put that theory to test as the squad takes its third shot at its first win of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005.The Ragin' Cajuns will close out their season-opening, three-game road trip on Tuesday in Atlanta, Ga., against Georgia State at the GSU Sports Arena. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CST).
UL enters the contest with a 0-2 record after losses at Southern Illinois and Tennessee on Nov. 18 and Nov. 22, respectively, to start the 2005-06 campaign. Tuesday's game with GSU will be the third attempt at registering win No. 1.
History is in the Cajuns' favor. Under the direction of second-year head coach Robert Lee, UL has NEVER lost more than two straight games.
The Ragin' Cajuns are seeking to avoid the program's first 0-3 start since the 1996-97 season.
Georgia State, a new member of the Colonial Athletic Association, enters Tuesday's contest with a 1-1 record. The Panthers opened their season last Tuesday with a 99-72 victory over Delaware in their CAA debut. GSU fell to the Cajuns next opponent, Charlotte, on Saturday by the count of 73-68 at the GSU Sports Arena.
Tuesday's game is the first of a home-and-home, non-conference series between the two schools. GSU will return the visit on Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, in the Cajuns' final game at Blackham Coliseum.
The two teams met twice during the 2004-05 season with the home team winning both times. Georgia State shot 72 percent in the first half and 62 percent for the contest in pulling out an 85-78 win at the GSU Sports Arena on Nov. 29, 2004. In the rematch at the CAJUNDOME on Dec. 20, 2004, UL held GSU to 28 percent shooting in the second half to pull away for the 67-50 victory that earned the Cajuns a split of the series.
Let's Play Two, Again…
It's a rarity in college basketball, but Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns and Georgia State will be going through it for the second straight season – a non-conference, home-and-home series.Tuesday's game will be the first of two meetings this season between the Ragin' Cajuns and the Panthers. The two teams will complete the home-and-home series on Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, when Georgia State visits Blackham Coliseum for a 7:05 p.m. tipoff.
Last season, the two teams met on Nov. 29, 2004, in Atlanta and on Dec. 20, 2004, in Lafayette.
The Series With Georgia State - Tied 1-1
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns and Georgia State - who had never met before the 2004-05 season - will be meeting for the third time in the past two seasons when the two teams tangle Tuesday evening at the Georgia State Sports Arena. This is the second meeting at the GSU Sports Arena.
The series is knotted at 1-1 after the two squads split a non-conference, home-and-home series during the 2004-05 season.
The home team won both times in last year's meetings. GSU won 85-78 in Atlanta on Nov. 29, 2004. UL avenged the loss on Dec. 20, 2004, in Lafayette at the CAJUNDOME by shutting down the Panthers 67-50.
Tuesday's meeting comes exactly 365 days from the first-ever meeting between the two schools. In that inaugural meeting, GSU scorched the nets for a 72 percent clip in the opening half en route to a 44-33 lead at the break. In the second half, the Panthers were held to just seven made field goals (only 15 attempted), but held off a late Cajuns rally thanks to 26-of-33 shooting from the charity stripe.
The UL defense dominated in the rematch in Lafayette on Dec. 20, 2004. The Cajuns limited GSU to an opponent-low 33 percent shooting and walked away with a 67-50 victory at the CAJUNDOME.
Last Meeting – Dec. 20, 2004, in Lafayette ...
LAFAYETTE – Aided by a 15-5 run over the final 6:20 of the opening half Louisiana-Lafayette was able to turn a two-point deficit into an eight-point halftime lead and combined with a suffocating defense in the second half defeated Georgia State 67-50 at the Cajundome.
That run turned a 21-19 deficit with six minutes left in the first half into a 34-26 lead for the home team at intermission.
The Cajuns defense did not allow the Panthers to get many inside looks in the second half and held GSU to just 28 percent shooting (7-of-25) as Louisiana-Lafayette opened many a double-digit lead and cruised the rest of the way.
Brian Hamilton scored 10 of his 11 points in the second half – none bigger than the first four which came on a 16-foot jumper after back-to-back offensive rebounds to start the half and an inside basket at 18:06 which gave Louisiana-Lafayette a 38-26 lead.
Hamilton's baskets extended the Cajuns end-of-the-first half run to 19-5 and was the push the hosts needed to keep the Panthers on their heels.
The Cajuns' lead never fell below eight points as GSU (3-6) was held to just 12 points through the first 14 minutes of the second stanza.
Georgia State crept within eight points, 45-37, at 8:50 when Kevin Thomas converted a backdoor layup off a feed from Herman Favors. UL Lafayette then used a 6-1 run to stretch the lead to 51-38 with 5:40 left to play.
The Cajuns defense was the difference in the rematch on an 85-78 GSU win on Nov. 29 in Atlanta. UL Lafayette held the Panthers to just 33 percent shooting (18-of-54) after GSU shot 62 percent (23-of-37) in the November meeting.
Last Time in Atlanta – Nov. 29, 2004...
ATLANTA – Georgia State made 72 percent of its shots in the opening half and made its free throws went in counted the most in taking an 85-78 victory on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2004.
The Panthers, who made 16-of-22 field goal attempts in the first half to build an 11-point, 44-33 lead at the break, were held to just 15 field goal attempts in the second half and Louisiana-Lafayette's defense took charge in closing the gap to two points 61-59 on a Ross Mouton layup with 9:18 left to play.
The Cajuns defense held the Panthers (2-2) to just seven field goal attempts in the final nine-plus minutes, but GSU which converted just 6-of-15 (40 percent) free throw attempts in the opening half connected on 16-of-18 (89 percent) freebie attempts down the stretch to hold off the Cajuns rally.
Louisiana-Lafayette (2-2) closed the gap to two points at 78-76 on a baseline-driving dunk by Dwayne Mitchell at 1:56. Tikoyo Barnett then made his only two free throw attempts of the game on the next possession to give the Panthers a four-point margin once more.
The Cajuns had an opportunity to pull within two points on the next trip down the floor, but Chris Cameron missed an inside layup and Orien Greene misfired on a three-point attempt after an offensive rebound by Brian Hamilton. Kevin Thomas grabbed the rebound for the Panthers and made two freebies with 1:00 left to give GSU an 82-76 lead.
Tiras Wade led the Cajuns with 17 points – 12 in the second half – as the junior transfer took home team high-scoring honors for the fourth straight game. Thomas led GSU with a game-high 25 points as he converted 5-of-7 three-point field goal attempts.
The Cajuns took their first and only lead of the opening half on a basket by Cameron at 16:41.
Cameron's bucket was the Cajuns last field goal over the next four minutes as the Panthers staged a 12-0 run to open a 19-8 lead with 13:10 left to play in the first half.
GSU led by as many as 16 points, 43-27 at 2:43, before the Cajuns held the Panthers without a made field goal over the final 2:48 of the half.
Last Time Out – Nov. 22 at Tennessee (L, 76-83)...
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A total of 13 first half turnovers led to 22Tennessee points that created a sizeable deficit for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team here Tuesday evening at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Cajuns trailed by as many as 21 points (56-35) in the second frame and were down 60-41 at the midpoint of the half.
When the squad cut down on its turnovers – only one over the next five minutes – the offense began to roll and all of a sudden the visitors found themselves with a one-point lead with 4:59 left to play following a Chris Cameron three-point basket.
Cameron's triple capped off a 25-5 run by Louisiana-Lafayette that gave the Cajuns a 66-65 lead and forced a timeout from UT head coach Bruce Pearl.
Senior C.J. Watson, who was held in check by the Cajuns defense with only eight points in the game's previous 35 minutes, stepped up with two big shots that led the way in helping the Vols escape with the 83-76 victory.
Watson converted a four-point play on the next trip downcourt and added another 3-pointer 80 seconds later. The closest the Cajuns got after that was three points, with UT making six free throws in the final 45 seconds.
Dwayne Mitchell led the Cajuns with 20 points and 19 rebounds. UL got key contributions from its newcomers – Ed Turner, J.T. Fields, Maurice Barksdale, Lucian Pesoli and Valentino Hart – who combined for a total of 41 points after being held in check in the season opener at SIU. Barksdale and Turner each had 14 points to lead all newcomers.
UT led by double figures seven minutes in and was in front 43-25 at halftime. The Vols got 22 points off of UL turnovers and Andre Patterson, who scored 14 first-half points off the bench, helped offset the Cajuns' ability to shut down Chris Lofton and Watson.
Mitchell Averaging the Double-Double...
Complements of the career-best 20 rebounds to go along with 19 points he had in last Tuesday's Tennessee game, just two games into the season senior guard Dwayne Mitchell is averaging a double-double at 16.5 points and 14.0 rebounds.
He had 14 points and eight (8) rebounds against Southern Illinois in the season opener on Nov. 18.
The UT double-double was the sixth for Mitchell in a Cajuns uniform.
A Cajuns Win Would...
Give the squad its first win of the 2005-06 season…Improve the team's record to 1-2…Be the first win for UL in the Georgia State Sports Arena…Allow the Cajuns to take a 2-1 series lead with Georgia State and even the series 1-1 in Atlanta…Give UL its first road win on a non-conference opponent's "true" home court since downing Houston 72-56 on Jan. 4, 2003…Make the Cajuns 7-8 under Robert Lee in non-conference action…Help the Cajuns avoid the first winless November and 0-3 start since the 1996-97 season.
A Cajuns Loss Would...
Mark the third consecutive defeat to start the 2005-06 season…Mark the first time in the Robert Lee Era that the Cajuns lost three straight games…Give the Cajuns their first 0-3 start and winless November since the 1996-97 season (when Robert Lee was an assistant coach)…Increase Georgia State's lead at the GSU Sports Arena to 2-0…Allow GSU to take a 2-1 lead in the overall series…Continue the trend of the home team winning each game in the UL-GSU series…Make the Cajuns 6-9 in non-conference play under Robert Lee.
Up Next for the Cajuns...
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns will travel back to Lafayette on Wednesday to prepare for their 2005-06 regular season home opener which will take place on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005 at Blackham Coliseum.
The Ragin' Cajuns will be hosting Atlantic 10-member Charlotte 49ers at 7:05 p.m., in the first of four regular season contests to be held at Blackham Coliseum this season.
In the Charlotte contest, UL will put its 15-game, non-conference winning streak on the line – a streak which dates back to the 2001-02 season.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
