University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Begin Final Home Weekend Set Thursday With NMSU
2/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Cajuns Begin
Final Home Weekend Set Thursday With NMSU
Louisiana-Lafayette
is aiming for its 10th Sun Belt win of the season which
would mark six straight seasons with double-digit Sun Belt
wins and would be a new Sun Belt record
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2005
Two Teams Headed in Different Directions Meet Thursday...
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team has won nine of its last 10 Sun Belt games. New Mexico State has lost 10 of its 11 Sun Belt games this season and is currently on a six-game losing streak. Louisiana-Lafayette is tied for first place in the Sun Belt West Division while NMSU is in last place.
Both teams, obviously headed in different directions as the Sun Belt Tournament approaches, will meet on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7:05 p.m., in the CAJUNDOME for what will be NMSU's final visit to the CAJUNDOME as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
Thursday's game allows Louisiana-Lafayette the opportunity to extend one of the longest streaks in the Sun Belt Conference. The Cajuns have won 10 or more Sun Belt games in each of the last five seasons – the only league school to do so. A win Thursday would be the team's 10th SBC win this season and would extend the streak of double-digit Sun Belt wins to six straight seasons. If the Cajuns win, then Louisiana-Lafayette will become the first school in Sun Belt history to record double-digit Sun Belt wins for six consecutive years.
Louisiana-Lafayette (15-8, 9-2 Sun Belt) is coming off of an 80-68 win over UNO on Saturday which kept the squad in a first-place tie with Denver. DU holds the tiebreaker (swept the season series), so the Cajuns would need the Pioneers to lose one more game to claim the No. 1 seed for the SBC Tournament.
The Cajuns have the upper-hand on the Pioneers (15-8, 9-2 Sun Belt) as the team's two games this week are both in the CAJUNDOME, where the program has won 27 of its last 30 Sun Belt contests, while DU has to visit North Texas on Thursday and then go to New Mexico State on Saturday.
The Ragin' Cajuns are beginning the final leg of their season-ending four-game homestand. Thursday's game is the third game of the set and the Cajuns are currently 2-0 on the homestand.
Louisiana-Lafayette extended its CAJUNDOME win streak to five games with last Saturday's 80-68 win over UNO. The Cajuns used a 19-2 run midway through the second half to break open a 51-49 game and cruise to the win. Louisiana-Lafayette offset a sub-par shooting night from three-point arch (4-for-24) by outscoring UNO 30-19 at the charity stripe.
Louisiana-Lafayette has won its last five games at the CAJUNDOME since the loss to Denver on Jan. 8. Since the 1999-2000 season, the Cajuns have lost just six home Sun Belt games (38-6).
The Cajuns have won all four CAJUNDOME meetings over New Mexico State and posted a 67-53 win on Jan. 22, 2004, in the last meeting in the 'Dome.
NMSU enters the CAJUNDOME under the direction of interim head coach Tony Stubblefield who assumed all wins and losses after the retirement of legendary Lou Henson on Saturday, Jan. 22. The Aggies gave Stubblefield a victory in his first game as interim head coach, defeating FIU 71-66 in Miami on Jan. 24, but have suffered six straight defeats since.
Louisiana-Lafayette is 5-1 in the CAJUNDOME in Sun Belt play this season. NMSU is 1-4 on the road in Sun Belt play.
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 212-72 record (.746) within the friendly confines…Over the last five-plus seasons, Louisiana-Lafayette has posted a 62-9 (.873) 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 41 of the last 45 games contested in the Cajundome and 27 of the last 30 Sun Belt games…The Cajuns have lost just six Sun Belt games at the 'Dome since the 1999-2000 season (38-6 record)...One more win will give the Ragin' Cajuns 10-plus wins in the facility for the fourth straight season – the longest stretch since the program posted double-digit home wins for six straight seasons from 1988-89 through 1993-94...The next win will clinch the 16th double-digit home win season in 20 seasons of basketball at the 'Dome.
History Could Be Made Tonight...
No school in the history of the Sun Belt Conference has ever won double-digit Sun Belt games for six straight seasons. Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball program has an opportunity to be the first in league history to do so.
The Cajuns need one more win in the last four games to etch the school's name in the SBC record books as the only program in Sun Belt history to reach double-digit conference wins in six straight seasons.
The current record is five straight seasons held by Louisiana-Lafayette (1999-present), Western Kentucky (1991-96) and UNO (1992-97).
The Series – Louisiana-Lafayette leads 9-2 (8-1 in Sun Belt)...
Thursday's game marks the 12th meeting all-time between the Ragin' Cajuns and Aggies overall and 10th in Sun Belt play.
This will be the second meeting this season between the two teams; NMSU is returning the trip from when the Cajuns went to Las Cruces, N.M., on Jan. 20. This is the Aggies final trip to the CAJUNDOME as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
Louisiana-Lafayette has won the last seven meetings, sweeping the season series in each of the last three years. The Cajuns lead the series 8-1 in Sun Belt play.
A win on Thursday would give Louisiana-Lafayette a sweep of the season series for the fourth straight season and extend the win streak over NMSU to 10-2.
The Cajuns won the earlier meeting this season posting an 89-79 overtime victory on Jan. 20 in Las Cruces. The Cajuns rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit and then got timely three-pointer from Chris Cameron in OT to slip away and avoid the defeat.
For the third straight season, the Cajuns will meet New Mexico State with a chance to reach the team's 10th Sun Belt win of the season. Last season, the Cajuns won 76-58 on Feb. 18, 2004 in Las Cruces – a win which guaranteed the Cajuns double digit Sun Belt wins for the fifth straight season. In the 2002-03 season, it was a 69-58 win in Las Cruces on Feb. 15, 2003, that clinched a fourth straight double-digit SBC win season.
The only NMSU victory in Sun Belt play occurred Feb. 1, 2001, in Las Cruces as the Aggies posted an 87-80 victory.
The series began Dec. 18, 1982 in a meeting in the Bayou Classics at legendary Blackham Coliseum (Cajuns won 97-84). The two teams met in the 1992 NCAA West Regional in Tempe, Ariz., with NMSU winning 81-73 to advance to the Sweet 16.
The first five Sun Belt meetings were decided by single-digits, but the last four have been by double digits in the Cajuns favor (69-58, 67-53, 76-58, 89-79 in OT).
Cajuns vs. NMSU All-Time
12-18-82
W, 97-84 Lafayette*
3-22-92
L, 73-81 Tempe, Ariz.^
Since Aggies
joined the Sun Belt Conference (2000-01 season)
1-11-01
W, 66-65 Lafayette
2-1-01 L, 80-87 Las
Cruces,
N.M.
1-19-02 W, 71-66 Las Cruces,
N.M.
2-23-02 W, 69-67 Lafayette
1-2-03 W, 81-74 Lafayette
2-15-03 W, 69-58 Las Cruces,
N.M.
1-22-04 W, 67-53 Lafayette
2-18-04 W, 76-58 Las Cruces,
N.M.
1-20-05 W, 89-79 (OT) Las Cruces,
N.M.
^NCAA West Regional (Tempe, Ariz.)
Cajuns Most Recently...Defeated New Orleans 80-68
LAFAYETTE (Feb. 12, 2005) – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team used timely three-point shooting and its stingy defense in the middle stages of the second half to break open a two-point game and cruise to an 80-68 victory over in-state rival New Orleans here Saturday at the CAJUNDOME.
With the win, the Ragin' Cajuns (15-8, 9-2 Sun Belt) remained in a tie with Denver (15-8, 9-2) for the lead in the Sun Belt Conference's West Division race with four games remaining in the 2004-05 regular season.
The win also allowed Louisiana-Lafayette to even the all-time series between the two I-10 rivals at 30-30 – marking the first time that the series is knotted up since a 77-66 UNO win on Jan. 28, 1989 created a 9-9 tie (42 meetings prior to Saturday's game). It was the Cajuns eighth straight victory over the Privateers at the CAJUNDOME dating back to the 1998-99 season.
Louisiana-Lafayette had let UNO creep within two points after the two squads opened the second half trading scores from the 19 minute mark through 12:33. A Jamie McNeilly jumper at the 12:33 mark pulled the Privateers within two points at 51-49.
Tiras Wade answered on the ensuing possession with the first of two critical triples for Louisiana-Lafayette over the next three minutes that allowed the hosts to pull away for the easy victory. Wade knocked down a three-pointer on the left wing at 12:06 that increased the Cajuns lead to 54-49.
The Privateers (11-13, 6-5 Sun Belt) made the biggest mistake that they could have when playing the Ragin' Cajuns in the CAJUNDOME. UNO tried to run an up-tempo style and try to keep up with the Cajuns. It didn't work as the Cajuns defense forced two turnovers and converted at the charity stripe on the other end that resulted in five unanswered points that extended the lead to 59-49. Louisiana-Lafayette then forced UNO to miss four straight field goals and was able to stretch the lead to as many as 19 points.
A Kenny Simelton putback at 10:33 pulled UNO back within single digits at 59-51. Two scores later, Orien Greene delivered the final dagger in the hopes of the Privateers with a three-point basket off of another UNO turnover to put Louisiana-Lafayette up 64-51.
The Cajuns led by as many as 20 points on two occasions, the last was 76-56 when Dwayne Mitchell converted a three-point play at 4:50.
UNO worked the deficit back to 12 points over the final three minutes as the Cajuns emptied the bench allowing the Privateers to end the game on a 12-4 run.
All five of Louisiana-Lafayette's starters reached double figures scoring led by a team-best 20 points from Wade.
NEW ORLEANS (11-13, 6-5 SBC) McCalebb,
Bo 7-23 9-11 23; Malloy, Shawn 3-4 3-3 9; Barnes, Chad 1-7
5-6 7; Elias, Ben 3-4 1-2 7; Simelton, Kenny 3-5 0-0 6;
McNeilly, Jamie 3-5 0-0 6; Manning, Jacob 2-4 1-2 5; Bostic,
Todd 2-7 0-0 5; Parlow, James 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-59
19-24 68.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (15-8, 9-2 SBC) Wade, Tiras 6-17 7-7
20; Mitchell, Dwayne 7-8 5-7 19; Greene, Orien 3-11 5-6 13;
Hamilton, Brian 3-8 6-6 12; Cameron, Chris 4-11 2-2 11;
James, Adam 0-0 2-3 2; Mouton, Ross 0-1 2-2 2; Ford, Spencer
0-1 1-2 1; Gray, Derek 0-2 0-0 0; Fobbs, Cletis 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 23-59 30-35 80.
Halftime Score: UL 36, UNO 31. 3-point goals-UNO1-14 (Bostic 1-4; Malloy 0-1; Barnes 0-5; McCalebb 0-4), UL 4-24 (Greene 2-6; Cameron 1-6; Wade 1-9; Ford 0-1; Gray 0-2). Fouled out--UNO-None, UL-None. Rebounds-UNO 42 (Elias 11), UL 35 (Mitchell 8). Assists-UNO 11 (McCalebb 5), UL 9 (Greene 2; Mitchell 2; Wade 2). Total fouls-UNO 22, UL 22. A-6,033.
Last Time vs. NMSU...Jan. 20, 2005 in Las Cruces, N.M.
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.
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.
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 For 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. 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.
Another Winning Season - That's Now Six Straight...
Last Saturday's 80-68 win over UNO clinched the sixth straight winning season for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball program and the first for head coach Robert Lee in his career.
The Cajuns are 15-8 and the minimum number of games that could be played is 28, so the worst record for the Cajuns would be 15-13.
Beginning with a 25-9 record for the 1999-2000 season, Louisiana-Lafayette has posted a winning season in each of the subsequent seasons with a current running record of 116-60 (.659).
Terrific Thursdays...
The Cajuns enter Thursday's game with New Mexico State sporting a perfect 6-0 record on Thursdays this season.
Both of the previous two Thursday games played in the CAJUNDOME were decided by double figures in the Cajuns' favor (W, 91-76 vs. Western Kentucky; W, 67-45 vs. South Alabama).
What a Coincidence...
That Louisiana-Lafayette is facing New Mexico State with the chance to pick up its 10th Sun Belt win of the season.
Last season, the Cajuns won 76-58 on Feb. 18, 2004 in Las Cruces – a win which guaranteed the Cajuns double digit Sun Belt wins for the fifth straight season. In the 2002-03 season, it was a 69-58 win in Las Cruces on Feb. 15, 2003, that clinched a fourth straight double-digit SBC win season.
Holding the Lead...
Of the 400 possible minutes of basketball played this season at the Cajundome, Louisiana-Lafayette has either led or been tied for 343:42 – 86 percent of the minutes rolled off the scoreboard. The Cajuns have trailed at the 'Dome for only 56:18 through eight games combined this season.
The Cajuns trailed for 2:10 against Rice, never trailed St. Mary's (Texas), trailed for 7:17 against Georgia State, trailed Southern Illinois for 6:50, trailed Denver for a season-high 29:30, never trailed against FIU and trailed for just 2:08 against Western Kentucky, led from wire-to-wire against Middle Tennessee and trailed for just 8:23 against South Alabama last Thursday and led from wire-to-wire for the fourth time this season after never trailing UNO last Saturday. .
Lead changes in the second half have been as rare. The only two games which saw a second-half lead change was the Denver game and South Alabama game. In fact, DU and USA are the only teams to hold a lead at halftime this season in the 'Dome. Cajuns are 1-1 when trailing at the half in the 'Dome this season.
During the last homestand (Jan. 22-29 against FIU, WKU and MT) the Cajuns led from wire-to-wire against FIU and Middle Tennessee. Counting the miniscule 2:08 trailed against WKU and the Cajuns held the lead for 57:52 out of a possible 60 minutes.
Season Ticket Redemption Night is Saturday...
Season ticket holders are encouraged to take advantage of "McDonald's Season Ticket Redemption Night" and come cheer on the Ragin' Cajuns with family and friends.
All 2004-05 season ticket holders can take any unused season tickets to the Cajundome box office and redeem them for Saturday's game against North Texas.
All redeemed tickets will be issued as close to their original seat as possible. Tickets will be of equal or lesser value. Upgrades are not available.
Tickets will be issued on a first come-first serve basis and are subject to sellout.
This promotion has worked wonders for the attendance of the Ragin' Cajuns home finales the past three seasons – each time Louisiana-Lafayette experienced a season-high crowd. Last season (2003-04) a season-best crowd of 7,117 saw the Cajuns down Arkansas-Little Rock. Season Ticket Redemption Night for the 2002-03 season drew a season-high 9,121 for the Cajuns nationally televised game with Western Kentucky. The 2001-02 season home finale drew a season-best 7,743 as the Cajuns defeated New Mexico State 69-67 to claim a share of the SBC West Division title.
A Cajuns Win Would...
Be the eighth straight win over New Mexico State and increase the series lead to 10-2…Give the Cajuns their 10th Sun Belt win of the season marking the sixth straight season with double-digit Sun Belt wins – a conference record…Mark 10-plus wins in the CAJUNDOME for the fourth straight season and 16th time in 20 years…Make the Cajuns winners for the 28th time in the squad's last 31 Sun Belt home games and improve the team to 6-1 this season at the CAJUNDOME in Sun Belt action (10-1 overall)…Make Cajuns 10-2 through 12 Sun Belt games for the third straight season…Make Robert Lee the fastest to 16 wins in a debut season, tying Bobby Paschal (1978-79) who had identical 16-8 record in his debut seasons…Improve the Cajuns to 31-8 against the SBC West Division since the 2001-02 season…Be the squad's 13th win in the last 16 games since the N.C. State loss dropped the Cajuns to 3-5...Improve Robert Lee to 2-0 vs. NMSU as a head coach.
A Cajuns Loss Would...
Snap the Cajuns five-game home winning streak and mark the first time the program has lost two games in the CAJUNDOME in a single season since the 2000-01 season…Snap a seven-game win streak over New Mexico State overall and give the Aggies their lone win in the CAJUNDOME in five attempts…Prevent the Cajuns from sweeping the season series with the Aggies for the fourth straight season and cut the series lead to 9-3 (8-2 in Sun Belt)…Drop Robert Lee to 1-1 as a head coach against NMSU…Potentially drop the Cajuns one full-game behind Denver if the Pioneers defeat North Texas or keep the Cajuns in a tie should DU lose to NT…Be the Aggies first-ever victory in Lafayette.
Next on the Schedule...
Louisiana-Lafayette wraps up its 2004-05 regular season home schedule and celebrates "Senior Night" on Saturday, Feb. 19 against North Texas. The game is also being billed as "McDonald's Season Ticket Redemption Night", allowing season ticket holders to redeem any unused tickets for extra ones to Saturday's game.
Before the game, Louisiana-Lafayette will honor its four seniors – Chris Cameron, Orien Greene, Brian Hamilton and Dwayne Mitchell.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
