University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Takes Aim at Third Straight Win
1/15/2010 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GAME CENTER
Date: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010
Location: Little Rock, Ark.
Opponent: UALR (4-13, 0-6 Sun Belt)
Site: Jack Stephens Center (5,600)
Game Time: 7 p.m. (CST)
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM (KPEL), 107.9 FM (KRKA), 1420 AM (KANE)
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com
Game Night Story Lines
● Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns go after a season-high third straight win on Saturday, Jan. 16 when they meet UALR at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
● Depending upon the outcomes of other Sun Belt games Saturday evening, the Cajuns have a chance to move into first place in the Sun Belt West.
● To reach the top of the division, UL will need to snap their recent struggles with UALR. The Trojans have won the last five meetings.
● The Ragin' Cajuns and Trojans meet for the 32nd time overall, 16th in Little Rock and fourth at the Jack Stephens Center.
● First of two meetings this season. UALR visits the Cajundome on Saturday, Feb. 6.
● Thursday's win over Denver gave UL back-to-back wins for the second time this season and kept the team undefeated at home in Sun Belt play.
● The Cajuns shot above 50 percent in each of the last two games.
● Chris Gradnigo has started January in the same fashion he did a year ago. In three games, he is averaging 19.7 points per game and shooting 21-of-38 (55 percent). Last year, he averaged 16.6 points and shot 52 percent (45-of-87) during the first three weeks of January.
● Gradnigo has reached 800 career points and enters tonight's game with 858. If he sustains his 13.9 points per game average throughout the end of the season he would register career point No. 1,000 in the home finale (Feb. 20 vs. UL Monroe).
DENVER LEFTOVERS
● Tyren Johnson registered his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He now has seven, career double-doubles.
● The trio of Johnson, Randell Daigle and Chris Gradnigo combined for 45 points. That represented 82 percent of the team's output.
● The Cajuns posted a season-high nine blocked shots. Colby Batiste had a career-high five blocks and Tyren Johnson added four. Johnson now has 102 career blocks.
● Randell Daigle buried four triples - the fifth time this season with at least four makes.
● Willie Lago stepped onto the court for the 100th time in his career.
● Chris Gradnigo recorded a career-high seven rebounds.
● UL improved to 6-1 when shooting a better percentage than the opponent and remained undefeated (4-0) when holding the opposition below 40 percent.
● The Cajuns improved to 10-1 vs. Denver in the Cajundome. Louisiana has now won the last five meetings in the facility.
LAST TIME VS. UALR (Feb. 28, 2009 in Little Rock - UALR won 67-60)
● UALR used a 13-0 run over a 1:52 span late in the first half to break open a back-and-forth contest.
● Randell Daigle brought Louisiana within two points at 57-55 with 5:18 left to play. Like earlier in the second half, UALR had answers. The Trojans used a 7-2 run to push their lead to 64-57 by 2:25.
● Matt Mouzy's first trey of the contest at 15:54 put the Trojans in front. His second trey, at 12:04, extended the hosts lead to 14-6.
● UL got the deficit to one at 26-25 following a five-point run by Chris Gradnigo.
● Consecutive three-point plays for UALR - one by Fowler at 2:38 and another by LaMarvon Jackson at 1:45 - moved the lead into double figures at 39-25.
DEFENSE DOMINATES DENVER
● Denver entered Thursday's game ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage at 52.7 percent. UL held the Pioneers to a season-low 34.7 percent (17-of-49).
● It was just the second time - in 18 games - DU was held below 40 percent.
GOING FOR THREE IN A ROW
● Last time UL won three straight - the 2007-08 season. Posted a three-game win streak from Feb. 14-20, 2008 (defeated ULM, Arkansas State and New Orleans).
TWO AT A TIME
● UL averages 36.4 points on 2-point field goals - 53.0% of its scoring.
● Tyren Johnson is the leading force - 88 of his 97 makes are from two-point range.
JOHNSON'S GOING OUT WITH STYLE
● With 249 points and 130 boards through 16 games, Tyren Johnson's headed for a magnificent ending to his career.
● This season's point total bests his previous of 215 set last season. His current season-best for rebounds is 153 (2008-09).
THE LEADER OF THE PACK
● Tyren Johnson leads Louisiana in both scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounds (8.1 rpg).
● Led the squad in rebounds the first six games, and 14 of 16 overall.
● Also leads the team with 46 assists, 26 blocks and 22 steals.
IT TAKES A THIEF
● The Ragin' Cajuns collected 22 steals in the MT and NT games combined (11 spg).
● Randell Daigle (6) and Tyren Johnson (4) combined for 10 of the steals.
ENJOYING THE COMFORTS OF HOME
● UL is 3-0 at the Cajundome in Sun Belt play this season.
● Cajuns are averaging 70.0 points and shooting 49.0 percent (71-of-145).
● Since 2000-01, the Cajuns' on-court SBC record at the Cajundome is 58-17 (.773)
SERIES HISTORY (Louisiana leads 18-13, overall; UALR leads 9-6 in Little Rock; UALR leads 2-1 in Jack Stephens Center)
● The Trojans carry a five-game winning streak over UL into tonight's game. The first two wins of the streak marked UALR's first-ever, back-to-back wins over the Ragin' Cajuns.
● This is the fourth meeting at the Jack Stephens Center. UL won the first meeting, 69-59 on Feb. 26, 2005. UALR has claimed the last two, including a 67-60 win last season (2/28/09).
● In the Steve Shields Era, UALR has won six of the eight meetings.
● Since 2000, the teams have split 14 meetings.
● Last Cajuns win came on Feb. 26, 2005 (W, 69-59 at Jack Stephens Center).
● The first-ever meeting took place on Jan. 4, 1978. The series became a regular one when both UL and UALR joined the Sun Belt Conference in time for the 1991-92 season.
BY THE NUMBERS
3: With 3 field goal makes Tyren Johnson will reach 100 in a season for the first time
4-0: The Cajuns record when the opponent shoots below 40 percent
7: Raymone Andrews has committed only seven (7) turnovers in 151 minutes
15.6: Louisiana is averaging 15.6 free throw make per game. That's ahead of last year's 11.4 clip
28.0: Louisiana is averaging 28.0 points in the paint. The Cajuns have reached 30-plus, seven times
40%: All wins have come when shooting above 40%
46.9%: Louisiana's field goal percentage in Sun Belt games. Shot above 50% last two games
59.1%: UL's shooting percentage in the first half vs. Denver - a season-high. Shot 13-of-22
71: Chris Gradnigo is tops with 71 free throw makes
142: The countdown to 1,000 career points in underway for Chris Gradnigo; currently needs 142
151: Number of career triples for Randell Daigle
500: UL has four 500-plus point scorers - Travis Bureau, Randell Daigle, Chris Gradnigo and Tyren Johnson (reached in Tulane game)
LAST TIME OUT: Louisiana 55, Denver 49 (Jan. 14, 2010 - Cajundome)
● Louisiana held Denver, the nation's second-ranked shooting squad and Sun Belt West division leader, to a season-low 35 percent.
● After DU cut the lead to 5-4 on a Nate Rohnert floater at 17:58 the Cajuns rolled off a 7-0 run capped off by a Johnson basket at 14:28 for a 12-4 lead.
● Rohnert broke the run at 13:42, and then UL proceeded to pound the ball inside finding Gradnigo twice and Johnson once for six unanswered points.
● UL forced DU into a shot clock violation at 3:09 and on the ensuing possession Chris Gradnigo's jumper at 2:45 moved the lead to 20 points, 30-10.
● Rob Lewis scored the final seven points of the half to help the Pioneers trim the deficit to 30-17 at halftime.
● After a blocked shot by Colby Batiste the Cajuns found Randell Daigle in the right corner for a triple at 14:05 that made it 41-20.
● The Cajuns went without a field goal make from 14:05 through 4:24 and the Pioneers used a 14-4 run to chip away at the deficit, dropping it to 45-34.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns return to the Cajundome next week for a pair of games. First up is a meeting with Interstate 10 rival New Orleans on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7:05 p.m.
The Cajuns have won 21of the last 27 meetings between the storied rivals. That has helped Louisiana close the gap in a series that UNO once led 26-15 and take a 36-32 lead.
Louisiana holds a 15-11 margin over UNO in games at the Cajundome and has won the last 12 meetings in the facility. UNO's last win in the 'Dome - Jan. 15, 1998 (88-66).
Following the New Orleans game, the Cajuns host Troy on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 7:05 p.m.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
