Cajuns Look to Continue Win Streak

GAMECENTER
Date: Saturday, January 8, 2011
Location: Lafayette, La.
Opponent: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (11-4, 2-0 Sun Belt)
Site: Earl K. Long Gym (1,121)
Game Time: 2:00 pm
Live Stats/Video: RaginCajuns.com
Radio: Steve Peloquin - Play-by-Play, Sports Radio ESPN 1420 AM

Game Day Story Lines

Louisiana (9-7, 2-1 Sun Belt) defeated the Troy Trojans, 73-63, on Wednesday to secure their second SBC win.
Mercedes Johnson's 36 points was an E.K. Long Gym record as she became the 14th player in UL history to reach 1,000 points.
Kemi Rotibi earned her first double-double at Louisiana with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Johnson leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Jasmine Barnes is also in double-figures with 10.1 points per game, shooting a team-best 55.3 percent (68x123).
A win Saturday would mark the most in Coach Errol Rogers' tenure, while giving UL their first 10-plus win season since the 2006-07 campaign.

All-Time Series with Middle Tennessee: Middle Tennessee leads the series, 15-0
Last Meeting: MT 83, UL 54 • Murphy Center • Murfreesboro, Tenn. • Jan. 3, 2010

Louisiana and Middle Tennessee (11-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) will meet for the 16th time between the two programs. Last season, the Blue Raiders downed the Cajuns in the Murphy Center, 83-54, on Jan. 3, 2010.
Saturday marks the fifth home game for UL against the Raiders and the first since Jan. 30, 2008. The series began on Feb. 17, 2001, when MT joined the Sun Belt during the 2000-2001 season.

Scouting the Blue Raiders

Middle Tennessee (11-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) has won five of their last six contests including an 83-63 victory over North Texas on Wednesday evening.
The Blue Raiders were ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll released on Jan. 4.
MT is the top-scoring offense in Sun Belt, averaging 68.3 points per game. The Raiders will match up with Louisiana's second-best mark of 67.9 points per game.
MT is shooting 43.2 percent (357x827) in 15 games, while pulling in 36.3 rebounds per contest.
Freshman Ebony Rowe leads Middle Tennessee, averaging 17.5 points per game. She ranks 11th in the country with seven double-doubles this season. Rowe is 35th in the nation with 9.9 rebounds per game.
Also averaging double-digits for MT is senior Anne Marie Lanning. The Murfreesboro native is posting 11.9 points per contest, which includes 32 made 3-pointers.

Notes and Trends

WHERE THEY RANK

Louisiana ranks second in the Sun Belt and 105th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 67.9 points per game in 16 contests this year. The squad is third in the league and 74th in the nation in field goal percentage at 42.3 (409x968).
Mercedes Johnson is sixth in the Sun Belt, averaging 14.6 points per game.
Senior Jasmine Barnes ranks fourth in the league in field goal percentage, connecting on 55.3 percent of her shots (68x123).
Kemi Rotibi is third in the SBC with 21 total blocks for an average of 1.3 per game.

QUICK HITTERS

Louisiana's ninth win ties Errol Rogers' mark for most wins during his tenure as coach. Another victory would give UL the most wins since the 2006-07 season.
UL has not won three consecutive Sun Belt contests since rolling off four straight since Feb. 14-Feb. 25, 2007.
This season, the Cajuns have connected on 42.3 percent (409x968) of their shots from the floor compared to 37.7 percent (360x956) at this point a year ago. Through 16 games, UL is 9-7 this season, compared to 6-10 a year ago.
Louisiana is second in the Sun Belt in turnover margin. UL is only committing 17.6 turnovers per contest, while opponents are turning the ball over 21.4 times in 16 contests this season.
The Ragin' Cajuns are second in the Sun Belt in turnover margin. UL is only committing 17.6 turnovers per contest, while opponents are turning the ball over 21.4 times in 16 contests this season.
Nicole Morris has been essential to UL's offense by dishing out a team-leading 38 assists in 16 games this year. Morris is averaging 2.4 assists per game.
Danyell Oliver leads UL with 15 made three-pointers this season, averaging 7.7 points per game. Oliver also leads the Cajuns from the charity stripe, making 83.3 percent (30x36) from the line.

MERCEDES MAKING HISTORY

Mercedes Johnson's 36 point effort against Troy set an E.K. Long record for most points scored. Johnson became the 14th player to reach the 1,000 points plateau. She is just one point away from moving into 12th all-time in scoring at UL.
The junior is averaging a team-high 14.6 points per game, pulling in 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Johnson has reached double-digits at the half in six contests this season. Her highest point total at the half was 19 against Troy (Jan. 5).
Johnson has 249 career free throw makes, passing Mary Douglas' (1982-84) mark of 233 to move into fifth all-time. Johnson just needs six more to tie for third place with Anna Petrakova (2001-05) and Lisa Merritt (1980-84).

BARNES NEARING TOP-10 LISTS

She is shooting a team-high 55.3 percent from the floor (68x123).
The senior has 333 career made field goals and is just 71 away from reaching UL's top-10 list. She currently ranks sixth all-time in Cajuns history with a 45.2 field goal percentage (333x737).
Barnes is five games away from reaching the top-10 for games played and just four contests away from reaching the top-10 for games started.
Jasmine Barnes is averaging 10.1 points per game and ranks second on the team with 77 total rebounds for 4.8 rebounds per game through 16 contests.

ROTIBI EARNS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Junior Kemi Rotibi notched 16 points and 11 rebounds in UL's win over Troy. The Chicago native is pulling in 4.9 rebounds per game, while posting 6.5 points per contest.
Rotibi has pulled in five-plus rebounds in eight games this season.
Rotibi has recorded 21 blocks this season in 16 contests, marking the first player to reach 20-plus blocks since the 2007-08 campaign when Kina Miller recorded 21 blocks in 12 games played.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

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