Louisiana Seeks to Return to Winning Ways at the Cajundome

Game Notes

GAME CENTER
Date: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012
Location: Lafayette, La.
Opponent: FIU (4-12, 1-3 Sun Belt)
Site: Cajundome (11,550)
Game Time: 7:15 p.m.
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM (KPEL), 107.9 FM (KHXT) – Jay Walker, play-by-play
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

LOUISIANA
11-12 Record____________________     8-10
11-12 Sun Belt Record____________       2-2
Last Game______________________     Jan. 12, 2012
                                                                            vs. South Alabama L, 65-70
Head Coach____________________       Bob Marlin
   UL Record____________________       22-25 (2^nd Season)
   Career Record_________________      370-191 (19^th Season)
   Marlin vs. FIU_________________         2-1
Web Site_______________________     www.RaginCajuns.com

FIU
11-12 Record____________________     4-12
11-12 Sun Belt Record____________       1-3
Last Game______________________     Jan. 12, 2012
                                                                             vs. Middle Tennessee L, 59-70
Head Coach____________________       Isiah Thomas
   FIU Record____________________       22-56 (3^rd Season)
   Career Record_________________       Same
   Thomas vs. UL_________________       0-2
Web Site_______________________    www.FIUsports.com

Game Night Story Lines
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team closes out a two-game Sun Belt Conference homestand on Saturday hosting FIU at the Cajundome. UL seeks to bounce back from a 70-65 loss to South Alabama on Thursday that ended the squad's five-game home winning streak.
>>> Louisiana seeks to avoid back-to-back home losses in SBC play. That hasn't happened since the 2007-08 season (lost to WKU on Jan. 19, 2008 & MT on Jan. 31, 2008).
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns last regular season loss to FIU at the Cajundome came on Feb. 17, 1999 (L, 62-63). UL has won the last seven regular season meetings at the 'Dome.
>>> The FIU contest marks the final one of a stretch in which Louisiana's first five Sun Belt games were against teams from the East division. UL's first division game comes next Thursday at UALR, beginning a stretch in which 10 of the last 11 league games are against divisional foes.
>>> Louisiana needs one more win at the Cajundome this season to ensure the 17^th consecutive season with a .500 mark or better (currently 6-2 on a 14-game home slate).
>>> Dating back to the 2009-10 season, the Ragin' Cajuns have gone 17-2 in Sun Belt Conference play at the Cajundome.
>>> The Cajuns have held their last six opponents to four or fewer three-point field goal makes (Middle Tennessee was 1-for-11 last Saturday). During the six-game stretch, opponents are shooting 17-of-77 from three-point range (22.1%).
>>> In SBC play, the Cajuns have held opponents 37.3% shooting including a paltry 18.0% (9-of-50) from 3-point range.
>>> The Cajuns have shot the ball well this season, shooting 40 percent or higher in 12 of 18 contests. All eight wins have come when shooting above 40 percent.
>>> The magic number for UL so far this year is 70. When scoring above 70 the Cajuns are 6-1. When scoring below 70 the squad is 2-9.

NO PLACE LIKE THE 'DOME
>>> Last season the Ragin' Cajuns posted a 10-4 record in the Cajundome – the 16^th consecutive season with a .500 mark or better.
>>> In 24 of the previous 26 seasons, the Cajuns have recorded a winning record.
>>> Louisiana has turned in a 26-10 record at the Cajundome since the 2009-10 season which includes an impressive 17-2 mark against Sun Belt opponents.

SOLID ONE-TWO PUNCH IN SUN BELT PLAY
>>> J.J. Thomas (12.0 ppg) and Josh Brown (11.0 ppg) have combined to average 23 points per game in Sun Belt play.

A BOOST OFF THE BENCH
>>> Since returning to the court on Dec. 21 after missing six games with lingering effects from an off-season knee injury, J.J. Thomas has come off the bench and provided Louisiana with average of 12.0 points per game in an average of 24-plus minutes of action.
>>> UL is 6-6 this season with J.J. Thomas on the court and 2-4 in the games he missed.

ANDREWS ON PACE FOR CAREER NUMBERS
>>> Raymone Andrews has already made a personal-best 22 three-point field goals, topping the previous high of 14 set last season.
>>> The junior guard is seven field goal makes from besting his current single-season best (39 in 2010-11) and 27 points from eclipsing his current season-best of 148 set in 2010-11.

COLEBY IN CHARGE
>>> Kadeem Coleby leads the Cajuns having reached double figures scoring in 10 games. Coleby leads the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (58.7%).

GETTING DEFENSIVE
>>> Louisiana held Florida Atlantic to 55 points and limited a squad that was averaging 8.5 three-point field goal makes per game to just two in the SBC opener.
>>> Last Thursday at WKU, the Cajuns held the Hilltoppers below 40 percent shooting the entire evening and limited them to a 33.3 percent clip (25-of-75).
>>> Last Saturday at Middle Tennessee, UL held the Blue Raiders to 36 percent shooting. MT entered the game Top 10 nationally in field goal percentage at 50 percent.

GETTING DEFENSIVE, PART TWO
>>> UL has held the opposition below 70 points or less in regulation seven of the last eight games.

LAST SEASON VS. FIU (Feb. 10, 2011 at Miami – UL won 72-68)
>>> The Cajuns were 9-of-18 from the line in the game's first 37 minutes, but hit their last 12 from the charity stripe, including 10 straight over the final 85 seconds of the game.
>>> UL started the second stanza with a 10-4 run to capture a five-point advantage. Layups by Raymone Andrews and Travis Bureau pushed the lead to nine points, 45-36, with 12:22 left to play.
>>> FIU cut the Cajuns edge to 52-49 with less than eight minutes to play. A three-point play by Tremayne Russell tied the game with 11.3 seconds remaining.
>>> Randell Daigle hit two from the line with 6.7 seconds left to break the 68-all tie. La'Ryan Gary buried two more with one second remaining to set the final margin.

LAST TIME VS. FIU IN THE CAJUNDOME (Feb. 4, 2010 – UL won 83-63)
>>> Tyren Johnson scored two baskets right out of halftime to extend UL's lead to 44-29 by the 19:23 mark.
>>> The Panthers battled back to a 10-point deficit, 48-38, getting a pair of Marvin Roberts layups during a 9-4 run. UL put the game away with a 12-2 run which created a 20-point lead with 12 minutes remaining.
>>> From that point Cajuns lead remained above 18 points. The lead was at its largest when a Willie Lago triple with 6:05 left made it 74-48.

A SPECIAL WEAPON
>>> The UL bench has outscored the opponents bench in all but five games this season.
>>> UL's bench has reached 40 points three times (at San Francisco, vs. Nicholls State, vs. Dillard). The bench provided a season-high 52 points in the 102-38 win over Dillard.
>>> On average, the Cajuns bench is outscoring the opposition's bench 27.6 to 23.7.

SERIES HISTORY (Louisiana leads 15-5, overall; UL leads 8-2 in Cajundome)
>>> Saturday's game will be the 11th meeting in the Cajundome. The Cajuns are 8-2 in the 'Dome against FIU. Louisiana has won the past seven regular season meetings in the facility.
>>> Louisiana took control of the series with an eight-game winning streak from 1999-2000 through 2004-05. Prior to the win streak, the series was even at 2-all.
>>> Seven of the Cajuns last nine wins vs. FIU have come by double figures.
>>> UL has won both meetings with FIU in the Isiah Thomas era (2009-10 to present).
>>> Schools have met twice in the Sun Belt Tournament; most recent meeting coming in the first round of the 2009 tournament at the Cajundome (FIU 71-69); also met in the 2005 event in Denton, Texas.
>>> First meeting between the schools took place on Nov. 27, 1982 at Blackham Coliseum
(Cajuns won 105-54). The two programs met just one more time until FIU joined the SBC in time
for the 1998-99 season – a 104-93 double-overtime victory by then-USL on Dec. 30, 1991.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
>>> The Cajuns take to the road for the Arkansas road swing visiting UALR on Thursday, Jan. 19 and Arkansas State on Saturday, Jan. 21.
>>> The UALR contest marks the first West division contest for UL this season.
>>> The home team has won the last five meetings in the UALR series. The home team has also won the last five meetings in the ASU series.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Louisiana Seeks to Return to Winning Ways at the Cajundome

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