University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, December 15
Houston, Texas
7:00 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Houston
Cajuns Continue Pre-Holiday Slate At Houston
12/13/2012 10:27:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 11
Louisiana (4-6) at Houston (7-2)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479), Houston, Texas
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via UHCougars.com.
Series: Houston Leads, 8-6
Last Meeting: Houston 78, UL 65 (11/23/10, Houston, Texas)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 34-37 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 259-168 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 382-203 (20th year)
vs. Houston: 0-3
HOUSTON
JAMES DICKEY (Central Arkansas '76)
At UH: 34-35 (3rd year)
Overall: 187-169 (14th year)
vs. Louisiana: 3-1
Bob Marlin Show On KPEL
The one-hour show originates from Walk-On's in Lafayette (2336 Kaliste Saloom). The next installment of the show is from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 8.
Ragin' Cajuns Sports All-Access
The weekly 30-minute television show on UL Athletics airs every Monday night at 9:00p.m. on KATC CW, COX cable channel 10 in Lafayette (LUS channel 20, Direct TV channel 4 and digital channel 3.2). The show is hosted by Travis Webb with Bob Marlin and includes highlights, player interviews and features.
SETTING THE SCENE: The Cajuns take to the road for the final time before the holiday break when they head west on I-10 to face the Houston Cougars on Saturday, Dec. 15 beginning at 7:00 p.m. CST in Hofheinz Pavilion on the UH campus. Louisiana then returns home to host Robert Morris (Dec. 18) and Duquesne (Dec. 22) to close out the non-conference schedule. The Ragin' Cajuns improved to 4-6 on the year, and 3-1 at home, with a 77-60 win in the 83rd series meeting with Lamar on Tuesday night in the Cajundome. Houston brings a 7-2 record into the game, including a 5-1 reord at home with the lone loss coming to Texas A&M (70-58). This will be the 15th meeting between Louisiana and Houston in a series that started in the 1947-48 season. The home court has played a decisive role in the series as the home team has won 10 of the 11 meetings on campus, including Houston owning a 8-1 record in games played in Houston.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring six freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is excited about the possibilities for the 2012-13 season, knowing that the team that took the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns will lean heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (11.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (12.9, 5.9, 5.6). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (5.6 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, should also play an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (16.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.7, 4.1), a JC transfer from Lamar State, will unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylan Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson will provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the trio of Tulane transfer Kevin Brown (4.8 ppg) and freshmen Kasey Shepherd (2.8) and Steven Wronkoski (8.7, 2.8) and Josh Soto (1.0) will also contribute, giving Louisiana one of the deepest backcourts in the Sun Belt. Marlin wants to utilize the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. Look for the Cajuns to use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
MARLIN EARNS EXTENSION: Third-year head coach Bob Marlin was given a new five-year contract on Dec. 4 that will keep him on the Cajuns' sidelines through the 2016-17 season. In his first two seasons, Marlin's teams have won 21 Sun Belt games, the second-highest total in the league over that span, and his .656 winning percentage in league games is the highest among active Sun Belt coaches.
UL ATHLETICS TEAMS WITH THE UNITED WAY: The Louisiana Athletics Department and United Way of Acadiana are partnering to share ticket revenue and spread holiday cheer for the men's basketball game with Duquesne on Saturday, Dec. 22 at the Cajundome. All tickets to the game are available (100, 200 and 300 level) for a special discounted price of $5. The proceeds of the tickets sales will be split, benefitting both the United Way of Acadiana and Ragin' Cajuns Athletics. Acadiana area companies are encouraged to purchase tickets and donate them to the United Way, which will then distribute them to various youth and family groups under their umbrella.
MOSS LEAVES PROGRAM: Freshman Matt Moss, who scored 11 points in the first eight games this year, has left the Ragin' Cajuns basketball program and intends to transfer to another university. A 6-9, 212-pound forward from Anacoco, La., Moss joined the program this fall after playing last year at Charis Prep in Wilson, N.C.
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR: Saturday's game in Houston marks the first of a home-and-home agreement between the Cajuns and Cougars. The two programs will meet at the Cajundome during the 2013-14 season. The date of that contest has not yet been determined.
CAJUNS INFLUENCE IN HOUSTON: The Ragin' Cajuns have a strong alumni base in the Houston area. For the past 11 years, the Houston Ragin' Cajuns have organized a golf tournament, in October, to benefit the UL Athletics Department. The Athletic Fund Raiser Golf Tournament was started 11 years ago by three former UL golfers (Chad Williams, Sid Labbe and David (Redbird) Faherty) and former UL Cheerleader (Michael Patin). Over the history of the event, the Athletic Fund Raiser Golf Tournament has raised over $400,000 in donations given to the UL Athletics Department to help fund various spring sports. This season's tournament proceeds went to the Ragin' Cajuns softball program. “This golf tournament exemplifies the passion of Ragin Cajun fans,” Senior Associate Athletic Director Ken Winstead said. “For a fundraiser to take place four hours from campus that generates this level of funding for our program is amazing."
THE FIRST ONE'S OUT OF THE WAY: Freshman Josh Soto landed his first career field goal make, a trey at the 3:38 mark of the first half Tuesday vs. Lamar. The first field goal came in his fourth collegiate appearance since being cleared by the NCAA on Monday, Nov. 26. Entering the Lamar game, Soto was shooting 0-for-4.
SUPPORTING CAST DELIVERS: The Louisiana bench had a productive night vs. Lamar, totalling 30 points with 21 coming in the first half. The performance ended a string of three straight single-digit showings by the bench which had been outscored 75-13 during the slump. The Lamar production was a season-best effort by the Cajuns bench and continued a season-long trend. In the four Cajun wins, the Louisiana bench is averaging 21.0 ppg. The bench has produced just 60 points in the six losses (10.0 ppg).
A TOUGH STRETCH: It was bad enough that the youth of the Cajuns forced Bob Marlin to open the season with 10 first-year players on the squad and that the early non-conference schedule included a season opener against 2012 postseason squad Oakland and games against 2012 NCAA squads New Mexico State and Michigan State. To make matters worse, the earliest start to conference play in school history included back-to-back games against Middle Tennessee and North Texas, the teams picked to win the Sun Belt East & West Division titles, respectively. The tough schedule continues this week when Louisiana hosts Lamar, the 2012 Southland representive in the NCAA Championship, on Dec. 11 and travels to Houston on Saturday (Dec. 15).
CHASING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Elfrid Payton continues to inch closer and closer to recording the first triple-double by a Ragin' Cajuns player in almost a decade. Payton closed the 2011-12 season with a 13-point, eight-rebound and nine-assist game in the opening round of the Sun Belt Championship. He toyed with the stat early in the year against Oakland (14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), SUNO (11,7 , 7) and North Texas (14, 6, 9) and went a different route at Michigan State, scoring 20 points with six rebounds and a career-high seven steals. He came the closest yet against in the last two games, He scored 17 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at McNeese State and came back with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five steals vs. Lamar. For the record, the last triple-double by a Ragin' Cajuns player came on Jan. 5, 2006 when Michael Southall scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and 11 blocks at North Texas.
. . . BUT PAYTON MUST WALK BEFORE HE RUNS: Although Elfrid Payton has flirted with a triple-double, it took him until the McNeese State game to record his first career double-double. Payton scored 17 points with 10 rebounds in the contest. It only took him three days to get the second, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds vs. Lamar on Dec. 11.
LAST LEG OF NON-CONFERENCE: The Houston game continues the Cajuns final venture into non-conference action for 2012-13. Louisiana has three non-conference games remaining: at Houston (Dec. 15), vs. Robert Morris (Dec. 18) and vs. Duquesne (Dec. 22). Sun Belt play resumes in earnest on Thursday, Dec. 27 in Jonesoboro, Ark. against Arkansas State.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that one area in which Louisiana would definitely show improvement is at the foul line, where the Cajuns shot just .631 (483-766) last year. So far, that prediction has come true as Louisiana has shot 70-percent or better from the line in seven of the 10 games, including four straight, entering the Houston game having gone 139-for-195 (.713). The last time that the Cajuns shot above 70-percent for an entire season came 20 seasons ago (1993-94) when they went 463-for-647 (.716).
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN LEAD THE WAY: The simplest way to improve a team's free throw shooting is to simply get better shooters and Bob Marlin has apparently done that. The five freshman on the Louisiana roster have made 55 of their 71 free throws this year (.775). Shawn Long (24-30, .800) and Steven Wronkoski (23-30, .767) lead the way, ranking eighth and 12th in the Sun Belt, respectively.
GOING OVERTIME: The loss to Texas Southern on Nov. 16 marked the ninth time that the Cajuns have played to overtime under head coach Bob Marlin. Louisiana is now 6-3 in overtime games during that span, including a 4-1 record last season.
CAJUNS BENEFIT FROM LATE FREE THROW SHOOTING: The free throw shooting by the Cajuns has been at its best late in the game as Louisiana has gone 49-for-63 (.778) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Shawn Long (8-8) and Steven Wronkoski (6-6) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .757 shooter (28-37), is seven-for-eight this year (.875). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
. . . AND PROVES TO BE THE KEY TO THE WIN AT UNT: The clutch free throw shooting was never better than in the Dec. 1 win at North Texas. The Cajuns went 11-for-14 (.786) from the stripe in the final 5:00, including seven-for-eight (.875) in the final 15 seconds to secure the win. All eight shots came with the Cajuns leading by three points or less.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 53 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.3 assists per game. He matched his career high with nine assists at North Texas last week, a career high originally set against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
. . . AND GRAND THEFT FOR PAYTON: With 21 steals over the last five games, Elfrid Payton has taken over the Sun Belt lead with 29 steals this season (2.9 spg). Payton had a career high seven steals at Michigan State on Nov. 25, falling one steal short of the school record, and came back to make four steals vs. Middle Tennessee. Last year, Payton lead the Cajuns with 37 steals.
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING: The exhibition win over Loyola-New Orleans marked the Cajuns debut for forward Shawn Long. Long transferred to Louisiana last December after spending the fall semester at Mississippi State. The 6-9 native of Morgan City, La. practiced with the Cajuns during the final three months of the year but was not eligible to play. During the summer, he was granted a waiver of transfer rule that would have made him ineligible until early December, allowing him to play immediately. Eager to make up for the lost season, Long scored 11 of UL's first 18 points against Loyola, finishing the night with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, going seven-for-11 from the field with a pair of blocks.
. . . AND LONG HASN'T SLOWED: Shawn Long's steady play has allowed the freshman to lead the Cajuns in scoring (16.8), rebounding (9.2) and blocks (1.9), shooting .486 from the field (67-138) and .800 from the line (24-30). After a modest 14 point, six rebounds effort in the season opener against Oakland, he exploded for 20 points and 13 rebounds at Texas Southern on Nov. 16. In the second home game of his career, he posted his second double-double in less than a week, tallying 22 points with a dozen rebounds against SUNO. He came back to score a career-high 27 points at North Texas. He had 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at McNeese State on Dec. 1 and added his fifth double-double on Tuesday (Dec. 11), scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds vs. Lamar.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 16-point, 11-rebound effort against Lamar gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his fifth double-double in 10 games this year to take over the Sun Belt lead. South Alabama's Augustine Rubit is second with four double-doubles.
FREQUENT FLYER MILES: The Cajuns are definitely piling up the mileage during the early part of the 2012-13 season. After making a road swing to Texas Southern and Boise State three weeks ago that covered 4,332 miles, the Cajuns needed to travel 4,892 miles to play games at New Mexico State and Michigan State over Thanksgiving weekend. In two weeks, Louisiana played five games in five different states (Louisiana included) and three different time zones, traveling 9,224 miles to get to and from the games. After a 856-mile round-trip to Denton on Dec. 1 and 148-mile journey to McNeese State on Dec. 8, the Cajuns make the modest 434 round trip trek to Houston this weekend .
WRONKOSKI PROVES MARLIN RIGHT: Bob Marlin has said many times this fall that when he took over as head coach two years ago, one of the first recruits he looked at was Steven Wronkoski, deciding that the current UL freshman's spirited play would be perfect in a Cajun uniform. Wronkoski has yet to prove Marlin wrong, averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds this year. He posted back-to-back career highs of 12 points vs. SUNO on Nov. 21 and, in his first career start, 16 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 23. His Sun Belt debut was equally as strong as he scored all 13 of his points in the second half against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29. Most recently, he raised his career high again, scoring 17 points at McNeese State on Dec. 8. For the year, Wronkoski is fourth in the Sun Belt in three-point shooting (14-29, .483) and 12th in free throw percentage (23-30, .767).
MASTERING THE SUN BELT: Ragin' Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin has produced back-to-back double digit win totals in Sun Belt play in his first two seasons on Louisiana's bench (11 in 2010-11 and 10 in 2011-12). His SBC winning percentage of .647 (22-12) is first amongst all active coaches.
FIRST TIME SUCCESS: The Cajuns were perfect this year against first time opponents, claiming home wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66), the only two teams on the 2012-13 slate that Louisiana had not played before.
MORE MOORE: Junior forward Elridge Moore has quickly earned a place for himself in the lineup, starting every game and averaging 5.7 points. He leads the team in both field goal percentage (.488) and is second in steals (13) and blocks (7) and third in rebounding (4.1). He made his Cajuns debut a memorable one against Oakland on Nov. 11, sharing the team scoring lead with 15 points while adding five rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks. Moore, who played one season at Nicholls State before transferring to Lamar State last season, missed just two shots in the game, going six-for-seven from the field and three-for-four from the line.
MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100% both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2012 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns recorded their third straight semester with a team GPA of better than 2.50, a feat accomplished just one other time since 1982. The last three semesters account for three of the top six terms for the basketball team during that time. In the two semesters last year, seven Cajuns posted a 3.0 GPA or better.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns return home for consecutive games against schools from the Pittsburgh area, hosting Robert Morris on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m. and Duquesne on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 11
Louisiana (4-6) at Houston (7-2)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479), Houston, Texas
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via UHCougars.com.
Series: Houston Leads, 8-6
Last Meeting: Houston 78, UL 65 (11/23/10, Houston, Texas)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 34-37 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 259-168 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 382-203 (20th year)
vs. Houston: 0-3
HOUSTON
JAMES DICKEY (Central Arkansas '76)
At UH: 34-35 (3rd year)
Overall: 187-169 (14th year)
vs. Louisiana: 3-1
Bob Marlin Show On KPEL
The one-hour show originates from Walk-On's in Lafayette (2336 Kaliste Saloom). The next installment of the show is from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 8.
Ragin' Cajuns Sports All-Access
The weekly 30-minute television show on UL Athletics airs every Monday night at 9:00p.m. on KATC CW, COX cable channel 10 in Lafayette (LUS channel 20, Direct TV channel 4 and digital channel 3.2). The show is hosted by Travis Webb with Bob Marlin and includes highlights, player interviews and features.
SETTING THE SCENE: The Cajuns take to the road for the final time before the holiday break when they head west on I-10 to face the Houston Cougars on Saturday, Dec. 15 beginning at 7:00 p.m. CST in Hofheinz Pavilion on the UH campus. Louisiana then returns home to host Robert Morris (Dec. 18) and Duquesne (Dec. 22) to close out the non-conference schedule. The Ragin' Cajuns improved to 4-6 on the year, and 3-1 at home, with a 77-60 win in the 83rd series meeting with Lamar on Tuesday night in the Cajundome. Houston brings a 7-2 record into the game, including a 5-1 reord at home with the lone loss coming to Texas A&M (70-58). This will be the 15th meeting between Louisiana and Houston in a series that started in the 1947-48 season. The home court has played a decisive role in the series as the home team has won 10 of the 11 meetings on campus, including Houston owning a 8-1 record in games played in Houston.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring six freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is excited about the possibilities for the 2012-13 season, knowing that the team that took the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns will lean heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (11.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (12.9, 5.9, 5.6). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (5.6 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, should also play an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (16.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.7, 4.1), a JC transfer from Lamar State, will unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylan Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson will provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the trio of Tulane transfer Kevin Brown (4.8 ppg) and freshmen Kasey Shepherd (2.8) and Steven Wronkoski (8.7, 2.8) and Josh Soto (1.0) will also contribute, giving Louisiana one of the deepest backcourts in the Sun Belt. Marlin wants to utilize the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. Look for the Cajuns to use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
MARLIN EARNS EXTENSION: Third-year head coach Bob Marlin was given a new five-year contract on Dec. 4 that will keep him on the Cajuns' sidelines through the 2016-17 season. In his first two seasons, Marlin's teams have won 21 Sun Belt games, the second-highest total in the league over that span, and his .656 winning percentage in league games is the highest among active Sun Belt coaches.
UL ATHLETICS TEAMS WITH THE UNITED WAY: The Louisiana Athletics Department and United Way of Acadiana are partnering to share ticket revenue and spread holiday cheer for the men's basketball game with Duquesne on Saturday, Dec. 22 at the Cajundome. All tickets to the game are available (100, 200 and 300 level) for a special discounted price of $5. The proceeds of the tickets sales will be split, benefitting both the United Way of Acadiana and Ragin' Cajuns Athletics. Acadiana area companies are encouraged to purchase tickets and donate them to the United Way, which will then distribute them to various youth and family groups under their umbrella.
MOSS LEAVES PROGRAM: Freshman Matt Moss, who scored 11 points in the first eight games this year, has left the Ragin' Cajuns basketball program and intends to transfer to another university. A 6-9, 212-pound forward from Anacoco, La., Moss joined the program this fall after playing last year at Charis Prep in Wilson, N.C.
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR: Saturday's game in Houston marks the first of a home-and-home agreement between the Cajuns and Cougars. The two programs will meet at the Cajundome during the 2013-14 season. The date of that contest has not yet been determined.
CAJUNS INFLUENCE IN HOUSTON: The Ragin' Cajuns have a strong alumni base in the Houston area. For the past 11 years, the Houston Ragin' Cajuns have organized a golf tournament, in October, to benefit the UL Athletics Department. The Athletic Fund Raiser Golf Tournament was started 11 years ago by three former UL golfers (Chad Williams, Sid Labbe and David (Redbird) Faherty) and former UL Cheerleader (Michael Patin). Over the history of the event, the Athletic Fund Raiser Golf Tournament has raised over $400,000 in donations given to the UL Athletics Department to help fund various spring sports. This season's tournament proceeds went to the Ragin' Cajuns softball program. “This golf tournament exemplifies the passion of Ragin Cajun fans,” Senior Associate Athletic Director Ken Winstead said. “For a fundraiser to take place four hours from campus that generates this level of funding for our program is amazing."
THE FIRST ONE'S OUT OF THE WAY: Freshman Josh Soto landed his first career field goal make, a trey at the 3:38 mark of the first half Tuesday vs. Lamar. The first field goal came in his fourth collegiate appearance since being cleared by the NCAA on Monday, Nov. 26. Entering the Lamar game, Soto was shooting 0-for-4.
SUPPORTING CAST DELIVERS: The Louisiana bench had a productive night vs. Lamar, totalling 30 points with 21 coming in the first half. The performance ended a string of three straight single-digit showings by the bench which had been outscored 75-13 during the slump. The Lamar production was a season-best effort by the Cajuns bench and continued a season-long trend. In the four Cajun wins, the Louisiana bench is averaging 21.0 ppg. The bench has produced just 60 points in the six losses (10.0 ppg).
A TOUGH STRETCH: It was bad enough that the youth of the Cajuns forced Bob Marlin to open the season with 10 first-year players on the squad and that the early non-conference schedule included a season opener against 2012 postseason squad Oakland and games against 2012 NCAA squads New Mexico State and Michigan State. To make matters worse, the earliest start to conference play in school history included back-to-back games against Middle Tennessee and North Texas, the teams picked to win the Sun Belt East & West Division titles, respectively. The tough schedule continues this week when Louisiana hosts Lamar, the 2012 Southland representive in the NCAA Championship, on Dec. 11 and travels to Houston on Saturday (Dec. 15).
CHASING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Elfrid Payton continues to inch closer and closer to recording the first triple-double by a Ragin' Cajuns player in almost a decade. Payton closed the 2011-12 season with a 13-point, eight-rebound and nine-assist game in the opening round of the Sun Belt Championship. He toyed with the stat early in the year against Oakland (14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), SUNO (11,7 , 7) and North Texas (14, 6, 9) and went a different route at Michigan State, scoring 20 points with six rebounds and a career-high seven steals. He came the closest yet against in the last two games, He scored 17 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at McNeese State and came back with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five steals vs. Lamar. For the record, the last triple-double by a Ragin' Cajuns player came on Jan. 5, 2006 when Michael Southall scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and 11 blocks at North Texas.
. . . BUT PAYTON MUST WALK BEFORE HE RUNS: Although Elfrid Payton has flirted with a triple-double, it took him until the McNeese State game to record his first career double-double. Payton scored 17 points with 10 rebounds in the contest. It only took him three days to get the second, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds vs. Lamar on Dec. 11.
LAST LEG OF NON-CONFERENCE: The Houston game continues the Cajuns final venture into non-conference action for 2012-13. Louisiana has three non-conference games remaining: at Houston (Dec. 15), vs. Robert Morris (Dec. 18) and vs. Duquesne (Dec. 22). Sun Belt play resumes in earnest on Thursday, Dec. 27 in Jonesoboro, Ark. against Arkansas State.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that one area in which Louisiana would definitely show improvement is at the foul line, where the Cajuns shot just .631 (483-766) last year. So far, that prediction has come true as Louisiana has shot 70-percent or better from the line in seven of the 10 games, including four straight, entering the Houston game having gone 139-for-195 (.713). The last time that the Cajuns shot above 70-percent for an entire season came 20 seasons ago (1993-94) when they went 463-for-647 (.716).
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN LEAD THE WAY: The simplest way to improve a team's free throw shooting is to simply get better shooters and Bob Marlin has apparently done that. The five freshman on the Louisiana roster have made 55 of their 71 free throws this year (.775). Shawn Long (24-30, .800) and Steven Wronkoski (23-30, .767) lead the way, ranking eighth and 12th in the Sun Belt, respectively.
GOING OVERTIME: The loss to Texas Southern on Nov. 16 marked the ninth time that the Cajuns have played to overtime under head coach Bob Marlin. Louisiana is now 6-3 in overtime games during that span, including a 4-1 record last season.
CAJUNS BENEFIT FROM LATE FREE THROW SHOOTING: The free throw shooting by the Cajuns has been at its best late in the game as Louisiana has gone 49-for-63 (.778) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Shawn Long (8-8) and Steven Wronkoski (6-6) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .757 shooter (28-37), is seven-for-eight this year (.875). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
. . . AND PROVES TO BE THE KEY TO THE WIN AT UNT: The clutch free throw shooting was never better than in the Dec. 1 win at North Texas. The Cajuns went 11-for-14 (.786) from the stripe in the final 5:00, including seven-for-eight (.875) in the final 15 seconds to secure the win. All eight shots came with the Cajuns leading by three points or less.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 53 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.3 assists per game. He matched his career high with nine assists at North Texas last week, a career high originally set against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
. . . AND GRAND THEFT FOR PAYTON: With 21 steals over the last five games, Elfrid Payton has taken over the Sun Belt lead with 29 steals this season (2.9 spg). Payton had a career high seven steals at Michigan State on Nov. 25, falling one steal short of the school record, and came back to make four steals vs. Middle Tennessee. Last year, Payton lead the Cajuns with 37 steals.
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING: The exhibition win over Loyola-New Orleans marked the Cajuns debut for forward Shawn Long. Long transferred to Louisiana last December after spending the fall semester at Mississippi State. The 6-9 native of Morgan City, La. practiced with the Cajuns during the final three months of the year but was not eligible to play. During the summer, he was granted a waiver of transfer rule that would have made him ineligible until early December, allowing him to play immediately. Eager to make up for the lost season, Long scored 11 of UL's first 18 points against Loyola, finishing the night with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, going seven-for-11 from the field with a pair of blocks.
. . . AND LONG HASN'T SLOWED: Shawn Long's steady play has allowed the freshman to lead the Cajuns in scoring (16.8), rebounding (9.2) and blocks (1.9), shooting .486 from the field (67-138) and .800 from the line (24-30). After a modest 14 point, six rebounds effort in the season opener against Oakland, he exploded for 20 points and 13 rebounds at Texas Southern on Nov. 16. In the second home game of his career, he posted his second double-double in less than a week, tallying 22 points with a dozen rebounds against SUNO. He came back to score a career-high 27 points at North Texas. He had 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at McNeese State on Dec. 1 and added his fifth double-double on Tuesday (Dec. 11), scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds vs. Lamar.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 16-point, 11-rebound effort against Lamar gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his fifth double-double in 10 games this year to take over the Sun Belt lead. South Alabama's Augustine Rubit is second with four double-doubles.
FREQUENT FLYER MILES: The Cajuns are definitely piling up the mileage during the early part of the 2012-13 season. After making a road swing to Texas Southern and Boise State three weeks ago that covered 4,332 miles, the Cajuns needed to travel 4,892 miles to play games at New Mexico State and Michigan State over Thanksgiving weekend. In two weeks, Louisiana played five games in five different states (Louisiana included) and three different time zones, traveling 9,224 miles to get to and from the games. After a 856-mile round-trip to Denton on Dec. 1 and 148-mile journey to McNeese State on Dec. 8, the Cajuns make the modest 434 round trip trek to Houston this weekend .
WRONKOSKI PROVES MARLIN RIGHT: Bob Marlin has said many times this fall that when he took over as head coach two years ago, one of the first recruits he looked at was Steven Wronkoski, deciding that the current UL freshman's spirited play would be perfect in a Cajun uniform. Wronkoski has yet to prove Marlin wrong, averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds this year. He posted back-to-back career highs of 12 points vs. SUNO on Nov. 21 and, in his first career start, 16 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 23. His Sun Belt debut was equally as strong as he scored all 13 of his points in the second half against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29. Most recently, he raised his career high again, scoring 17 points at McNeese State on Dec. 8. For the year, Wronkoski is fourth in the Sun Belt in three-point shooting (14-29, .483) and 12th in free throw percentage (23-30, .767).
MASTERING THE SUN BELT: Ragin' Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin has produced back-to-back double digit win totals in Sun Belt play in his first two seasons on Louisiana's bench (11 in 2010-11 and 10 in 2011-12). His SBC winning percentage of .647 (22-12) is first amongst all active coaches.
FIRST TIME SUCCESS: The Cajuns were perfect this year against first time opponents, claiming home wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66), the only two teams on the 2012-13 slate that Louisiana had not played before.
MORE MOORE: Junior forward Elridge Moore has quickly earned a place for himself in the lineup, starting every game and averaging 5.7 points. He leads the team in both field goal percentage (.488) and is second in steals (13) and blocks (7) and third in rebounding (4.1). He made his Cajuns debut a memorable one against Oakland on Nov. 11, sharing the team scoring lead with 15 points while adding five rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks. Moore, who played one season at Nicholls State before transferring to Lamar State last season, missed just two shots in the game, going six-for-seven from the field and three-for-four from the line.
MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100% both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2012 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns recorded their third straight semester with a team GPA of better than 2.50, a feat accomplished just one other time since 1982. The last three semesters account for three of the top six terms for the basketball team during that time. In the two semesters last year, seven Cajuns posted a 3.0 GPA or better.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns return home for consecutive games against schools from the Pittsburgh area, hosting Robert Morris on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m. and Duquesne on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Quannas White Media Availability (Dec 1, 2025)
Monday, December 01
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Wednesday, November 12
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