Women's Hoops to Entertain Jackson State on Monday

Game 8
Louisiana (3-4) vs. Jackson State (2-5)
Date: Monday, Dec. 10, 2012
Location: Lafayette, La.
Site: Earl K. Long Gym
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Series History: Jackson State leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Jackson State 67, Louisiana 51 on Nov. 29, 1991

Setting The Scene
Louisiana returns to Earl K. Long Gym to host Jackson State on Monday, Dec. 10 at 7:00 p.m. and New Orleans on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 7:00 p.m. The Ragin' Cajuns dropped a 71-59 decision to Sun Belt Conference foe North Texas in Denton, Texas on Dec. 1. With the loss, Louisiana fell to 3-4 overall and 0-2 in SBC play. Three Ragin' Cajuns scored in double figures with junior Ashley Benjamin leading the way with 14 points. Byronesha Santiago nearly posted her third double double, scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds in just 12 minutes of action. Sylvana Okde contributed 10 points, her fifth double-figures scoring game this season. The teams have met only once when Jackson State beat the Cajuns, 67-51, in 1991.

Previewing Louisiana
UL returns just four players from a year ago, opening the season with seven newcomers (five freshmen and two junior college transfers). Four Cajuns average double-digits in scoring and leading the way is freshman guard Sylvana Okde's 13.0 points per game. Fellow freshman Kia Wilridge is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.1 points to go along with 4.9 rebounds. Her 4.2 steals per game is tied for 11th in the nation. Keke Veal and Ashley Benjamin contribute 10.8 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Byronesha Santiago leads the squad in rebounding, posting a 7.8 average to go along with 9.7 points.

The Opposition
• Jackson State is coming off a 64-56 loss to Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 1.
• The Tigers have two wins this season, beating Houston Baptist (65-57) and Marshall (67-63).
• Tiffany Kellum leads the team in scoring and rebounding (12.6 ppg, 8.9 rebounds). Beatrice Banks is second on the team averaging 7.6 ppg.
• The Tigers opened the 2012-13 season with a win over Lemoyne-Owen (91-54) before falling to Arkansas (97-58).
• The squad averages 57.3 points this season, while the opposition is averaging 71.3. The Tigers have scored 401 points in seven games, going 143-429 (.333) from the field and 83-133 (.624) from the charity stripe.
• Jackson State participates in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

Game Day Story Lines
• The Cajuns open a stretch of four non-conference games, hosting Jackson State and New Orleans at Earl K. Long Gym on Monday, Dec. 10 and Thursday, Dec. 13.
• Four UL players average double-digits in scoring with freshman guard Sylvana Okde leading the way, averaging 13.0 points, to go along with 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
• Kia Wilridge is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.1 points and 4.9 rebounds, while leading the squad in assists (3.9 per game).
• Keke Veal averages 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and has 14 steals this season.
• Ashley Benjamin and Byronesha Santiago average 10.7 and 9.7 points, respectively. Santiago leads the team in rebounding with 7.8 per contest.
• UL has outscored opponents, 458-453. The Cajuns average 65.4 ppg to the opposition's 64.7.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are shooting .309 from behind the arc (30-97) which ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and .626 from the charity stripe (82-131).
• UL won convincingly, 83-42, against LSU-Shreveport on Nov. 12 and earned their first 2-0 start since the 2004-05 season.

Cajuns in the Sun Belt
• Okde leads the Sun Belt averaging 2.7 treys per game this season and has already knocked down 19.
• Fellow freshman Kia Wilridge leads the SBC in steals and is tied for 11th in the NCAA division I rankings, averaging 4.0 steals per game. She currently has 28 steals in seven games.
• Wilridge's 3.9 assists per game ranks third in the SBC.
• Santiago's 7.8 rebounds per contest ranks fifth in the Sun Belt.
• UL is leading the league with 88 steals while only having the ball stolen from them 50 times.
• The Cajuns lead the Sun Belt in offensive rebounds, averaging 19.7. As a result, the Cajuns have generated 110 second chance points.
• However that is not the case on the defensive end, averaging 19.6, which is ranked last in the SBC.
• The Cajuns average a hefty 12.6 steals per game, which ranks second in league play.

Turning Up the D
• Thus far this season, the Cajuns swarming defense has forced the opposing teams to 23.1 turnovers per game while UL averages 18.4, giving the squad a -4.7 turnover margin.
• 158 of the 458 points scored this season have been points off turnovers.
• The Cajuns recorded a season high of 31 points off turnovers against Omaha and LSU-Shreveport.
• UL averages 39.3 rebounds per game, while the opposition is averaging 36.3.
• Louisiana forced 19.4 turnovers per game last season including a -1.9-turnover margin for a 0.5-assist/turnover ratio.
• UL had a total of 272 steals and averaged 9.1 per game last year.

Homegrown Talent
• Cajuns roster features eight players who hail from the state of Louisiana.
• To go a step further, five athletes prepped in the greater Lafayette area.

Reunited and It Feels So Good
• For the first time since the 2010-11 academic year, sophomores Brooklyn Arceneaux and Robbie Brown and freshmen Kia Wilridge and Keke Veal are teammates.
• The quartet powered local St. Thomas More High to a state championship in 2011.
• Last season, Wilridge and Veal carried on the championship caliber effort, winning another state title in 2012.
• Wilridge and Veal have contributed a combined 95 of 283 points in the first four games of the season.

Returning Home
• Three of the Cajuns four coaches are alums of the University of Louisiana, head coach Garry Brodhead (1980), Sallie Guillory (2005), and Deacon Jones (1999).
• For Brodhead, it represents a return to the city where many of his coaching successes occurred, including his stint at Teurlings Catholic High School where he posted a 297-78 record from 1998-2007.

Up Next For Louisiana
• The Ragin' Cajuns welcome New Orleans to Earl K. Long Gym on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 7:00 p.m.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Women's Hoops to Entertain Jackson State on Monday

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