University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, January 17
Bowling Green, Ky.
7:00 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Western Kentucky
Cajuns Continue Sun Belt Play At WKU On Thursday
1/14/2013 3:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 20
Louisiana (7-12, 3-5) at WKU (10-8, 4-3)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326), Bowling Green, Ky.
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: ESPN3.com (Randy Lee & Hal Schmitt)
Series: WKU Leads, 25-16
Last Meeting: UL 72, WKU 70 (OT) (1/5/12, Bowling Green, Ky.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 37-43 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 262-174 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 385-209 (20th year)
vs. WKU: 2-1
WKU
RAY HARPER (Kentucky Wesleyan '85)
At WKU: 21-16 (2nd year)
Overall: 363-79 (14th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-0
SETTING THE SCENE: After splitting a pair of home games last week, the Ragin' Cajuns head back out on the road this week for a pair of Sun Belt games. Louisiana opens play on Thursday (Jan. 17) in Bowling Green, Ky. with a 7:00 p.m. game at Western Kentucky and then travels to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for a 5:30 p.m. game on Saturday (Jan. 19) at Middle Tennessee. The WKU game will be televised by ESPN3.com with Randy Lee and Hal Schmitt providing the commentary. Louisiana (7-12, 3-5) closes out the first half of its league schedule this week, currently standing in third place in the Sun Belt west division. After opening league play with four straight wins, the Hilltoppers (10-8, 4-3) have dropped three straight games, including a 65-62 decision at home against Florida Atlantic on Saturday.
This will be the 39th meeting between Louisiana and WKU with the Hilltoppers owning a 25-16 series lead overall, including a 13-7 record in games played in Bowling Green.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five 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 have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (14.7, 6.2, 5.2). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (5.8 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.3, 3.6), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (6.9, 3.0), Kasey Shepherd (3.7) and Josh Soto (4.2) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. Marlin is utilizing 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.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Monday (Jan. 14) and include games through Jan. 13. Individually, Shawn Long ranked fourth nationally in double-doubles (10), 21st in rebounds (9.8) and 60th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton is 33rd in steals (2.3) and 49th in assists (5.2).
GOING (DOUBLE) OVERTIME: The South Alabama game marked the first multiple overtime game since a 63-62 double overtime win over Denver on Jan. 3, 2009. It was the 10th time that the Cajuns have played to overtime under head coach Bob Marlin (and second this year). Louisiana is now 6-4 in overtime games during that span, including a 4-1 record last season and an 0-2 mark this year.
PAYTON PASSES 500 POINT MARK: After reaching the 50-game milestone for his Cajuns careers on Thursday night, Elfrid Payton reached another milestone on Saturday, scoring 13 points against Arkansas State to surpass the 500-point mark for his career. In 51 games at Louisiana, 30 as a starter, Payton has played 1,392 minutes and scored 509 points.
INJURIES ARE PILING UP: With at least 13 games left in the regular season, injuries are beginning to pile up. The Cajuns dressed just nine players for the Arkansas State game, two of whom were walk-ons. Louisiana heads into the Western Kentucky game having lost six different players this year for a total of 32 games. Kevin Brown has missed 11 games with a broken foot while Donovan Williams has sat out the last 14 contests following knee surgery. In addition, Louisiana has lost three games from Cornell Barnett (dental surgery), two from Braylon Lazare (eye) and one each from Bryant Mbamalu (thumb) and Alan-Michael Thompson (ankle). The depth of the Cajuns has been limited by more than injuries as freshman Matt Moss left the program 11 games ago and Josh Soto missed the first six games while the NCAA clarified his eligibility.
. . . THAT MAKES THE ASU GAME A GREAT WIN: The win over Arkansas State on Saturday is made a little more significant considering that the Cajuns had just nine players dressed in the game, with sophomore Elfrid Payton being the only player to see action who played last season. The victory allowed Louisiana to avenge a 87-70 loss to the Red Wolves in Jonesboro on Dec. 27.
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN COME THROUGH: The freshman class turned in its most impressive performance against Arkansas State as the five Cajuns freshmen combined to score 43 of the 61 points and grab 28 of the 36 rebounds. The performance marked the third time this year that the freshmen class has scored 40 points or more. The group previously tallied a season-high 47 points in a 91-79 win over Duquesne and 41 points in a 76-66 victory over Southern-New Orleans.
SHEPHERD ENJOYS ROLE CHANGE: Freshman Kasey Shepherd celebrated his first career start against Arkansas State by setting his career highs for points (13), rebounds (7) and minutes played (37). The guard was four-for-eight from the field, including a three-for-five performance from three-point, and made both of his free throw attempts in the game. For the season, Shepherd is averaging 3.7 points in 11.5 minutes a game.
THE MBAM HAS GONE OFF: There is no hotter player in the Sun Belt than junior Bryant Mbamalu, who prior to missing Saturday night's game against Arkansas State, had scored 17 or more points in six of his last seven games. Mbamalu started the run with a 21-point effort against Robert Morris on Dec. 18 and then followed it up with 22 points vs. Duquesne on Dec. 22. After a season low four points at Arkansas State on Dec. 27, he came back to score a season-high 26 vs. UALR on Dec. 29. He had 17 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 3) and 23 at FIU (Jan. 5) and 17 vs. South Alabama on Thursday. Over those seven games, Mbamalu is averaging 18.9 points a game, shooting .583 from the field (49-84) and .500 from three-point (18-36). Those are considerably improved numbers over the .423 he shot from the field (41-97) and .340 from three-point (16-47) over the first 11 games.
LONG TAKES OVER FRESHMAN REBOUNDING LEAD: A 30-rebound effort in the two games last week has allowed Shawn Long to take over the mantra as the top freshman rebounder in the country this year. Long has grabbed 187 rebounds in 19 games (9.8 rpg) to move ahead of Longwood's Michael Kessens (9.5) and Binghamton's Jordan Reed (9.4).
. . . AND LONG CONTINUES TO RANK AMONG THE TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that besides being the top freshman rebounder in the country this year, Shawn Long also ranks as sixth among freshmen in blocked shots (2.0) and 11th in scoring.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of freshman Shawn Long (15.7 ppg), sophomore Elfrid Payton (14.7) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.0) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 61-percent of the points this season (831 of 1352). Together, they have reached double figures 46 of the possible 56 times this year, including 13 games of 20-points or more. Thursday's game vs. South Alabama was no different as the trio tallied 59 points, their third-highest total this season. They previously scored a season-best 62 points at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 3 when Payton scored 23, Mbamalu 22 and Long 17 and 60 points at North Texas on Dec. 1. The trio has totaled 50 points or more five times this year.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 17-point, 16-rebound effort against Arkansas State on Saturday gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 10th double-double in 19 games to move into fourth place nationally. Siena senior O.D. Anosike, Towson's Jerrelle Benimon and Mike Muscala from Bucknell share the national lead with 11 double-doubles with Long being one of five players with 10 double-doubles, including South Alabama's Augustine Rubit.
PAYTON IS CHASING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Elfrid Payton's quest for the first triple-double by a Cajun in almost a decade came one rebound short at FIU on Jan. 5, scoring 13 points with a career-high 10 assists and a career-high matching nine rebounds against the Golden Panthers. This was not the first time that Payton came close. He 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 in the season opener against Oakland (14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), SUNO (11,7 , 7) and on Dec. 1 at North Texas (14, 6, 9) and posted 17 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at McNeese State (Dec. 8). 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 on Dec. 8 in his 41st career game to record the first of his three career double-doubles. 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.
PAYTON PASSES STEAL TOTAL: Sophomore Elfrid Payton recorded one steal against Arkansas State on Saturday, giving him 41 steals in 19 games this year to lead the Sun Belt and ranks 33rd nationally averaging 2.3 steals a game. Payton, who had 37 steals in 32 games last year, 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.
THOMPSON FINDS HIS ROLE: After starting out the season slowly, senior Alan-Michael Thompson has found his niche by providing the Cajuns with an offensive spark off the bench. Prior to Thursday night's game, in which he left early with a sprained ankle, Thompson averaged 10.5 points over the previous four games, scoring in double figures three times. He shot .500 from the floor (13-26) and .350 from three-point (7-20) during that span.
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 .600 (24-16) is second amongst all active coaches.
SUPPORTING CAST THE DIFFERENCE: The Louisiana bench has proven to be an important factor in determining success on the court this year. The Cajun bench has scored 20 points or more five times this year with UL going 4-1 in those games. In the seven Cajun wins, the reserves have totalled 130 points (18.6 ppg). At the other end of the spectrum, the bench has produced 164 points in the 12 losses (13.7 ppg), including seven points against Florida Atlantic on Jan. 3 and nine vs. South Alabama on Thursday.
FRESHMEN LEAD FREE THROW SHOOTING SURGE: The simplest way to improve a team's free throw shooting is to simply get better shooters and Bob Marlin has apparently done that. After shooting just .631 (483-766) from the line last year, the Cajuns have improved to .665 this year, primarily because of the production of the freshman class, who have made 97 of their 138 free throws this year (.703). Kasey Shepherd (13-16, .813), Shawn Long (49-68, .721) and Steven Wronkoski (32-45, .711) lead the way.
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 93-for-126 (.738) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Alan-Michael Thompson (11-12), Shawn Long (14-18) and Steven Wronkoski (12-16) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .761 shooter (35-46), is 14-for-17 this year (.824). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
. . . FREE THROWS KEY WIN OVER UALR: Clutch free throw shooting was a key in the Dec. 29 win over UALR as the Cajuns went 11-for-13 from the line in the final 2:03 of the game to deny the Trojans an opportunity to come back. After missing their first two attempts, Louisiana shooters knocked down their next 11 to finish the game. The game took a similar path on Dec. 1 at North Texas when 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 an 80-76 win.
LONG TRIES TO EQUAL FRESHMAN SCORING FEAT: With a 15.7 scoring average through 19 games and a 1.0 points per game average ahead of second-leading scorer Elfrid Payton (14.7 ppg), freshman Shawn Long is on pace to become just the fifth freshman to lead the team in scoring. He would join Tim Thompson (14.2 ppg in 1957-58), Jerry Flake (17.6, 1965-66), Andrew Toney (21.0, 1976-77) and Chris Gradnigo (9.6, 2007-08).
. . . AND A SCORING, REBOUNDS & BLOCKS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Shawn Long's impact is more than just being a scorer. Ranking second in the Sun Belt in rebounding (9.8), third in scoring (15.7) and fourth in blocks (2.0), Long is on a pace to become just the third player in school history to lead the team in all three stat categories in a single season. Tyren Johnson was the most recent, averaging 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 2009-10. Reginald Poole is the other to accomplish it, doing it in both 1996-97 (16.0, 10.3, 1.7) and 1998-99 (14.7, 7.1, 0.9).
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 (15.7), rebounding (9.8) and blocks (2.0), shooting .470 from the field (116-247) and .721 from the line (49-68). He ranks second in the league in rebounding, third in scoring, fourth in blocks, 13th in free throw percentage and 14th in field goal percentage. He has 10 double-doubles and six 20-point games. He had a career-high 27 points in the win at North Texas (Dec. 1) and added 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at McNeese State (Dec. 8) the following week.
. . . AND LONG SCORES THE BASKETBALL: With the second half of the basketball season underway (UL has played 19 of at least 32 games), Shawn Long's six 20-point games remains on a pace to record the most 20-plus point performances by a Cajun since former Sun Belt Player of the Year Tyren Johnson accomplished it 12 times in 2009-10.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 99 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.2 assists per game. He set a career high with 10 assists at FIU on Jan. 5 and previously had nine assists at North Texas on Dec. 1 and against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
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 6.9 points and 3.0 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.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns make the short drive to Murfreesboro, Tenn. on Friday to close this short road trip by facing Middle Tennessee on Saturday (Jan. 19) at 5:30 p.m.
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 20
Louisiana (7-12, 3-5) at WKU (10-8, 4-3)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326), Bowling Green, Ky.
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: ESPN3.com (Randy Lee & Hal Schmitt)
Series: WKU Leads, 25-16
Last Meeting: UL 72, WKU 70 (OT) (1/5/12, Bowling Green, Ky.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 37-43 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 262-174 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 385-209 (20th year)
vs. WKU: 2-1
WKU
RAY HARPER (Kentucky Wesleyan '85)
At WKU: 21-16 (2nd year)
Overall: 363-79 (14th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-0
SETTING THE SCENE: After splitting a pair of home games last week, the Ragin' Cajuns head back out on the road this week for a pair of Sun Belt games. Louisiana opens play on Thursday (Jan. 17) in Bowling Green, Ky. with a 7:00 p.m. game at Western Kentucky and then travels to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for a 5:30 p.m. game on Saturday (Jan. 19) at Middle Tennessee. The WKU game will be televised by ESPN3.com with Randy Lee and Hal Schmitt providing the commentary. Louisiana (7-12, 3-5) closes out the first half of its league schedule this week, currently standing in third place in the Sun Belt west division. After opening league play with four straight wins, the Hilltoppers (10-8, 4-3) have dropped three straight games, including a 65-62 decision at home against Florida Atlantic on Saturday.
This will be the 39th meeting between Louisiana and WKU with the Hilltoppers owning a 25-16 series lead overall, including a 13-7 record in games played in Bowling Green.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five 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 have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (14.7, 6.2, 5.2). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (5.8 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.3, 3.6), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (6.9, 3.0), Kasey Shepherd (3.7) and Josh Soto (4.2) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. Marlin is utilizing 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.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Monday (Jan. 14) and include games through Jan. 13. Individually, Shawn Long ranked fourth nationally in double-doubles (10), 21st in rebounds (9.8) and 60th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton is 33rd in steals (2.3) and 49th in assists (5.2).
GOING (DOUBLE) OVERTIME: The South Alabama game marked the first multiple overtime game since a 63-62 double overtime win over Denver on Jan. 3, 2009. It was the 10th time that the Cajuns have played to overtime under head coach Bob Marlin (and second this year). Louisiana is now 6-4 in overtime games during that span, including a 4-1 record last season and an 0-2 mark this year.
PAYTON PASSES 500 POINT MARK: After reaching the 50-game milestone for his Cajuns careers on Thursday night, Elfrid Payton reached another milestone on Saturday, scoring 13 points against Arkansas State to surpass the 500-point mark for his career. In 51 games at Louisiana, 30 as a starter, Payton has played 1,392 minutes and scored 509 points.
INJURIES ARE PILING UP: With at least 13 games left in the regular season, injuries are beginning to pile up. The Cajuns dressed just nine players for the Arkansas State game, two of whom were walk-ons. Louisiana heads into the Western Kentucky game having lost six different players this year for a total of 32 games. Kevin Brown has missed 11 games with a broken foot while Donovan Williams has sat out the last 14 contests following knee surgery. In addition, Louisiana has lost three games from Cornell Barnett (dental surgery), two from Braylon Lazare (eye) and one each from Bryant Mbamalu (thumb) and Alan-Michael Thompson (ankle). The depth of the Cajuns has been limited by more than injuries as freshman Matt Moss left the program 11 games ago and Josh Soto missed the first six games while the NCAA clarified his eligibility.
. . . THAT MAKES THE ASU GAME A GREAT WIN: The win over Arkansas State on Saturday is made a little more significant considering that the Cajuns had just nine players dressed in the game, with sophomore Elfrid Payton being the only player to see action who played last season. The victory allowed Louisiana to avenge a 87-70 loss to the Red Wolves in Jonesboro on Dec. 27.
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN COME THROUGH: The freshman class turned in its most impressive performance against Arkansas State as the five Cajuns freshmen combined to score 43 of the 61 points and grab 28 of the 36 rebounds. The performance marked the third time this year that the freshmen class has scored 40 points or more. The group previously tallied a season-high 47 points in a 91-79 win over Duquesne and 41 points in a 76-66 victory over Southern-New Orleans.
SHEPHERD ENJOYS ROLE CHANGE: Freshman Kasey Shepherd celebrated his first career start against Arkansas State by setting his career highs for points (13), rebounds (7) and minutes played (37). The guard was four-for-eight from the field, including a three-for-five performance from three-point, and made both of his free throw attempts in the game. For the season, Shepherd is averaging 3.7 points in 11.5 minutes a game.
THE MBAM HAS GONE OFF: There is no hotter player in the Sun Belt than junior Bryant Mbamalu, who prior to missing Saturday night's game against Arkansas State, had scored 17 or more points in six of his last seven games. Mbamalu started the run with a 21-point effort against Robert Morris on Dec. 18 and then followed it up with 22 points vs. Duquesne on Dec. 22. After a season low four points at Arkansas State on Dec. 27, he came back to score a season-high 26 vs. UALR on Dec. 29. He had 17 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 3) and 23 at FIU (Jan. 5) and 17 vs. South Alabama on Thursday. Over those seven games, Mbamalu is averaging 18.9 points a game, shooting .583 from the field (49-84) and .500 from three-point (18-36). Those are considerably improved numbers over the .423 he shot from the field (41-97) and .340 from three-point (16-47) over the first 11 games.
LONG TAKES OVER FRESHMAN REBOUNDING LEAD: A 30-rebound effort in the two games last week has allowed Shawn Long to take over the mantra as the top freshman rebounder in the country this year. Long has grabbed 187 rebounds in 19 games (9.8 rpg) to move ahead of Longwood's Michael Kessens (9.5) and Binghamton's Jordan Reed (9.4).
. . . AND LONG CONTINUES TO RANK AMONG THE TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that besides being the top freshman rebounder in the country this year, Shawn Long also ranks as sixth among freshmen in blocked shots (2.0) and 11th in scoring.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of freshman Shawn Long (15.7 ppg), sophomore Elfrid Payton (14.7) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.0) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 61-percent of the points this season (831 of 1352). Together, they have reached double figures 46 of the possible 56 times this year, including 13 games of 20-points or more. Thursday's game vs. South Alabama was no different as the trio tallied 59 points, their third-highest total this season. They previously scored a season-best 62 points at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 3 when Payton scored 23, Mbamalu 22 and Long 17 and 60 points at North Texas on Dec. 1. The trio has totaled 50 points or more five times this year.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 17-point, 16-rebound effort against Arkansas State on Saturday gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 10th double-double in 19 games to move into fourth place nationally. Siena senior O.D. Anosike, Towson's Jerrelle Benimon and Mike Muscala from Bucknell share the national lead with 11 double-doubles with Long being one of five players with 10 double-doubles, including South Alabama's Augustine Rubit.
PAYTON IS CHASING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Elfrid Payton's quest for the first triple-double by a Cajun in almost a decade came one rebound short at FIU on Jan. 5, scoring 13 points with a career-high 10 assists and a career-high matching nine rebounds against the Golden Panthers. This was not the first time that Payton came close. He 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 in the season opener against Oakland (14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), SUNO (11,7 , 7) and on Dec. 1 at North Texas (14, 6, 9) and posted 17 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at McNeese State (Dec. 8). 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 on Dec. 8 in his 41st career game to record the first of his three career double-doubles. 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.
PAYTON PASSES STEAL TOTAL: Sophomore Elfrid Payton recorded one steal against Arkansas State on Saturday, giving him 41 steals in 19 games this year to lead the Sun Belt and ranks 33rd nationally averaging 2.3 steals a game. Payton, who had 37 steals in 32 games last year, 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.
THOMPSON FINDS HIS ROLE: After starting out the season slowly, senior Alan-Michael Thompson has found his niche by providing the Cajuns with an offensive spark off the bench. Prior to Thursday night's game, in which he left early with a sprained ankle, Thompson averaged 10.5 points over the previous four games, scoring in double figures three times. He shot .500 from the floor (13-26) and .350 from three-point (7-20) during that span.
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 .600 (24-16) is second amongst all active coaches.
SUPPORTING CAST THE DIFFERENCE: The Louisiana bench has proven to be an important factor in determining success on the court this year. The Cajun bench has scored 20 points or more five times this year with UL going 4-1 in those games. In the seven Cajun wins, the reserves have totalled 130 points (18.6 ppg). At the other end of the spectrum, the bench has produced 164 points in the 12 losses (13.7 ppg), including seven points against Florida Atlantic on Jan. 3 and nine vs. South Alabama on Thursday.
FRESHMEN LEAD FREE THROW SHOOTING SURGE: The simplest way to improve a team's free throw shooting is to simply get better shooters and Bob Marlin has apparently done that. After shooting just .631 (483-766) from the line last year, the Cajuns have improved to .665 this year, primarily because of the production of the freshman class, who have made 97 of their 138 free throws this year (.703). Kasey Shepherd (13-16, .813), Shawn Long (49-68, .721) and Steven Wronkoski (32-45, .711) lead the way.
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 93-for-126 (.738) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Alan-Michael Thompson (11-12), Shawn Long (14-18) and Steven Wronkoski (12-16) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .761 shooter (35-46), is 14-for-17 this year (.824). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
. . . FREE THROWS KEY WIN OVER UALR: Clutch free throw shooting was a key in the Dec. 29 win over UALR as the Cajuns went 11-for-13 from the line in the final 2:03 of the game to deny the Trojans an opportunity to come back. After missing their first two attempts, Louisiana shooters knocked down their next 11 to finish the game. The game took a similar path on Dec. 1 at North Texas when 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 an 80-76 win.
LONG TRIES TO EQUAL FRESHMAN SCORING FEAT: With a 15.7 scoring average through 19 games and a 1.0 points per game average ahead of second-leading scorer Elfrid Payton (14.7 ppg), freshman Shawn Long is on pace to become just the fifth freshman to lead the team in scoring. He would join Tim Thompson (14.2 ppg in 1957-58), Jerry Flake (17.6, 1965-66), Andrew Toney (21.0, 1976-77) and Chris Gradnigo (9.6, 2007-08).
. . . AND A SCORING, REBOUNDS & BLOCKS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Shawn Long's impact is more than just being a scorer. Ranking second in the Sun Belt in rebounding (9.8), third in scoring (15.7) and fourth in blocks (2.0), Long is on a pace to become just the third player in school history to lead the team in all three stat categories in a single season. Tyren Johnson was the most recent, averaging 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 2009-10. Reginald Poole is the other to accomplish it, doing it in both 1996-97 (16.0, 10.3, 1.7) and 1998-99 (14.7, 7.1, 0.9).
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 (15.7), rebounding (9.8) and blocks (2.0), shooting .470 from the field (116-247) and .721 from the line (49-68). He ranks second in the league in rebounding, third in scoring, fourth in blocks, 13th in free throw percentage and 14th in field goal percentage. He has 10 double-doubles and six 20-point games. He had a career-high 27 points in the win at North Texas (Dec. 1) and added 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at McNeese State (Dec. 8) the following week.
. . . AND LONG SCORES THE BASKETBALL: With the second half of the basketball season underway (UL has played 19 of at least 32 games), Shawn Long's six 20-point games remains on a pace to record the most 20-plus point performances by a Cajun since former Sun Belt Player of the Year Tyren Johnson accomplished it 12 times in 2009-10.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 99 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.2 assists per game. He set a career high with 10 assists at FIU on Jan. 5 and previously had nine assists at North Texas on Dec. 1 and against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
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 6.9 points and 3.0 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.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns make the short drive to Murfreesboro, Tenn. on Friday to close this short road trip by facing Middle Tennessee on Saturday (Jan. 19) at 5:30 p.m.
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