Cajuns Open Road Trip Wednesday in Bowling Green

Contact: Matt Hebert

Game Notes

GAME CENTER
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013
Location: Bowling Green, Ky.
Opponent: Western Kentucky (13-3, 6-1 Sun Belt)
Site: E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Live Stats/Video: www.WKUsports.com
Radio: None

LOUISIANA-WESTERN KENTUCKY SERIES
The Series: WKU leads 34-2
In Bowling Green: WKU leads 17-1
Series Streak: WKU – won 5
Last Meeting: Western Kentucky 49, Louisiana 45 (Bowling Green, Ky. // Jan. 4, 2012)
Noteworthy: Louisiana's 80-72 victory at Earl K. Long Gym on Jan. 29, 2004 snapped a string of 26 consecutive WKU wins to begin the series.

LOUISIANA
12-13 Record____________________     7-10
12-13 Sun Belt Record_____________ 1-7
Last Game______________________      Jan. 12, 2013
vs. Arkansas State L, 39-48
Head Coach____________________ Garry Brodhead
   UL Record____________________ 7-10 (1^st Season)
   Career Record_________________ Same
   Brodhead vs. WKU______________ First Meeting
Web Site_______________________     www.RaginCajuns.com

WESTERN KENTUCKY
12-13 Record____________________     13-3
12-13 Sun Belt Record_____________ 6-1
Last Game______________________     Jan. 12, 2013
vs. Florida Atlantic W, 86-68
Head Coach____________________       Michelle Clark-Heard
   WKU Record___________________    13-3 (1^stSeason)
   Career Record_________________      37-35 (3^rd Season)
   Clark-Heard vs. UL______________ First Meeting
Web Site________________________    www.WKUsports.com

Game Night Story Lines
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns set out on the Western Kentucky-Middle Tennessee road trip this week. First up is a meeting with WKU on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky. The trip marks the final road games in January
>>> This week's action wraps up the first half of the Sun Belt schedule (games 9 and 10).
>>> The freshman class of Sylvana Okde (11.2), Keke Veal (10.7), Kia Wilridge (9.1), Jasmin Mills (4.4) and Adrienne Prejean (1.5) – the foundation class on which Garry Brodhead plans to rebuild the program – averages 36.9 points per game (64 percent of the team's offensive production)
>>> Keke Veal led UL in scoring for the fifth time and netted her ninth double digit scoring performance of her rookie season with 16 points off the bench against Arkansas State. Veal and Sylvana Okde lead the team with nine double digit scoring performances
>>> Since allowing a season-high 79 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 12), the Cajuns defense has steadily kept lowering the opposition's production (63 vs. FIU, 53 vs. USA, 48 vs. ASU).
>>> Freshman Sylvana Okde ranks Top 20 in the Sun Belt in scoring (11.2 ppg) and leads the league averaging 2.6 three-point makes per outing. Okde buried seven treys in the triumph at Tulane (12/19) and has made at least three in a game seven times.
>>> Sylvana Okde is on pace to make 76 three-point baskets, a tally that would land in the program's single-season Top 5 ranking. The last Cajuns player to reach 70 three-point makes in a season was Rhonda McCullough (88 in 1989-90)
>>> The Cajuns rank second in the Sun Belt and 33rd nationally (as of 1/10/13) in steals.
>>> Louisiana finished even in the turnover department with ASU, and has committed more turnovers than the opposition only four times in 17 contests.

LAST TIME OUT: Arkansas State 48, Louisiana 39 at Cajundome (Lafayette, La.)
In their second Cajundome contest of the Garry Brodhead era, it was the Ragin' Cajuns who experienced a second half scoring lull and it proved to be the difference.
Arkansas State held Louisiana to one point and without a field goal make in the first nine-plus minutes of the second stanza to pull out of a halftime deficit (15-14) and open a 20-point advantage on the way to a 48-39 victory.
Louisiana's first field goal make of the second stanza was a Sylvana Okde basket at the 10:23 mark. ASU, which was held to 20 percent shooting in the opening stanza, hit 10-of-15 attempts during the Cajuns slow start and outscored the hosts 22-1 to open a 36-16 advantage.
For the Cajuns, it was the opposite situation of the team's first Cajundome game of the season when they held UALR without a field goal for 13:06, erased a halftime deficit and pulled out a 56-54 win in double overtime.
Louisiana rebounded to make 5-of-10 shot attempts after the ASU surge and rally within single digits, but ran out of time.
Starting with a Jasmin Mills layup at 1:10, the Cajuns scored on four straight possessions capped off by a Veal layup to trim the deficit to 46-39, but only 13 seconds remained.
Keke Veal led UL in scoring with a game-high 16 points.
An Okde triple at 19:39 opened the scoring and a Mills basket at 15:05 gave UL a 7-2 advantage at the game's first media timeout. ASU dropped the deficit to 7-4 following a Hanna Qedan jumper at 13:20, then the Cajuns defense kicked in and the offense caught a 6-0 spark to pull in front 13-4 by the 9:57 mark.
UL was unable to capitalize, though, as the squad went the next nine minutes without a field goal make and the Red Wolves scored seven unanswered for a 14-13 lead at 3:44.

SERIES HISTORY (WKU leads 34-2, overall; WKU leads 17-1 in Bowling Green)
>>> All but one series meeting has occurred during the Ragin' Cajuns tenure as a Sun Belt member (1991-92 to present). First meeting came Dec. 29, 1984 at the LaSalle Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa.
>>> Louisiana's 80-72 victory at Earl K. Long Gym on Jan. 29, 2004 snapped a string of 26 consecutive WKU wins to begin the series.
>>> Both Cajuns series victories came during the J. Kelley Hall era (January 2004/January 2007).
>>> Last season's 49-45 WKU win at E.A. Diddle Arena (1/4/12) marked the Lady Toppers smallest margin of victory in the series.
>>> Wednesday's contest marks the 19th meeting all-time in Bowling Green. The Lady Toppers hold a 17-1 edge over the Ragin' Cajuns on their home floor.

NOTING WESTERN KENTUCKY
>>> Through Sunday's games, WKU is one of only six teams in the nation from a non-AQ conference that has already won 13 games this season.
>>> Chastity Gooch has nine consecutive double-doubles and has achived the feat in 15-of-16 games this season.
>>> Chastity Gooch's nine-game streak of double-doubles is tied for the longest in the nation alongside Robert Morris' Artemis Spanou.
>>> First-year head coach Michelle Clark-Heard is one of four coaches in the nation that have led their team to at least 13 wins (through Sunday's games) as first-year head coaches (joins Tennessee's Holly Warlick, Auburn's Terri Williams-Flournoy and Michigan's Kim Barnes-Arico).
>>> WKU has won at least 13 of its first 16 games for the eighth time in school history. It is the first time since 1998-99 that WKU is 13-3 start the season.
>>> The Lady Toppers will be wearing special throwback uniforms from the 1985 Final Four team as part of Wednesday's “Throwback Night”.

LAST SEASON VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns and Lady Toppers met in an 11 a.m. contest on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012 with WKU sneaking out a 49-45 victory.
>>> UL led 11-9 with 7:45 remaining in the opening half. The Lady Toppers staged a 16-5 run to claim a 27-16 halftime edge.
>>> The Cajuns shot 40 percent in the second half and held WKU to 23 percent in nearly making a comeback. Megan Whittaker ran the baseline for an uncontested layup with 2:24 remaining that pulled the Cajuns within two points, 47-45.
>>> The Lady Toppers gained a two possession advantage at 1:48 on a leaning jumper by Chaney Means, then blocked an Olivia Nino three-point attempt and grabbed an offensive rebound on the ensuing possession to run off most of the remaining time.

RESTORATION PROJECTS
>>> Both Louisiana head coach Garry Brodhead and Western Kentucky head coach Michelle Clark-Heard are in the first season at their respective schools.
>>> Both are charged with turning their program's fortunes around. For Brodhead, the challenge is the return to the success of the J. Kelley Hall days. For Clark-Heard, the challenge is to return the Lady Toppers to the top of the Sun Belt Conference.

MISS CLUTCH
>>> Brandi Schambough's last-second triple to pull out the win at Tulane on Dec. 19 brought back memories of a similar finish back on Feb. 20 vs. Nebraska-Omaha.
>>> In the team's 2011-12 non-conference finale, Schambough buried a trey with eight ticks left to pull UL out of a 60-59 deficit and to a win that halted a 17-game losing skid.

SHE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE AGAIN
>>> It was only fitting that Brandi Schambough hit the winning shot in the second overtime with UALR, given the Nebraska-Omaha and Tulane heroics.
>>> Schambough's trey with 27 seconds left gave UL a 56-54 lead in a win that ended a 10-game losing streak to the rising SBC West power UALR.

NO HEIGHT, NO PROBLEM
>>> Despite having only one player listed above 6-foot on the roster, the Cajuns have an uncanny ability to rebound the basketball. UL has held its ground with the opposition, with a slim 39.7-38.4 deficit through the first 17 games (-1.3 rebounding margin).
>>> UL rebounds on both ends (288 offensive rebounds and 364 defensive rebounds).

SHE HAS THE TOUCH
>>> Freshman Sylvana Okde continues to impress with her abilities from three-point range, continuously hitting treys from 22-23 feet away and in clutch moments.
>>> Okde converted a season-high seven makes from beyond the arc, including one as time expired, to send the Tulane contest into overtime.
>>> The Houston native, whose parents hail from Lebanon, is shooting 39.3 percent from three-point range (44-of-112).

TURNING UP THE “D”
>>> Thus far this season, the Cajuns defense has forced the opposing teams into 21.2 turnovers per game while UL averages 18.0, giving the squad a +3.2 turnover margin.
>>> 338 of the 978 points scored have been points off turnovers (35 percent).

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
>>> The freshman duo of Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge is the leading force behind the Ragin' Cajuns forcing the opposition into an average of 21.2 turnovers per game.
>>> Wilridge tops the squad with 44 steals, while Veal is a close second with 40 steals.

ALREADY PROVING THEM WRONG
>>> The preseason pollsters selected Louisiana last in the Sun Belt West. Only four games into the 2012-13 league schedule, the Cajuns registered a victory over SBC West favorite and two-time defending league champion UALR on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.

SHOW STOPPER
>>> Louisiana's 65-64 overtime win at Tulane brought an end to the Green Wave's 15-game win streak over Louisiana schools. Ten (10) days earlier, Tulane had defeated SEC-foe LSU 66-64 in Baton Rouge.

HOMEGROWN TALENT
>>> Cajuns roster features eight players who hail from the state of Louisiana.
>>> To go a step further, six athletes prepped in the greater Lafayette area (Brandi Schambough – St. Thomas More; Brooklyn Arceneaux – St. Thomas More; Robbie Brown – St. Thomas More; Kia Wilridge – St. Thomas More; Adrienne Prejean – Lafayette HS; Keke Veal – St. Thomas More).

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.

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.

REUNITED, PART 2
>>> Not only were teammates reunited this season, but members of the coaching staff were as well – Jennifer Sullivan rejoining Garry Brodhead and Sallie Guillory.
>>> The trio were assistant coaches at McNeese State during the 2008-09 campaign. Brodhead and Guillory remained at McNeese through 2011-12, while Sullivan spent 2009-10 through 2011-12 at Arkansas State.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD
>>> Garry Brodhead became the 12th head coach in UL program history on April 2, 2012. The 1980 UL graduate is a 16-year veteran of women's basketball coaching.
>>> Brodhead replaced Errol Rogers who compiled a 38-113 record over five seasons (2007-08 through 2011-12).

THE LONE RANGER
>>> Reserve guard Brandi Schambough is the lone senior on Garry Brodhead's inaugural squad in Cajun Country.
>>> She's also the most experienced in terms of years in a collegiate uniform having played each of the previous three seasons.

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOR RAGIN' CAJUNS FANS
>>> There will be five home doubleheaders in the Cajundome this year featuring the Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's basketball teams.
>>> The first doubleheader comes on Dec. 29 when Louisiana hosts UALR. Arkansas State is the guest on Jan. 12 and UL plays UL-Monroe (Feb. 10), Florida Atlantic (Feb. 16) and Western Kentucky (Feb. 23) on successive weekends in February.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns complete the Western Kentucky-Middle Tennessee road trip on Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Ragin' Cajuns and Blue Raiders are set to tip at 3 p.m. The game is the opening half of a doubleheader with the UL-MT men's squads.
>>> Middle Tennessee won the season's first meeting, 72-45 at Earl K. Long Gym, back on Saturday, Nov. 24. The game featured a combined 63 turnovers. Louisiana managed to out-rebound Middle Tennessee 43-36.
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns have never defeated the Blue Raiders, dropping all of the previous 18 meetings.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Cajuns Open Road Trip Wednesday in Bowling Green

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