Cajun Basketball Continues Home Stand vs. Centenary

Contact: Brian McCann

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Game 11
Centenary (4-1) at Louisiana (7-3)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013
Time: 7:05 p.m. CST
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None
Series: Centenary Leads, 21-18
Last Meeting: Louisiana 94, Centenary 62 (1/19/11, Lafayette, La.)

THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 50-54 (4th year)
4-Year Overall: 275-185 (16th year)
All Collegiate: 398-220 (21st year)
vs. Centenary: 1-0

CENTENARY
ADAM WALSH (High Point '00)
At Centenary: 34-71 (4th year)
Overall: 34-71 (4th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-1

SETTING THE SCENE: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns play at home for the final time before the holiday break when the Cajuns host Centenary on Tuesday, Dec. 17 beginning at 7:05 p.m. in the Cajundome. It will be the second game in a six-day stretch heading into a short break for the holidays. Louisiana used a 79-76 overtime win over Houston on Saturday (Dec. 14) to improve to 7-3 on the year. Shawn Long (20.8 ppg) and Elfrid Payton (20.2) are one of two pairs in the country this year each averaging 20 points a game or better. This will be the 40th meeting with the Gents, but just the third since 1978 with Centenary holding a 21-18 series lead. Centenary enters the game with a 4-1 record, including three straight wins. The Gents have two common opponents with the Cajuns, dropping a 106-59 exhibition decision to Louisiana Tech and defeating Louisiana College, 85-74.

PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: Louisiana is off to a 7-3 start in 2013-14, benefiting from the return of five starters and a total of 10 lettermen from last year's squad that went 13-20, leading fourth-year head coach Bob Marlin to feel confident that the Cajuns are on a path to return to national prominence. The team is centered around the duo of point guard Elfrid Payton (20.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.3 spg) and forward Shawn Long (20.8 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.8 bpg), both of whom were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team this year. Long plays mostly at center with Elridge Moore (6.6, 4.9) normally starting as an under-sized forward but is sidelined currently with an ankle injury. Bryant Mbamalu (13.8, 3.7 in 2012-13), who started 26 games as a wing guard last season, is also out indefinitely with a foot injury in September. With Mbamalu out, junior Kevin Brown (6.2, 1.4), who is returning after missing most of last season with an injury, has taken over with Steven Wronkoski (6.3, 2.9) starting on the other wing. The bench has been a source of a good offensive spark as junior Xavian Rimmer (7.2, 2.0) and sophomore Kasey Shepherd (8.2, 2.4) providing the biggest lift at guard with freshman Hayward Register (2.6) also seeing time. Junior J.J. Davenport (3.0, 3.3), who played the last two seasons at New Mexico Junior College, and freshmen Vieux Kande (0.3, 0.8), and Luka Kamber (0.7 ppg) are the primary reserves inside with both Davenport and Kande playing center and Kamber a forward. Marlin is utilizing the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. The Cajuns use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.

LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns were featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released on Monday (Dec. 16). Shawn Long was fifth in double-doubles (6), sixth in rebounding (11.0), 26th in scoring (20.8) and 30th in blocks (2.8). Junior Elfrid Payton was 34th in scoring (20.3), 33rd in steals (2.3), and 37th in assists (5.5). As a team, the Cajuns were 30th in scoring offense (82.8) and 48th in three-point field goal defense (.290).

$5 TICKET OFFER FOR CENTRAL METHODIST: Cajuns fans who wish to attend the Dec. 30 home game against Central Methodist will be able to take advantage of a special $5 seat offer for that game. The special applies to third level seats and in the corners on the second level.

MARLIN GETS 50TH, EYES 400TH: The win over Houston on Saturday gave fourth year Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin his 50th victory with the Cajuns, improving him to 50-54 overall (.481). That isn't the only milestone that Marlin is near as he enters the week with a 398-220 record in 21 seasons as a head coach at the collegiate level, needing just two more wins to reach the 400 mark for his career.

PAYTON NEEDS 45 TO REACH THE 1,000 POINT MARK: Averaging 20.3 points through the first 10 games, junior guard Elfrid Payton is quickly closing in on the 1,000 point mark for his career. Payton enters the week with 955 points, needing 45 more to become the 40th player in school history to reach that plateau.

CAJUNS CHASE RECORD HEADING INTO NEW YEAR: With a 7-3 record and three games left to play before the new year, the Cajuns are within reach of the school record of nine wins before the new year, which was set in both 1982-83 and 1990-91.

PLAYING OVERTIME: The win over Houston on Saturday was the first overtime game of the season for the Cajuns and improved the to 7-4 in the four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin. Last year, Louisiana dropped double overtime decisions at Texas Southern (74-71) and vs. South Alabama (91-89).

SCORING OFF THE GLASS: Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 28 baskets off his 42 offensive rebounds this season or an average of 5.6 points a game. Long ranks third in the Sun Belt averaging 4.2 offensive rebounds a game and second in scoring (20.8).

20-POINT GAMES: The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the four Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 15 times in the first 10 games this season. Shawn Long and Elfrid Payton lead the way with six 20-point games each, including four contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (2) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have come off the bench to reach the mark. Last year, Cajuns players had 25, 20-point games, with all but one coming from a starter. Payton and Long had nine each with Bryant Mbamalu adding five and Alan-Michael Thompson getting two.

. . . AND 30-POINT EFFORTS: When Elfrid Payton scored 31 points against Houston, it marked his second 30-point effort of the season. He previously scored a career-high 32 points in the win over Oakland. Last year, Payton scored 32 points against Western Kentucky for the only 30-point game by a Cajun.

PAYTON NEARS ASSIST TOP 10: With 55 assists in 10 games this year, Elfrid Payton has moved into 12th place on the Louisiana career assist list. Payton has 333 assists, and needs 38 assists to catch 11th place Michael Allen (371 assists from 1992-94) and 55 to pass 10th place Andrew Toney (387 from 1977-80).

SHEPHERD IS HEATING UP: Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd is in a zone, averaging 16.5 points and 4.8 rebounds over the last four games. Shepherd averaged just 2.7 points in his first six contests before scoring 17 points with six rebounds against Northwestern State on Nov. 27. He came back on Dec. 4 to score a career-high 22 points with six rebounds at Louisiana Tech, add 18 points with five rebounds at Louisville on Dec. 7 and tally nine points vs. Houston. Over the last four games, Shepherd is shooting .677 (21-31) from the field, .563 from three-point (9-16) and a perfect 15-for-15 from the foul line to raise his scoring average to 8.2 points per game. He ranks third in the Sun Belt, shooting .591 three-point (13-22).

LONG RECORDS QUICK DOUBLE-DOUBLES: After ranking sixth nationally last year with 18 double-doubles, sophomore Shawn Long has started the year with six double-doubles in the first 10 games, achieving two before halftime. He scored 23 points with 14 rebounds in the season-opening win over Louisiana College. He needed just 18:07 to get his first double-double of the year, grabbing his 10th rebound of the night (to go with 14 points at the time) as part of an 18-point, 11-rebound effort in the first half. Against Northwestern State on Nov. 26, Long had 16 points and 12 rebounds at halftime, accomplishing the double-double with 2:51 to play. He finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Long did not have a double-double by halftime during the 2012-13 season.

. . . AND PAYTON ADDS HIS SIXTH: Elfrid Payton is also getting into the double-double action, recording three already this season including in back-to-back games against Louisiana Tech and Louisville last week to give him six career double-doubles. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds at Louisiana Tech and came back to record 12 points and 10 assists against the Cardinals. Payton has been diverse in putting his double-doubles together, owning three point-rebound double-doubles and three with points and assists. Payton registered his first double-double of the year in the season opener, scoring 21 points with a career-high matching 10 assists.

JERRY FLAKE HONORED: Jerry Flake was feted over the weekend when his No. 20 was raised to the Cajundome rafters at halftime of the Houston game. Over four decades after completing his career, Flake still ranks fifth in school history with 2,058 career points, averaging 19.2 points a game over the course of his career. Flake's number 20 becomes the fifth retired jersey, joining Dwight "Bo" Lamar's No. 10, the No. 14 worn by Marvin Winkler, Andrew Toney's No. 24 and the No. 12 worn by Dean Church, which was retired in February, 2012.

LONG STARTS YEAR ON A ROLL: Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in six of the first 10 games to rank 11th nationally. He enters the Centenary game leading the Sun Belt in both rebounding (11.0) and defensive rebounding (6.8), ranked second in scoring (20.8) and blocks (2.8), third in offensive rebounds (4.2) and eighth in field goal percentage (.555).

LONG NAMED TOURNAMENT MVP: Sophomore forward Shawn Long was tabbed as the most valuable player of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland after averaging 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games, shooting .667 from the field (14-for-21) and .600 from three-point (3-for-5). He scored 24 points with a career-high matching 17 rebounds and five blocks in the opening round comeback win over Oakland and came back to score all 18 of his points in the second half in the title game vs. Coastal Carolina.

. . . AND LONG RECEIVES FIRST LSWA HONOR: Shawn Long's strong start to his sophomore year has also led to him earning the first player of the week award of the year rom the Louisiana Sports Writers Association on Dec. 3. The award covered the first month of the season, during which Long averaged 20.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in helping the Cajuns to a 5-2 record and the team championship at the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland Classic.

. . . AND LONG EARNS SECOND SUN BELT HONOR: It took Shawn Long just three weeks to garner a pair of Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week awards. Long earned the honor on Nov. 12 after scoring 23 points with 14 rebounds and four blocks in the season opener against Louisiana College. He came back on Nov. 26 to pick up the award again after being named the MVP of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland.

PAYTON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50: Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.

. . . AND MORE HONORS FOR PAYTON: Being selected to the Wooden Award list is the latest in a long list of preseason awards for Elfrid Payton. Earlier in the fall, Payton was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, Payton was named to the Mid-Major All-America first team by NBCSports.com and to the Lou Henson All-America team, which honors the nation's top mid-major players and is presented by CollegeInsider.com.

CAJUNS SNAP ROAD STREAK: The win at Coastal Carolina on Nov, 24 snapped a 19-game road losing streak against non-conference opponents that dated back to the end of the 2009-10 season. The win did not come easy as the basketball gods toyed with the Cajuns, nearly allowing Coastal Carolina to rally back from 15 points down with 5:13 left before Louisiana escaped with a 73-69 win. The Cajuns did that streak one better by winning at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 4, before having their modest two-game win streak snapped at Louisville.

RAGIN' CAJUNS START THE NEXT 100 SEASONS: The Ragin' Cajuns have begun their 101st season of basketball. The first season was in 1911-12 when the Cajuns posted a 4-1 record. Louisiana has gone on to win 20 or more games 21 times since, entering the Houston game with a 1,316-1,008 overall record. Louisiana did not have a team in either 1973-74 or 1974-75 because of NCAA sanctions. In the first 100 seasons, the Cajuns have advanced to postseason play 18 times, including 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, winning 16 conference titles. Eight Louisiana players have earned All-America honors with 96 being named all-conference.

WELCOME BACK KEVIN: The Louisiana College game marked the return to the court for Kevin Brown, who missed most of last season after suffering a foot injury in the eighth game of the year. Brown averaged 4.8 points and shot .421 from three-point (8-21) last year, scoring a career-high 14 points at Michigan State. In 10 games, Brown is averaging 6.2 points and 1.4 rebounds a game, scoring six or more points six times, including a season-high 10 points at Louisiana Tech.

PAYTON OPENS SEASON WTTH HOT HAND: Elfrid Payton started his junior campaign off on the right foot, scoring 20 points or more in each of the first five games before tallying just 13 on Nov. 24 vs. Coastal Carolina. Payton had 21 points in the opener vs. Louisiana College, 22 vs. McNeese State, 27 at Arkansas, 20 at Baylor and a career-high 32 vs.Oakland. He is second on the team and ranks fourth in the Sun Belt averaging 19.9 points a game. Payton is the first Cajuns player to score 20 points or more in five straight games since Michael Allen scored 20 points or more in 12 straight games early in the 1993-94 season.

PAYTON IS ON PACE FOR ANOTHER 15, 5, 5 & 2: Elfrid Payton was the only player in Division I last year to average 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals a game last year and he has done it again through six games this season. Payton enters the week averaging 20.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Last year, he averaged 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals.

SIX GAMES TO BE TELEVISED: The Ragin' Cajuns will garner a little more attention nationally this year as six games will be televised during the regular season. The Nov. 12 game McNeese State vs. was televised throughout Louisiana by the Ragin' Cajuns Network. The Sun Belt Network will pick up home games vs. Texas State (Jan. 13) and South Alabama (March 2) and the road meeting with Georgia State (Feb. 22). The Nov. 17 contest at Baylor was featured on Fox Sports Southwest while the Dec. 7 game at defending national champion Louisville will be shown on ESPN3. In addition, the home games vs. WKU (Jan. 25) and Arkansas State (Feb. 15) could both be picked up by one of the ESPN channels.

MOORE LIKES OPENERS: Elridge Moore must love season openers. After all, the senior forward had scored in double figures just four times in his first season with the Cajuns. Last November, Moore went six-for-seven from the floor en route to setting career highs for points (15) and steals (5) in the season-opening win over Oakland. In the 2013-14 opener vs. Louisiana College, Moore scored seven of his 11 points in the second half, going four-for-five from the field and making all three free throws. Last year, Moore went on to average 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, finishing second on the team with 33 steals and 51 assists and third with 17 blocks.

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-percent both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2013 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns set a program record with a 2.904 grade point average for the team. It was the fifth time in six semesters that the team had a GPA of better than 2.50, which had never been done before. The last five semesters account for four of the top seven terms for the basketball team during that time.

NEXT UP: The Cajuns close out their pre-holiday schedule on Thursday night (Dec. 19) with a 7:30 p.m. game at Jackson State. Louisiana will then be off until Dec. 30 when the Cajuns close the non-conference schedule against Central Methodist beginning at 7:05 p.m. in the Cajundome.

Cajun Basketball Continues Home Stand vs. Centenary

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