University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Monday, December 30
Lafayette
7:05 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
Central Methodist (Mo.)
Cajuns Close Non-Conference Play vs. Central Methodist
12/29/2013 3:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 13
Central Methodist (7-7) at Louisiana (8-4)
Date: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013
Time: 7:05 p.m. CST
Promo: $5 for tickets in third level and in the corners on the second level.
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: First Meeting
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 51-55 (4th year)
4-Year Overall: 276-186 (16th year)
All Collegiate: 399-221 (21st year)
vs. Central Methodist: 0-0
CENTRAL METHODIST
JEFF SHERMAN (CMC '83)
At Central Methodist: 509-405 (29th year)
Overall: 509-405 (29th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-0
SETTING THE SCENE: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns close out the 2013 calendar year when they host Central Methodist on Monday, Dec. 30 beginning at 7:05 p.m. in the Cajundome in the final non-conference game of the season. The Cajuns (8-4) haven't played since suffering a 73-70 last-second loss at Jackson State on Dec. 19. A Louisiana victory would not only allow the Cajuns to match the 1982-83 and 1990-91 teams by winning nine games before the new year, but it would give Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin his 400th career victory. In addition, junior Elfrid Payton enters the contest with 992 career points, eight shy of becoming the 40th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. This will be the first game against a Division I opponent for Central Methodist, which brings a 7-7 record into the contest. The Cajuns and Eagles have never met on the hardwood before.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: Louisiana is off to an 8-4 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 (19.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.1 spg) and forward Shawn Long (21.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.7 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 (6.3, 1.4), who is returning after missing most of last season with an injury, has taken over with Steven Wronkoski (6.3, 2.8) starting on the other wing. The bench has been a source of a good offensive spark as junior Xavian Rimmer (7.3, 2.1) and sophomore Kasey Shepherd (8.9, 2.4) providing the biggest lift at guard with freshman Hayward Register (2.1) also seeing time. Junior J.J. Davenport (2.8, 3.0), who played the last two seasons at New Mexico Junior College, and freshmen Vieux Kande (1.2, 0.9), and Luka Kamber (0.4, 1.2) 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 Tuesday, Dec. 23. Shawn Long was third in rebounding (11.3), fourth in double-doubles (7), 21st in scoring (21.2) and 33rd in blocks (2.7). Junior Elfrid Payton was 34th in scoring (19.9), 36th in assists (5.5) and 53rd in steals (2.1). As a team, the Cajuns were 22nd in scoring offense (83.4) and 48th in three-point field goal defense (.290).
$5 TICKET OFFER FOR CENTRAL METHODIST: Cajuns fans who wish to attend Monday night's 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.
SHIPLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Legendary Louisiana men's basketball coach Beryl Shipley, who guided the Cajuns to a 293-126 record with winning records in 15 of his 16 seasons, will be one of eight individuals selected for enshrinement in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Shipley was the first head coach of a predominantly white state college in the deep south to give scholarships to black student-athletes. Under Shipley's leadership, the Cajuns finished in the national top 20 in each of his last six seasons - the first four in the college division polls, the last two in Division I. Starting in 1963, Shipley rattled off five Gulf States Conference Championships in six seasons, including a win at the 1964-65 NAIA District 27 Tournament Championship. The 2014 induction class will be enshrined on Saturday, June 21.
MARLIN EYES 400TH VICTORY: Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin enters the Central Methodist game one win away from his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the week with a 399-221 record (.644) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola Junior College (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Saturday (Dec. 14) and carries a 51-55 record into the Central Methodist game.
PAYTON JUST EIGHT AWAY FROM THE 1,000 POINT MARK: A 22-point effort against Jackson State on Dec. 19 has raised Elfrid Payton's career scoring total to 992 points, leaving him eight points shy of becoming the 40th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career. Payton is averaging 19.9 points this season with two 30-point games.
. . . AND PICKS UP LSWA HONOR: A 31-point explosion against Houston on Dec. 14 helped junior guard Elfrid Payton to pick up the Louisiana Player of the Week award from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Payton was 10-for-19 from the field and 11-for-19 from the line with five rebounds and five assists.
CAJUNS ATTEMPT TO TIE RECORD HEADING INTO NEW YEAR: With an 8-4 record heading into the week, the Cajuns are within reach of tying the school record of nine wins before the new year, which was set in both 1982-83 and 1990-91.
SHOOTING RECORDS FALL: The win over Centenary on Dec. 17 featured a pair of impressive shooting performances. Shawn Long tied the school record for field goal percentage in a game by making all 12 of his field goal attempts. He equalled the record set by both Todd Hill (10-for 10 vs. McNeese State on 2/27/92) and Chris Manuel (10-for-10 vs. Lamar on 2/19/98). Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd made all five of his three-point attempts to break the school record for three-point percentage in game, formerly held b Aaron Mitch (5-6, .833 vs. Bellhaven on 11/27/87) and Randell Daigle (5-6, .833 vs. FIU, 2/4/10).
PLAYING OVERTIME: The win over Houston on Dec. 14 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 31 baskets off his 51 offensive rebounds this season or an average of 5.2 points a game. Long ranks third in the Sun Belt averaging 4.0 offensive rebounds a game and second in scoring (21.6).
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 17 times in the first 12 games this season. Shawn Long (7) and Elfrid Payton (7) lead the way, 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 Shawn Long set a career-high with 30 points against Centenary, it marked the third time this season that Ragin' Cajuns player scored 30 or more points in a game. Elfrid Payton owns the other two games, scoring 31 points against Houston (Dec. 14) and a career-high 32 points in the win over Oakland (Nov. 23). Last year, Payton scored 32 points against Western Kentucky for the only 30-point game by a Cajun.
PAYTON NEARS ASSIST TOP 10: With 66 assists in 12 games this year, Elfrid Payton has moved into 12th place on the Louisiana career assist list. Payton has 344 assists, and needs 27 assists to catch 11th place Michael Allen (371 assists from 1992-94) and 44 to pass 10th place Andrew Toney (387 from 1977-80).
SHEPHERD IS HEATING UP: Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd is in a zone, averaging 15.2 points and 4.0 rebounds over the last six 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 19 vs. Centenary. Over the last five games, Shepherd is shooting .700 (28-40) from the field, .667 from three-point (14-21) and a perfect 15-for-15 from the foul line to raise his scoring average to 9.2 points per game. He leads the Sun Belt, shooting .667 three-point (18-27).
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 (Dec. 4) and Louisville (Dec. 7) 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.
LONG STARTS YEAR ON A ROLL: Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in seven of the first 12 games to rank fourth nationally. He enters the Central Methodist game leading the Sun Belt in both rebounding (11.3) and defensive rebounding (7.1), ranked second in scoring (21.2) and blocks (2.7), third in offensive rebounds (4.0) and sixth in field goal percentage (.566).
NEXT UP: After ringing in the new year, the Cajuns will open Sun Belt Conference play at ULM on Saturday, Jan. 4 beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 13
Central Methodist (7-7) at Louisiana (8-4)
Date: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013
Time: 7:05 p.m. CST
Promo: $5 for tickets in third level and in the corners on the second level.
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: First Meeting
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 51-55 (4th year)
4-Year Overall: 276-186 (16th year)
All Collegiate: 399-221 (21st year)
vs. Central Methodist: 0-0
CENTRAL METHODIST
JEFF SHERMAN (CMC '83)
At Central Methodist: 509-405 (29th year)
Overall: 509-405 (29th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-0
SETTING THE SCENE: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns close out the 2013 calendar year when they host Central Methodist on Monday, Dec. 30 beginning at 7:05 p.m. in the Cajundome in the final non-conference game of the season. The Cajuns (8-4) haven't played since suffering a 73-70 last-second loss at Jackson State on Dec. 19. A Louisiana victory would not only allow the Cajuns to match the 1982-83 and 1990-91 teams by winning nine games before the new year, but it would give Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin his 400th career victory. In addition, junior Elfrid Payton enters the contest with 992 career points, eight shy of becoming the 40th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. This will be the first game against a Division I opponent for Central Methodist, which brings a 7-7 record into the contest. The Cajuns and Eagles have never met on the hardwood before.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: Louisiana is off to an 8-4 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 (19.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.1 spg) and forward Shawn Long (21.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.7 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 (6.3, 1.4), who is returning after missing most of last season with an injury, has taken over with Steven Wronkoski (6.3, 2.8) starting on the other wing. The bench has been a source of a good offensive spark as junior Xavian Rimmer (7.3, 2.1) and sophomore Kasey Shepherd (8.9, 2.4) providing the biggest lift at guard with freshman Hayward Register (2.1) also seeing time. Junior J.J. Davenport (2.8, 3.0), who played the last two seasons at New Mexico Junior College, and freshmen Vieux Kande (1.2, 0.9), and Luka Kamber (0.4, 1.2) 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 Tuesday, Dec. 23. Shawn Long was third in rebounding (11.3), fourth in double-doubles (7), 21st in scoring (21.2) and 33rd in blocks (2.7). Junior Elfrid Payton was 34th in scoring (19.9), 36th in assists (5.5) and 53rd in steals (2.1). As a team, the Cajuns were 22nd in scoring offense (83.4) and 48th in three-point field goal defense (.290).
$5 TICKET OFFER FOR CENTRAL METHODIST: Cajuns fans who wish to attend Monday night's 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.
SHIPLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Legendary Louisiana men's basketball coach Beryl Shipley, who guided the Cajuns to a 293-126 record with winning records in 15 of his 16 seasons, will be one of eight individuals selected for enshrinement in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Shipley was the first head coach of a predominantly white state college in the deep south to give scholarships to black student-athletes. Under Shipley's leadership, the Cajuns finished in the national top 20 in each of his last six seasons - the first four in the college division polls, the last two in Division I. Starting in 1963, Shipley rattled off five Gulf States Conference Championships in six seasons, including a win at the 1964-65 NAIA District 27 Tournament Championship. The 2014 induction class will be enshrined on Saturday, June 21.
MARLIN EYES 400TH VICTORY: Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin enters the Central Methodist game one win away from his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the week with a 399-221 record (.644) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola Junior College (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Saturday (Dec. 14) and carries a 51-55 record into the Central Methodist game.
PAYTON JUST EIGHT AWAY FROM THE 1,000 POINT MARK: A 22-point effort against Jackson State on Dec. 19 has raised Elfrid Payton's career scoring total to 992 points, leaving him eight points shy of becoming the 40th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career. Payton is averaging 19.9 points this season with two 30-point games.
. . . AND PICKS UP LSWA HONOR: A 31-point explosion against Houston on Dec. 14 helped junior guard Elfrid Payton to pick up the Louisiana Player of the Week award from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Payton was 10-for-19 from the field and 11-for-19 from the line with five rebounds and five assists.
CAJUNS ATTEMPT TO TIE RECORD HEADING INTO NEW YEAR: With an 8-4 record heading into the week, the Cajuns are within reach of tying the school record of nine wins before the new year, which was set in both 1982-83 and 1990-91.
SHOOTING RECORDS FALL: The win over Centenary on Dec. 17 featured a pair of impressive shooting performances. Shawn Long tied the school record for field goal percentage in a game by making all 12 of his field goal attempts. He equalled the record set by both Todd Hill (10-for 10 vs. McNeese State on 2/27/92) and Chris Manuel (10-for-10 vs. Lamar on 2/19/98). Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd made all five of his three-point attempts to break the school record for three-point percentage in game, formerly held b Aaron Mitch (5-6, .833 vs. Bellhaven on 11/27/87) and Randell Daigle (5-6, .833 vs. FIU, 2/4/10).
PLAYING OVERTIME: The win over Houston on Dec. 14 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 31 baskets off his 51 offensive rebounds this season or an average of 5.2 points a game. Long ranks third in the Sun Belt averaging 4.0 offensive rebounds a game and second in scoring (21.6).
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 17 times in the first 12 games this season. Shawn Long (7) and Elfrid Payton (7) lead the way, 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 Shawn Long set a career-high with 30 points against Centenary, it marked the third time this season that Ragin' Cajuns player scored 30 or more points in a game. Elfrid Payton owns the other two games, scoring 31 points against Houston (Dec. 14) and a career-high 32 points in the win over Oakland (Nov. 23). Last year, Payton scored 32 points against Western Kentucky for the only 30-point game by a Cajun.
PAYTON NEARS ASSIST TOP 10: With 66 assists in 12 games this year, Elfrid Payton has moved into 12th place on the Louisiana career assist list. Payton has 344 assists, and needs 27 assists to catch 11th place Michael Allen (371 assists from 1992-94) and 44 to pass 10th place Andrew Toney (387 from 1977-80).
SHEPHERD IS HEATING UP: Sophomore guard Kasey Shepherd is in a zone, averaging 15.2 points and 4.0 rebounds over the last six 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 19 vs. Centenary. Over the last five games, Shepherd is shooting .700 (28-40) from the field, .667 from three-point (14-21) and a perfect 15-for-15 from the foul line to raise his scoring average to 9.2 points per game. He leads the Sun Belt, shooting .667 three-point (18-27).
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 (Dec. 4) and Louisville (Dec. 7) 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.
LONG STARTS YEAR ON A ROLL: Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in seven of the first 12 games to rank fourth nationally. He enters the Central Methodist game leading the Sun Belt in both rebounding (11.3) and defensive rebounding (7.1), ranked second in scoring (21.2) and blocks (2.7), third in offensive rebounds (4.0) and sixth in field goal percentage (.566).
NEXT UP: After ringing in the new year, the Cajuns will open Sun Belt Conference play at ULM on Saturday, Jan. 4 beginning at 4:00 p.m.
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