Cajuns Open Three-Game Road Trip at Mississippi State

Game 7
Louisiana (4-2) at Mississippi State (7-1)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Humphrey Coliseum
Radio: www.HailState.com
TV: None
Live Stream: www.HailState.com
Live Stats: www.HailState.com
Series: Mississippi State leads 7-0.
Last Meeting: Mississippi State 72, Louisiana 38, Dec. 19, 2011 in Starkville.
Louisiana season tickets available at RaginCajuns.com and by calling the Cajundome (337) 265-2357.

THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
GARRY BRODHEAD (Louisiana '80)
At Louisiana: 14-23 (2nd Season)
Overall: Same
vs. MSU: First Meeting

MISSISSIPPI STATE
Vic Schaefer
At MSU: 20-18 (2nd Season)
Overall: 100-128 (9th Season)
vs. Louisiana: First Meeting

Game Notes

Setting the Scene: The Ragin' Cajuns open up a three-game road trip with Mississippi State on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. The Cajuns are coming off of their second straight win, defeating Xavier (La.), 62-54, on Sunday at the Cajundome to improve to 4-2 on the season. Sophomore guard Keke Veal continues to lead the team on offense, averaging 14.2 points, 3.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 27.3 minutes a game. Fellow sophomore Sylvana Okde also averages over 10 points a game, with 10.3 and 2.0 assists a game.

About the Opponent: Mississippi State is 7-1 on the season, winning their first seven contests before dropping the championship game of the Gulf Coast Showdown to Middle Tennessee, 62-48. They are led by the duo of Martha Alwal (15.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Kendra Grant (13.6 ppg). As a team they are shooting .433 from the field and have a +23.9 scoring margin on the season winning three of their seven games by more than 20 points and two by a margin of 30 or more.

Like she stole Something: Keke Veal averages 3.17 steals a game through the first six games, leading both the team and conference. She also ranks 16th in the nation, and is second among teams on Louisiana's schedule in steals per game, behind Chrisstasia Walter of Louisiana Tech (3.5). D.J. Fowler of Charleston Southern leads the nation with 5.2 steals a game.

Double (Figure) Trouble: Sophomore Keke Veal has scored in double-digits in all but one game this season, scoring a season-high 18 points against Jackson State, with 17 points against Sam Houston State, 15 against both Nebraska Omaha and SUNO, and 14 against Lamar. She is just one of two Cajuns to average over 10 points a game, along with Sylvana Okde. As a team, the Cajuns have had four players in double-figures in three games, doing so against Nebraska Omaha, SUNO and Sam Houston State.

To Their Defense: The Cajuns are second in the Sun Belt allowing just 66.5 points per game, trailing UALR by just 0.9 points (64.6). The Cajuns also have the best scoring margin in the conference at +4.8.

Avoiding the Turnover: Louisiana ranks 33rd in the nation with a +4.83 turnover margin, as of Dec. 1. The Cajuns have forced 149 turnovers while turning the ball over 120 times, for averages of 24.8 takeaways a game over 20.0 giveaways a game. Freshman guard Jaylyn Gordon leads Louisiana with a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio, the third-highest in the conference behind Alisha Andrews (GSU) and Kaylan Martin (TXST) with 2.0 and 1.8, respectively.

From Downtown: Sophomore guard Sylvana Okde hit 74 3-pointers in her freshman season, marking the fourth-highest season in Ragin' Cajuns history. To put into perspective, she has already cracked the top-10 list for 3-point shots made in a career, ranking ninth in just her first season. She became the first player since Rhonda McCullough with 70-or-more 3-pointers in a season in 1989-90. McCllough also holds the all-time record for 3-pointers in a season, knocking down 102 triples in the 1987-88 season. As a sophomore, Okde has added to that total, hitting 13 of 41 shots from behind the arc for 86 career triples. She is six away from tying Alexis Green (2008-10) for eighth all-time in a career.

What's Next? The Ragin' Cajuns continue their road trip with a stop in Ruston to take on Louisiana Tech (Dec. 7) and then a trip to face New Orleans (Dec. 14), before returning home for a home contest against Alcorn State (Dec. 19) at Earl K. Long Gymnasium. Louisiana will take 10 days off for the holidays, and finish their nonconference schedule with Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 29 at the Cajundome. Louisiana opens conference play on Jan. 4 when it travels north to take on ULM at 2 p.m. on Jan. 4.

-- Ragin Cajuns --

Cajuns Open Three-Game Road Trip at Mississippi State

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