Cajuns Meet Jaguars in Mobile for Lone Road Game of the Week

Contact: Matt Hebert

Game Notes

GAME CENTER
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013
Location: Mobile, Ala.
Opponent: South Alabama (13-11, 6-9 Sun Belt)
Site: Mitchell Center (10,000)
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. (CST)
Live Stats/Video: www.USAJaguars.com
Radio: None

LOUISIANA-SOUTH ALABAMA SERIES
The Series: South Alabama leads 33-10
In Mobile: South Alabama leads 17-3
In Mitchell Center: South Alabama leads 9-2
Series Streak: South Alabama – won 9
Last Meeting: South Alabama 53, Louisiana 43 (Earl K. Long Gym // Jan. 9, 2013)
Noteworthy: The Ragin' Cajuns last series victory came on Jan. 17, 2007 at Earl K. Long Gym (W, 69-61).

LOUISIANA
12-13 Record____________________     7-16
12-13 Sun Belt Record____________      1-13
Last Game______________________      Feb. 10, 2013
                                                                             vs. ULM L, 63-68 (OT)
Head Coach____________________       Garry Brodhead
   UL Record____________________       7-16 (1^st Season)
   Career Record_________________      Same
   Brodhead vs. USA______________     0-1
Web Site_______________________     www.RaginCajuns.com

SOUTH ALABAMA
12-13 Record____________________     13-11
12-13 Sun Belt Record____________        6-9
Last Game______________________      Feb. 9, 2013
                                                                              vs. Florida Atlantic L, 56-59
Head Coach____________________        Rick Pietri
   USA Record___________________        216-165 (18^thSeason)
   Career Record_________________       Same
   Pietri vs. UL___________________       19-3
Web Site________________________    www.USAJaguars.com

Game Night Story Lines
>>> The Cajuns are set for a rematch with South Alabama on Wednesday, Feb. 13 in Mobile at the Mitchell Center. USA claimed the season's first meeting 53-43 at Earl K. Long Gym back on Jan. 9.
>>> Louisiana's attempt at snapping a nine-game losing streak was foiled on Sunday at the Cajundome as ULM reeled off an 11-2 run at the end of regulation to force overtime and escape with a 68-63 win in overtime.
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns played an overtime contest for the fourth time in the inaugural Garry Brodhead season. The opposition came away victorious for the second straight OT game (FIU won 64-63 on Jan. 23).
>>> Three of the last four games have been close calls for Garry Brodhead's troops, experiencing 12 ties and 13 lead changes vs. FIU (Jan. 23) and 11 ties and 11 changes at Troy (Feb. 2), then holding the lead for all but 1:15 of the second half vs. ULM only to have the Warhawks rally to force overtime.
>>> Sylvana Okde finished as Louisiana's leading scorer for the eighth time (20 points) this season on Sunday vs. ULM. Jasmin Mills collected a double-double for the first time since a 14-point, 10-rebound effort against Southern-New Orleans on Nov. 28
>>> The freshman class of Keke Veal (11.4), Sylvana Okde (11.3), Kia Wilridge (8.0), Jasmin Mills (5.0) and Adrienne Prejean (1.6) – the foundation class on which Garry Brodhead plans to rebuild the program – averages 37.3 points per game (65 percent of the team's offensive production).
>>> Sylvana Okde is on pace for 78 three-point field goals made, which would land in the program's all-time, single-season Top 5 list. The last Cajuns player to convert 70-plus three-point field goals was Rhonda McCullough with 88 back in 1989-90.
>>> Keke Veal produced double figures in points for the seventh time in the past nine outings with 13 vs. ULM. Veal is averaging 12.5 points per game since Jan. 1.
>>> Louisiana has committed more turnovers than the opposition only six times in 23 contests (UL ranks fourth in the SBC in turnover margin at +2.6).

LAST TIME OUT: ULM 68, Louisiana 63 in OT at Cajundome
ULM closed out the second half with an 11-2 run to force overtime and fended off a Ragin' Cajuns rally in the extra session to escape with a 68-63 victory.
The second-half ending run by the Warhawks was triggered by scores on five straight possessions and erased a 57-48 Ragin' Cajuns lead from the 2:52 mark through 1:50 mark.
Hurt by giving up points off turnovers throughout the night, the Warhawks generated seven points off of three costly Cajuns turnovers in staging their comeback.
Louisiana had led since a Kia Wilridge basket with 18:24 remaining gave the hosts a 32-31 lead. The Cajuns had two chances at a winning basket in the final minute of regulation.
The Warhawks hot surge continued in the opening minutes of overtime as baskets from Jasmine Shaw and Ashleigh Simmons on the first two touches opened a 63-59 lead.
A steal by Robbie Brown at 2:29 led to a layup that drew the Cajuns even at 63-all. UL would close out the remainder of overtime scoreless and the Warhawks broke the tie with a Christina Gray free throw at 1:49.
The loss was a tough one for a Cajuns squad still in search of their first win in the “New Year”. The Cajuns 10th straight loss came despite leading the Warhawks for all but 1:15 of the second stanza.
Sylvana Okde registered her sixth 20-point performance with exactly that amount to pace the Cajuns' efforts. Jasmin Mills added her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
A slow start from the field (2-of-11) by the Cajuns and a fast start by the Warhawks (6-of-7) resulted in a 15-7 ULM lead after eight minutes. UL made four of its next six shots and chipped away at the Warhawks' lead, closing the deficit to 19-17 at 8:30 following a triple by Keke Veal. Okde provided UL with its first lead of the contest on the next possession with a triple.

SERIES HISTORY (South Alabama leads 33-10, overall; South Alabama leads 17-3 in Mobile)
>>> Series became a mainstay on each team's schedule when the American South Conference merged with the Sun Belt Conference for the 1991-92 season.
>>> Wednesday's contest marks the 21st overall in the city of Mobile and 12th at the Mitchell Center. USA holds a 17-3 lead in Mobile, which includes a 9-2 record at E.K. Long.
>>> USA has won 19 of the previous 22 meetings since Rick Pietri took charge of the program in 2000-01. The Jaguars carry a nine-game win streak into Wednesday's contest.
>>> Nearly half of the series meetings have been decided by single digits (19 of 43). Under former head coach J. Kelley Hall, the Cajuns and Jaguars had a stretch of eight straight games with a single-digit margin (2002-03 season through 2006-07 season).
>>> The Ragin' Cajuns last series victory came on Jan. 17, 2007 at Earl K. Long Gym (W, 69-61).
>>> First meeting took place Nov. 27, 1987 (USA won 63-61) at LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge.

NOTING SOUTH ALABAMA
>>> The Jags have dropped four of their last five Sun Belt games.
>>> Mary Nixon has played well as of late, registering double digits in four of her last five outings. She is shooting 41.1 percent from the floor and she is second in the conference in three point shooting, knocking down 39.2 percent of her attempts.
>>> Mansa El recorded one of her best games of the season in the season's first meeting, leading the Jags with 20 points and nine rebounds.
>>> Under Rick Pietri, USA holds an overall record of 128-54 (.703) record at home.
>>> During Rick Pietri's 13 seasons, USA has recorded a 162-53 (.754) record when it has held its opponents to 59 points or less.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
>>> Following the USA game, Louisiana returns home for a three-game homestand Feb. 16-23 with games against Florida Atlantic (Feb. 16), Troy (Feb. 20) and Western Kentucky (Feb. 23).
>>> The homestand, which marks the final games of the 2012-13 home schedule, begins on Saturday, Feb. 16 as the Cajuns host FAU at the Cajundome beginning at 5 p.m.
>>> Florida Atlantic won the season's first meeting, posting a 79-44 victory on Jan. 2 in Boca Raton, Fla.
>>> The Owls have won the last three meetings in Lafayette. In fact, both of UL's Sun Belt wins over FAU came in Boca Raton.

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Cajuns Meet Jaguars in Mobile for Lone Road Game of the Week

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