Homestand Continues With Final E.K. Long Game of the Season

Contact: Matt Hebert

Game Notes

GAME CENTER
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013
Location: Lafayette, La.
Opponent: Troy (6-19, 3-13 Sun Belt)
Site: Earl K. Long Gym (1,121)
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com
Radio: None

LOUISIANA-TROY SERIES
The Series: Troy leads 6-5
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 4-1
In Earl K. Long Gym: Louisiana leads 4-1
Series Streak: Troy – won 2
Last Meeting: Troy 68, Louisiana 61 (Troy, Ala. // Feb. 2, 2013)
Noteworthy: The home team has come away victorious in nine of the 11 meetings in this young series. The two meetings the road team won occurred on Jan. 14, 2006 (UL won 81-69 in Troy) and Feb. 25, 2009 (Troy won 93-52 in Lafayette).

LOUISIANA
12-13 Record____________________     8-17
12-13 Sun Belt Record____________      2-14
Last Game______________________      Feb. 16, 2013
                                                                    vs. Florida Atlantic W, 72-57
Head Coach____________________       Garry Brodhead
   UL Record____________________       8-17 (1^st Season)
   Career Record_________________      Same
   Brodhead vs. Troy______________     0-1
Web Site_______________________     www.RaginCajuns.com

TROY
12-13 Record____________________     6-19
12-13 Sun Belt Record____________     3-13
Last Game______________________     Feb. 16, 2013
                                                                    vs. North Texas W,86-69
Head Coach_____________________     Chanda Rigby
   Troy Record___________________      6-19 (1^stSeason)
   Collegiate Record______________      235-118 (12^th Season)
   Rigby vs. UL___________________    1-0
Web Site________________________    www.TroyTrojans.com

Game Night Story Lines
>>> Louisiana continues a three-game homestand on Wednesday hosting Troy at Earl K. Long Gym. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
>>> Paced by career nights from Kia Wilridge and Keke Veal, who each scored 20 points, Louisiana brought an end to an 11-game losing streak with a 72-57 victory over Florida Atlantic at the Cajundome last Saturday.
>>> UL shot a season-best 52.9 percent (27-of-51) in avenging a 35-point defeat at the hands of the Owls back on Jan. 2.
>>> The Cajuns seek back-to-back Sun Belt victories for the first time in the Garry Brodhead era when they host Troy on Wednesday at Earl K. Long Gym.
>>> The Cajuns are 5-4 at Earl K. Long Gym in the inaugural Garry Brodhead campaign and sport a 6-7 record in home games (2-2 at the Cajundome).
>>> Louisiana's Garry Brodhead and Troy's Chanda Ribgy had successful stints as high school coaches in Louisiana. Brodhead went 297-78 at Lafayette's Teurlings Catholic with a state title while Rigby on a pair of state championships and was twice named the Louisiana Coach of the Year at Loranger High School
>>> The freshman class of Keke Veal (11.8), Sylvana Okde (11.0), Kia Wilridge (8.5), Jasmin Mills (4.7) and Adrienne Prejean (1.6) – the foundation class on which Garry Brodhead plans to rebuild the program – averages 37.6 points per game (66 percent of the team's offensive production).
>>> Sylvana Okde is on pace to finish the season with 77 three-point field goals made, which would rank fifth all-time in a single season and be the first Cajuns player with 70-plus triples since Rhonda McCullough in 1989-90 (McCullough made 88).
>>> Keke Veal produced double figures in points for the ninth time in the past 11 outings with a career-high 20 vs. FAU. Veal is averaging 13.0 points per game since Jan. 1.
>>> Louisiana has committed more turnovers than the opposition only six times in 25 contests (UL ranks fourth in the SBC in turnover margin at +2.52).

LAST TIME OUT: Louisiana 72, Florida Atlantic 57 in Cajundome
    The Ragin' Cajuns used a strong second half to end an 11-game skid as Louisiana defeated Florida Atlantic 72-57 at the Cajundome.
    Louisiana shot a season-best 52.9 percent (27-for-51) as a team including 38 points in the paint. The Cajuns also bested Florida Atlantic in points off turnovers with a 24-13 edge.
    Freshmen Kia Wilridge and Keke Veal each posted career highs as the duo had 20 points apiece. Wilridge shot an impressive 80 percent from the floor (8-for-10) and had three assists, while Veal added seven rebounds and four steals to her performance.
   The Cajuns would grab a 36-35 edge on a Veal three pointer at the 19:06 mark to start the second half. After the Owls battled back to take a 41-40 lead on a Chenise Miller layup with 16:28 left, Veal put Louisiana ahead for good with her jumper at the 14:51 mark.
    The Ragin' Cajuns went on an 11-2 run to extend their advantage to 58-49 at the 8:07 mark. Louisiana limited Florida Atlantic to just 10 points in the final 12:24 of the contest.
    Leading 62-54, Wilridge scored six of the Cajuns final 10 points as the lead remained above eight points the final five minutes of the contest.
    The first half was tightly contested as there were seven lead changes and seven ties.
    Florida Atlantic jumped out to their biggest lead of the contest at 18-14 on a three-pointer by Breana Turner. Senior Brandi Schambough pulled the Cajuns back in front after a pair of three-point baskets to take a 20-18 edge at the 9:01 mark.
    FAU would rally to tie the contest at 27-all, and then got back out to a four-point advantage with 1:01 left in the half. Wilridge knocked down her fifth bucket of the half with six seconds remaining in the first half to make the score 35-33 headed into the break.

SERIES HISTORY (Troy leads 6-5, overall; Louisiana leads 4-1 in Lafayette)
>>> Series commenced when Troy joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2005-06.
>>> Louisiana won the first three meetings – all under the direction of J. Kelley Hall. The Cajuns claimed an 81-69 victory in the inaugural meeting on Jan. 14, 2006.
>>> Troy has won six of the last eight meetings overall since that initial three-game win streak by Louisiana when the series began.
>>> Schools have alternated win streaks. Louisiana won the first three meetings (2005-06 through 2006-07). Troy won the next four contests (2007-08 through 2008-09). The Cajuns began a new series streak with wins in 2009-10 and 2010-11, but it was halted by Troy's 58-52 last season.
>>> The home team has come away victorious in nine of the 11 meetings in this young series. The two meetings the road team won occurred on Jan. 14, 2006 (UL won 81-69 in Troy) and Feb. 25, 2009 (Troy won 93-52 in Lafayette).

NOTING TROY
>>> Troy visits Louisiana on Wednesday on a bit of a roll, having won three of five, including an 86-69 win over North Texas on Saturday at Trojan Arena. Also included in the three wins is one over Sun Belt leader Middle Tennessee and one over the Cajuns in Troy (2/2/13).
>>> After going 0-8 in January, Troy is 3-2 in February with the first win being a 68-61 defeat of Louisiana on February 2 at Trojan Arena.
>>> Joanna Harden has scored in double figures in 11 straight games, a span over which she is averaging 20.9 points per game.
>>> Harden (14.8 ppg) leads a Troy offense that scores 72.8 points per game, the best mark in the Sun Belt and 19th best in the NCAA. Troy is also the top rebounding team in the league at 40.9 boards per game, despite no regular rotation players over 6-foot tall.
>>> In their most recent win, an 86-69 defeat of North Texas, Troy did its damage in transition thanks to 30 North Texas turnovers, marking the most miscues forced by Troy this year Troy scored 40 points off of the Mean Green turnovers and also posted 20 fastbreak points.
>>> Troy's win over UL back on Feb. 2 at Trojan Arena snapped a 16-game Sun Belt losing streak.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
>>> Louisiana closes out its three-game homestand at the Cajundome on Saturday, Feb. 23 hosting WKU. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
>>> The WKU contest marks the final home game of the 2012-13 season.
>>> Prior to the start of Saturday's game, Louisiana will honor its lone senior, Brandi Schambough, in a pregame ceremony.
>>> The WKU game will also be a "Think Pink” game with cancer survivors being recognized prior to tipoff (the first 250 in attendance will receive a "Think Pink" t-shirt).

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Homestand Continues With Final E.K. Long Game of the Season

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