Women's Basketball Wraps Up 2012-13 Home Slate With WKU

Game Notes

GAME CENTER
Date: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013
Location: Lafayette, La.
Opponent: Western Kentucky (19-7, 12-5 Sun Belt)
Site: Cajundome (11,550)
Game Time: 5:00 p.m. (CST)
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com
Television: Sun Belt Network (Cox Sports Television)
Radio: None

LOUISIANA-WESTERN KENTUCKY SERIES
The Series: Western Kentucky leads 35-2
In Lafayette: Western Kentucky leads 14-1
In Cajundome: Western Kentucky leads 4-0
Series Streak: Western Kentucky – won 6
Last Meeting: Western Kentucky 75, Louisiana 64 (Bowling Green, Ky. // Jan. 16, 2013)
Noteworthy: Saturday's contest marks the 16th meeting all-time in Lafayette, La. The Lady Toppers hold a 16-1 edge over the Cajuns in Louisiana.

LOUISIANA
12-13 Record____________________     9-17
12-13 Sun Belt Record____________      3-14
Last Game______________________      Feb. 20, 2013
                                                                    vs. Troy W, 63-59
Head Coach____________________       Garry Brodhead
   UL Record____________________       9-17 (1^st Season)
   Career Record_________________      Same
   Brodhead vs. WKU______________     0-1
Web Site_______________________     www.RaginCajuns.com

WESTERN KENTUCKY
12-13 Record____________________     19-7
12-13 Sun Belt Record____________      12-5
Last Game______________________     Feb. 20, 2013
                                                                    vs. UL-Monroe W, 65-63
Head Coach____________________       Michelle Clark-Heard
   WKU Record___________________      19-7 (1^stSeason)
   Career Record_________________      43-39 (3^rd Season)
   Clark-Heard vs. UL_______________    1-0
Web Site________________________    www.WKUsports.com

Game Night Story Lines
>>> Louisiana will look to win three straight for the first time this season as the Cajuns close out a three-game homestand on Saturday hosting Western Kentucky in the final home game of the year. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. at the Cajundome.
>>> UL will play its first television game under head coach Garry Brodhead. The contest will be broadcast by the Sun Belt Network and can be seen live on Cox Sports Television (CST). Lyn Rollins will call the action with Debbie Leonard providing color.
>>> Saturday's contest is senior day at the Cajundome as Brandi Schambough the team's lone senior will be honored prior to the contest.
>>> The Cajuns posted back-to-back wins for the third time this season after defeating Troy 63-59 on Wednesday at Earl K. Long Gym. The Cajuns never trailed in the contest with only two ties early in the evening.
>>> Junior Ashley Benjamin had a career night posting her second double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebound. With the effort, Benjamin moved into the Sun Belt top 30 in scoring.
>>> The Cajuns are 2-2 at the Cajundome in the inaugural Garry Brodhead campaign and sport a 7-6 record in home games (5-4 at Earl K. Long Gym).
>>> The freshman class of Keke Veal (11.7), Sylvana Okde (10.9), Kia Wilridge (8.4), Jasmin Mills (4.6) and Adrienne Prejean (1.6) – the foundation class on which Garry Brodhead plans to rebuild the program – averages 37.2 points per game (65 percent of the team's offensive production).
>>> Sylvana Okde is on pace to finish the season with 75 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 10th time in the past 12 outings including a career-high 20 vs. FAU. Veal is averaging 12.8 points per game since Jan. 1.
>>> Louisiana has committed more turnovers than the opposition only six times in 26 contests (UL ranks fourth in the SBC in turnover margin at +2.56).

LAST TIME OUT: Louisiana 63, Troy 59 in Lafayette, La.
The Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as Louisiana picked up its second straight win defeating Troy 63-59 in a Sun Belt Conference game Wednesday night at Earl K. Long Gym.
The Cajuns (9-17, 3-14 Sun Belt) held the Sun Belt's top scoring offense under 60 points for just the fifth time this season while shooting 36.1 percent from the floor (22-for-61).
Junior Ashley Benjamin led Louisiana with her second double-double of the year posting 18 points (7-for-13) and 14 rebounds.
Brandi Schambough and Keke Veal also scored in double digits as Schambough finished with 16 points and Veal had 10.
Troy's Joanna Harden was the leading scorer on the night with 25 points. Sarah McAppion had a double-double for the Trojans with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Louisiana used a 6-0 run to open the second half getting out to a 20-point lead at 44-24 just 1:42 into the half.
The Trojans were able to chip away at the lead using a 16-3 run to cut the Ragin' Cajuns advantage to five points at the 11:42 mark, 49-44.
Both teams would trade buckets over the next 10 minutes as the Cajuns led by seven points with 1:06 remaining in the contest.
Free throw woes would allow the Trojans to stay in the contest as Troy cut the lead to three points twice in the final minute. Louisiana was 3-for-8 from the line in the final minute.
With 14 seconds left, Kia Wilridge knocked down one of two free throws to seal the win.

SERIES HISTORY (Western Kentucky leads 35-2, overall; Western Kentucky leads 14-1 in Lafayette)
>>> All but one series meeting has occurred during the Ragin' Cajuns tenure as a Sun Belt member (1991-92 to present). First meeting came Dec. 29, 1984 at the LaSalle Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa.
>>> Louisiana's 80-72 victory at Earl K. Long Gym on Jan. 29, 2004 snapped a string of 26 consecutive WKU wins to begin the series.
>>> Both Cajuns series victories came during the J. Kelley Hall era (January 2004/January 2007).
>>> Last season's 49-45 WKU win at E.A. Diddle Arena (1/14/12) marked the Lady Toppers smallest margin of victory in the series.

NOTING WESTERN KENTUCKY
>>> The Hilltoppers are coming off of a closely contested 65-63 win over UL-Monroe on Wednesday. The Warhawks pulled within a basket with five seconds remaining on the clock but could not send the game to overtime as a desperation shot missed its intended target to end the contest.
>>> WKU sophomore guard Alexis Govan currently leads WKU in scoring at 20.2 points per game and became the 23rd player in program history to reach the 500-point mark for a single season in WKU's win over ULM on Thursday night while sophomore forward Chastity Gooch became the ninth player in program history to reach the 300 rebound mark for a single season and just the second to do it in a sophomore season.
>>> Chastity Gooch needs one double-double to tie current WKU assistant coach ShaRae Mansfield for the most double-doubles in a single season in program history. Mansfield had 22 double-doubles in 1999-00 while Gooch has 21 in 26 games this season.
>>> Chastity Gooch is the only player in school history with 400 points, 300 rebounds, 50 steals and 50 blocks in the season. Her 50 blocks in 2012-13 place her 8th on the school's single season top performance list, needing just six more to move into the top five for a single season.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
>>> Following the WKU game, Louisiana heads on the road for its final two regular season contests against UALR and UL-Monroe .
>>> First up the Cajuns head to UALR on Feb. 28 for a 5:15 contest at the Jack Stephens Center.
>>> The Trojans will be looking for revenge as the Cajuns knocked off UALR on Dec. 29, 2012 at the Cajundome by a final of 56-54 in overtime.
>>> Prior to the Cajuns win over UALR this season, the Trojans had run off 10 straight victories over Louisiana from Jan. 10, 2008 to Feb. 8, 2012.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Women's Basketball Wraps Up 2012-13 Home Slate With WKU

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