University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, March 2
Monroe, La.
4:00 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
ULM
Louisiana To Close Regular Season At ULM On Saturday
3/1/2013 5:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 31
Louisiana (11-19, 7-12) at ULM (4-21, 3-16)
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013
Time: 4:00 p.m. CST
Site: Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000), Monroe, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via UALRTrojans.com.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 47-19
Last Meeting: Louisiana 90, ULM 66 (2/10/13, Lafayette, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 41-50 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 266-181 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 389-216 (20th year)
vs. ULM: 15-4
ULM
KEITH RICHARD (ULM '82)
At ULM: 14-71 (3rd year)
Overall: 164-188 (12th year)
vs. Louisiana: 6-10
Bob Marlin Show On KPEL
The one-hour show originates from Walk-On's in Lafayette (2336 Kaliste Saloom). The next installment of the show is from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Monday, March 4.
SETTING THE SCENE: The Ragin' Cajuns basketball team travels to Monroe, La. to close the 2012-13 regular season with a Saturday (March 2) meeting with ULM beginning at 4:00 p.m. in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The game is a doubleheader with the Louisiana women's basketball team facing ULM beginning at 2:00 p.m. The Cajuns go into the contest needing a win over the Warhawks and a FIU win at Florida Atlantic in order to grab the No. 7 seed and face Troy in an opening round game of the Sun Belt Conference championship on March 8. If anything else happens, Louisiana will enter the tourney as the No.8 seed and face No. 9 North Texas in the first round. ULM, who is 4-21 on the year and has wrapped up the No. 11 seed in the tourney, dropped a 67-58 decision at home to FIU on Thursday. This will be the 66th meeting between Louisiana and ULM with the Cajuns owning a 47-19 series lead, including a 90-66 win in Lafayette on Feb. 10.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is happy with the progress made during 2012-13 season, but not happy with the win total. The team on the floor in February bares no resemblance to the one that opened the season in November, growing and improving all season. To allow the new faces time to acclimate to the collegiate game, the Cajuns have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (16.0, 5.5, 5.3). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (8.3 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (4.8, 3.7), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (5.9, 2.6), Kasey Shepherd (3.6) and Josh Soto (2.9) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. 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.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Friday (March 1) and included games through Feb. 28. Individually, Shawn Long ranked fifth nationally in double-doubles (16), 11th in rebounds (10.3) and 55th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton was 13th in steals (2.4) and 45th in assists (5.3).
THE CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP EMERGES: Heading into the final day of regular season play, the championship picture is much clearer as six of the 11 seeds have been determined for next week's Sun Belt Conference championship. Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State and South Alabama have assured themselves of the top three seeds while North Texas (No. 8), Troy (No. 9) and ULM (No. 11) have clinched the bottom three. The possibilities are simple for the Ragin' Cajuns. Louisiana will be the No. 7 seed (and play No. 10 Troy in the first round) if UL wins at ULM and FAU loses to FIU. If anything else happens, than the Cajuns will be the No. seed and face No. 9 North Texas in an opening round game on March 8.
PAYTON PASSES 1,000 MINUTES: Sophomore guard Elfrid Payton reached a playing milestone against WKU on Feb. 23, playing 38 minutes to surpass the 1,000 minute mark for the season. With 36 more minutes at UALR on Thursdayy, Payton now has 1,064 minutes, the most by a Cajuns player since Tyren Johnon had 1,082 in 2009-10. With 34 minutes at ULM on Saturday, Payton will break into the single-seasson top 10. Dion Brown holds the school record with 1,215 minutes played in 1983-84.
PAYTON KNOWS HOW TO CELEBRATE: Sophomore guard Elfrid Payton turned 19 on Feb. 22 and turned in his best week of basketball to celebrate and in the process, earn Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. The day before his birthday (Feb. 21), Payton scored 23 points, going nine-for-nine from the foul line, with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in a win over Troy. On Saturday (Feb. 23), the day after his birthday, he scored a career-high 31 points, the most points by a Cajun since David Dees had 36 points vs. Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24, 2007. For the week, Payton averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals in the two games, shooting .615 from the field (16-26) and .786 from the line (22-28).
PAYTON & LONG CLOSE IN ON 500 POINTS: With at least two games left in the 2012-13 season, the duo of Elfrid Payton (481 points) and Shawn Long (472) are closing in on becoming the first duo since 2006-07 to score 500 point in the same season. Tyren Johnson was the last Cajuns player to score 500 points in a season when he had 538 in 2009-10. The last duo was Ros Mouton (514) and David Dees (504) in 2009-10.
. . . AND LONG TOPS THE 300 BOARD MARK: With 13 rebounds against WKU on Feb. 23, Shawn Long has become just the sixth player in school hitory to grab 300 or more rebound in a single season. Long enters the ULM game ranked sixth on the Louisiana single season chart with 309 rebounds, 48 rebounds short of Roy Ebron (1972-73), who is fourth with 357 rebounds. Marcus Stokes, who is one of two players to grab 300 rebounds twice in a career, was the last Cajun player to reach the figure, grabbing 370 boards in 1991-92.
THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE DOME: The Ragin' Cajuns completed the 2012-13 season with a 10-5 record in the Cajundome. It was the fourth straight year that the Cajuns won 10 or more games in the Cajundome and the 18th time in the 28 years since the Cajundome opened its doors for the 1985-86 season. Louisiana is 268-112 all-time in the Cajundome, posting winning records in 26 of the 28 seasons in the building. Louisiana is 30-14 (18-8 SBC) in the three seasons under Bob Marlin.
TAKING CHARITY: The Cajuns are experiencing a surge at the foul line of late, making 106 of their 144 free throws over the last six games (.744), including a 23-for-28 effort (.821) in the win over Troy on Feb. 21. It has been a season of ups and downs at the stripe. UL opened the year by going 195-for-280 (.696) in the first 15 games before going cold, shooting .596 (113-190) over the next nine games.
. . . AND INDIVIDUALS FIND THEIR MARK: The upswing at the foul line has resulted in several Ragin' Cajuns posting solid numbers from the line. Bryant Mbamalu had his string of 14 straight free throws made snapped at UALR on Thursday and has now made 25 of his 27 free throw attempts (.926) over his last eight games. Elfrid Payton, who went nine-for-nine on Feb. 21 vs. Troy, had his streak of 21 consecutive free throws made snapped late in the WKU game and is now 40-for-54 (.741) over the last six contests. Finally, freshman Shawn Long has gone 16-for-20 (.800) over the last four games and Steven Wronkoski is 15-for-19 (.789) over the last six games. Alan-Michael Thompson now owns the longest active streak of consecutive free throws made, going six-for-six at UALR to extend his streak to 14 straight over the last 13 games.
PAYTON AT THE LINE: One large improvement that has gone relatuvely unnoticed this year has been the improvement at the foul line by Elfrid Payton. As a freshman, Payton was 75-for-133 from the stripe (.564) but he has improved that figure to .658 this year (123-18). Over the last six games, he has gone 40-for-54 from the stripe (.741), including a string of 21 straight makes. He was nine-for-nine in the win over Troy,
. . . AND A RECORD PERFORMANCE: Elfrid Payton spent a good portion of the WKU game (Feb. 23) at the foul line as he shattered his personal bests by making 13 of hi 19 free throw attempts. The 19 attempts fell one short of the school record 20 by Dean Church vs. Northwestern State (2/26/65) and Larry Simon vs. Nicholls State (2/23/62). The 19 attempts were the most ever by a Cajuns player in a Sun Belt game, topping the old mark of 18 by Anthony Johnson at New Orleans (1/11/03) and by Lonnie Thomas vs. UNO (2/5/00).
BACK TO THE FUTURE: With Alan-Michael Thompson playing well since Bryant Mbamalu went down with an injury and Mbamalu playing even better, head coach Bob Marlin made a lineup change at South Alabama on Feb. 14, putting Mbamalu back into the lineup and taking freshman Steven Wronkoski out. It is the same lineup that the Cajuns used in games 1, 3 & 4 this year, getting wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66) and dropping a close 63-57 decision at Boise State. The new lineup has resulted in wins in two of the last four games, improving to 4-4 this year in games it has been used.
BEST AGAINST THE WEST: The oddity of the 2012-13 season for the Cajuns is that they have excelled against the west division and struggled vs. the east. Louisiana enters the weekend with a 5-2 record against the four west division foes, tops in the Sun Belt, handing losses to both Arkansas State (5-1) and UALR (4-2). At the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana is 2-10 against the east division, winning two of the last three games. The Cajuns final divisional game comes on the road at ULM on Saturday.
TOUGH DECISIONS: One of the best examples of the youth of the Cajuns this season is that Louisiana has not fared well in close games, going 3-9 in games decided by six points or less, including a pair of overtime losses. The wins came at UNT on Dec. 1 (80-76), when they outlasted Arkansas State, 61-56, at home on Jan. 12 and last week's 58-57 win over FAU. For the year, the Cajuns are 1-1 in two-point games, 0-2 in three-point games, 1-0 in four-point games, 1-5 in five-point games and 0-1 in six-point decisions.
. . . AND EASY ONES: The Cajuns have played their best at home this year, winning seven of their 10 home wins by 10 points or more and owning a 13.0 margin of victory in the 10 wins.
LONG RANGE SCORING: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that the three-point shot would be more prominent in the offense this year and that forecast has been accurate. The Cajuns enter the week ranked second in the Sun Belt, averaging 6.8 treys per game (204 in 30 games). FIU leads the league with a 6.9 average, making 194 treys in 28 games. The Cajuns made 74 treys in the first 12 games (6.2/game) with no double-figure games but have found their shooting touch of late, averaging 7.2 three-pointers (130 total) over the last 18 contests with five double-figure games. The 200 treys has allowed Louisiana to easily surpass the 172 three-pointers it made in 32 games last season. The Cajuns have made 200 or more treys in a season 15 times in the 24 years since the three-point shot was adopted in 1986-87, including a record 251 in 1989-90.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 14-point, 13-rebound effort against WKU on Feb. 23 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 16th double-double in 30 games, good for seventh nationally. Bucknell's Mike Muscala and Towson's Jerrelle Benimon share the national lead with 19 double-doubles. Long has had a double-double in eight of the last 13 games, giving him nine double-doubles in 19 league games this season.
A TRIPLE-TWENTY: When Elfrid Payton (22 points), Alan-Michael Thompson (22) and Shawn Long (21) each surpassed the 20-point mark against FIU on Jan. 24, it marked the first time since the 2005-06 season that the Cajuns had three players with 20 or more points in a game. That came when Michael Southall (21), Dwayne Mitchell (21) and Ed Turner (20) each surpassed that mark in an 89-77 win over McNeese State on Dec. 22, 2005, 224 games ago.
LONG ENJOYS SWATTING SHOTS: With 60 blocked shots in 30 games this year, Shawn Long ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and 55th nationally in blocks. His block total ranks him sixth on the Louisiana single season chart, eight short of fifth place Michael Southall (68 in 2002-03). Long's 2.0 blocks per game are fifth-best in school history.
A 20-POINT BARRAGE: One by-product of Louisiana ranking second in the Sun Belt this year in scoring with an average of 71.0 points per game is an increased number of 20 point games by Cajuns individuals. In 32 games last year, six different Cajuns players combined to record nine 20-point performances with Josh Brown (3) being the only player with more than one 20-point game. In 30 games this year, Louisiana players have scored 20 points or more 24 times. Shawn Long leads the way with nine while Elfrid Payton (8), Bryant Mbamalu (5) and Alan-Michael Thompson (2) have also surpassed the mark.
. . . AND A 105-POINT BARRAGE: The 105 points by the Cajuns against North Texas on Jan. 31 was the most points by a Sun Belt team this year. It marked the second time that Louisiana surpassed the 100-point mark in three seasons under Bob Marlin (102 vs. Dillard on Dec. 12, 2011). It was the most points by the Cajuns since UL scored 110 at Western Kentucky on January 29, 2004.
THOMPSON ENJOYS A LONG-RANGE EVENING: Alan-Michael Thompson stepped up to provide the Cajuns with an outside shooting presence against FIU on Jan. 24, setting career highs for three-point field goals made (6) and attempted (16). The 16 three-point attempts was the second-highest single game total in school history, two shy of the school record of 18 set by Brad Boyd vs. Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 2002. The six treys is the most by a Cajun since Boyd had seven at Birmingham-Southern on Dec. 8, 2002.
. . . AND THOMPSON HAS ANOTHER GREAT NIGHT: Alan-Michael Thompson is coming off a 20-point explosion in the Feb. 21 win over Troy, going six-for-nine from three-point to match his career-high for three-pointers in a game.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of sophomore Elfrid Payton (16.0) ppg), freshman Shawn Long (15.7) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 62-percent of the points this season (1,315 of 2,126). Together, they have reached double figures 73 of the possible 86 times this year, including 21 games of 20-points or more. They combined to score a season-best 65 points vs. North Texas on Jan. 31 and previously scored 62 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 3), 61 vs. Troy on Feb. 21, 60 at North Texas on Dec. 1 and 59 vs. South Alabama (Jan. 10). The trio has totaled 50 points or more 10 times this year.
. . . THE TRIO FROM A SUN BELT PERSPECTIVE: A look at the most recent Sun Belt statistics shows that the trio of Elfrid Payton (16.0 ppg), Shawn Long (15.7 ppg) and Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) rank third, fifth and 10th, respectively in league scoring. Florida Atlantic is the only other team that has two players in the top 10 in scoring, but its third-leading scorer ranks 25th. In Sun Belt games only, Payton (17.6), Long (15.4) and Mbamalu (14.9) rank third, eighth and 10th, respectively.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns head to Hot Springs, Ark. for the annual Sun Belt Conference championship, opening play on Friday (March 8) against either Troy or North Texas.
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 31
Louisiana (11-19, 7-12) at ULM (4-21, 3-16)
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013
Time: 4:00 p.m. CST
Site: Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000), Monroe, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via UALRTrojans.com.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 47-19
Last Meeting: Louisiana 90, ULM 66 (2/10/13, Lafayette, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 41-50 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 266-181 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 389-216 (20th year)
vs. ULM: 15-4
ULM
KEITH RICHARD (ULM '82)
At ULM: 14-71 (3rd year)
Overall: 164-188 (12th year)
vs. Louisiana: 6-10
Bob Marlin Show On KPEL
The one-hour show originates from Walk-On's in Lafayette (2336 Kaliste Saloom). The next installment of the show is from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Monday, March 4.
SETTING THE SCENE: The Ragin' Cajuns basketball team travels to Monroe, La. to close the 2012-13 regular season with a Saturday (March 2) meeting with ULM beginning at 4:00 p.m. in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The game is a doubleheader with the Louisiana women's basketball team facing ULM beginning at 2:00 p.m. The Cajuns go into the contest needing a win over the Warhawks and a FIU win at Florida Atlantic in order to grab the No. 7 seed and face Troy in an opening round game of the Sun Belt Conference championship on March 8. If anything else happens, Louisiana will enter the tourney as the No.8 seed and face No. 9 North Texas in the first round. ULM, who is 4-21 on the year and has wrapped up the No. 11 seed in the tourney, dropped a 67-58 decision at home to FIU on Thursday. This will be the 66th meeting between Louisiana and ULM with the Cajuns owning a 47-19 series lead, including a 90-66 win in Lafayette on Feb. 10.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is happy with the progress made during 2012-13 season, but not happy with the win total. The team on the floor in February bares no resemblance to the one that opened the season in November, growing and improving all season. To allow the new faces time to acclimate to the collegiate game, the Cajuns have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (16.0, 5.5, 5.3). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (8.3 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (4.8, 3.7), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (5.9, 2.6), Kasey Shepherd (3.6) and Josh Soto (2.9) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. 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.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Friday (March 1) and included games through Feb. 28. Individually, Shawn Long ranked fifth nationally in double-doubles (16), 11th in rebounds (10.3) and 55th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton was 13th in steals (2.4) and 45th in assists (5.3).
THE CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP EMERGES: Heading into the final day of regular season play, the championship picture is much clearer as six of the 11 seeds have been determined for next week's Sun Belt Conference championship. Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State and South Alabama have assured themselves of the top three seeds while North Texas (No. 8), Troy (No. 9) and ULM (No. 11) have clinched the bottom three. The possibilities are simple for the Ragin' Cajuns. Louisiana will be the No. 7 seed (and play No. 10 Troy in the first round) if UL wins at ULM and FAU loses to FIU. If anything else happens, than the Cajuns will be the No. seed and face No. 9 North Texas in an opening round game on March 8.
PAYTON PASSES 1,000 MINUTES: Sophomore guard Elfrid Payton reached a playing milestone against WKU on Feb. 23, playing 38 minutes to surpass the 1,000 minute mark for the season. With 36 more minutes at UALR on Thursdayy, Payton now has 1,064 minutes, the most by a Cajuns player since Tyren Johnon had 1,082 in 2009-10. With 34 minutes at ULM on Saturday, Payton will break into the single-seasson top 10. Dion Brown holds the school record with 1,215 minutes played in 1983-84.
PAYTON KNOWS HOW TO CELEBRATE: Sophomore guard Elfrid Payton turned 19 on Feb. 22 and turned in his best week of basketball to celebrate and in the process, earn Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. The day before his birthday (Feb. 21), Payton scored 23 points, going nine-for-nine from the foul line, with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in a win over Troy. On Saturday (Feb. 23), the day after his birthday, he scored a career-high 31 points, the most points by a Cajun since David Dees had 36 points vs. Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 24, 2007. For the week, Payton averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals in the two games, shooting .615 from the field (16-26) and .786 from the line (22-28).
PAYTON & LONG CLOSE IN ON 500 POINTS: With at least two games left in the 2012-13 season, the duo of Elfrid Payton (481 points) and Shawn Long (472) are closing in on becoming the first duo since 2006-07 to score 500 point in the same season. Tyren Johnson was the last Cajuns player to score 500 points in a season when he had 538 in 2009-10. The last duo was Ros Mouton (514) and David Dees (504) in 2009-10.
. . . AND LONG TOPS THE 300 BOARD MARK: With 13 rebounds against WKU on Feb. 23, Shawn Long has become just the sixth player in school hitory to grab 300 or more rebound in a single season. Long enters the ULM game ranked sixth on the Louisiana single season chart with 309 rebounds, 48 rebounds short of Roy Ebron (1972-73), who is fourth with 357 rebounds. Marcus Stokes, who is one of two players to grab 300 rebounds twice in a career, was the last Cajun player to reach the figure, grabbing 370 boards in 1991-92.
THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE DOME: The Ragin' Cajuns completed the 2012-13 season with a 10-5 record in the Cajundome. It was the fourth straight year that the Cajuns won 10 or more games in the Cajundome and the 18th time in the 28 years since the Cajundome opened its doors for the 1985-86 season. Louisiana is 268-112 all-time in the Cajundome, posting winning records in 26 of the 28 seasons in the building. Louisiana is 30-14 (18-8 SBC) in the three seasons under Bob Marlin.
TAKING CHARITY: The Cajuns are experiencing a surge at the foul line of late, making 106 of their 144 free throws over the last six games (.744), including a 23-for-28 effort (.821) in the win over Troy on Feb. 21. It has been a season of ups and downs at the stripe. UL opened the year by going 195-for-280 (.696) in the first 15 games before going cold, shooting .596 (113-190) over the next nine games.
. . . AND INDIVIDUALS FIND THEIR MARK: The upswing at the foul line has resulted in several Ragin' Cajuns posting solid numbers from the line. Bryant Mbamalu had his string of 14 straight free throws made snapped at UALR on Thursday and has now made 25 of his 27 free throw attempts (.926) over his last eight games. Elfrid Payton, who went nine-for-nine on Feb. 21 vs. Troy, had his streak of 21 consecutive free throws made snapped late in the WKU game and is now 40-for-54 (.741) over the last six contests. Finally, freshman Shawn Long has gone 16-for-20 (.800) over the last four games and Steven Wronkoski is 15-for-19 (.789) over the last six games. Alan-Michael Thompson now owns the longest active streak of consecutive free throws made, going six-for-six at UALR to extend his streak to 14 straight over the last 13 games.
PAYTON AT THE LINE: One large improvement that has gone relatuvely unnoticed this year has been the improvement at the foul line by Elfrid Payton. As a freshman, Payton was 75-for-133 from the stripe (.564) but he has improved that figure to .658 this year (123-18). Over the last six games, he has gone 40-for-54 from the stripe (.741), including a string of 21 straight makes. He was nine-for-nine in the win over Troy,
. . . AND A RECORD PERFORMANCE: Elfrid Payton spent a good portion of the WKU game (Feb. 23) at the foul line as he shattered his personal bests by making 13 of hi 19 free throw attempts. The 19 attempts fell one short of the school record 20 by Dean Church vs. Northwestern State (2/26/65) and Larry Simon vs. Nicholls State (2/23/62). The 19 attempts were the most ever by a Cajuns player in a Sun Belt game, topping the old mark of 18 by Anthony Johnson at New Orleans (1/11/03) and by Lonnie Thomas vs. UNO (2/5/00).
BACK TO THE FUTURE: With Alan-Michael Thompson playing well since Bryant Mbamalu went down with an injury and Mbamalu playing even better, head coach Bob Marlin made a lineup change at South Alabama on Feb. 14, putting Mbamalu back into the lineup and taking freshman Steven Wronkoski out. It is the same lineup that the Cajuns used in games 1, 3 & 4 this year, getting wins over Oakland (90-79) and SUNO (76-66) and dropping a close 63-57 decision at Boise State. The new lineup has resulted in wins in two of the last four games, improving to 4-4 this year in games it has been used.
BEST AGAINST THE WEST: The oddity of the 2012-13 season for the Cajuns is that they have excelled against the west division and struggled vs. the east. Louisiana enters the weekend with a 5-2 record against the four west division foes, tops in the Sun Belt, handing losses to both Arkansas State (5-1) and UALR (4-2). At the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana is 2-10 against the east division, winning two of the last three games. The Cajuns final divisional game comes on the road at ULM on Saturday.
TOUGH DECISIONS: One of the best examples of the youth of the Cajuns this season is that Louisiana has not fared well in close games, going 3-9 in games decided by six points or less, including a pair of overtime losses. The wins came at UNT on Dec. 1 (80-76), when they outlasted Arkansas State, 61-56, at home on Jan. 12 and last week's 58-57 win over FAU. For the year, the Cajuns are 1-1 in two-point games, 0-2 in three-point games, 1-0 in four-point games, 1-5 in five-point games and 0-1 in six-point decisions.
. . . AND EASY ONES: The Cajuns have played their best at home this year, winning seven of their 10 home wins by 10 points or more and owning a 13.0 margin of victory in the 10 wins.
LONG RANGE SCORING: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that the three-point shot would be more prominent in the offense this year and that forecast has been accurate. The Cajuns enter the week ranked second in the Sun Belt, averaging 6.8 treys per game (204 in 30 games). FIU leads the league with a 6.9 average, making 194 treys in 28 games. The Cajuns made 74 treys in the first 12 games (6.2/game) with no double-figure games but have found their shooting touch of late, averaging 7.2 three-pointers (130 total) over the last 18 contests with five double-figure games. The 200 treys has allowed Louisiana to easily surpass the 172 three-pointers it made in 32 games last season. The Cajuns have made 200 or more treys in a season 15 times in the 24 years since the three-point shot was adopted in 1986-87, including a record 251 in 1989-90.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 14-point, 13-rebound effort against WKU on Feb. 23 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 16th double-double in 30 games, good for seventh nationally. Bucknell's Mike Muscala and Towson's Jerrelle Benimon share the national lead with 19 double-doubles. Long has had a double-double in eight of the last 13 games, giving him nine double-doubles in 19 league games this season.
A TRIPLE-TWENTY: When Elfrid Payton (22 points), Alan-Michael Thompson (22) and Shawn Long (21) each surpassed the 20-point mark against FIU on Jan. 24, it marked the first time since the 2005-06 season that the Cajuns had three players with 20 or more points in a game. That came when Michael Southall (21), Dwayne Mitchell (21) and Ed Turner (20) each surpassed that mark in an 89-77 win over McNeese State on Dec. 22, 2005, 224 games ago.
LONG ENJOYS SWATTING SHOTS: With 60 blocked shots in 30 games this year, Shawn Long ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and 55th nationally in blocks. His block total ranks him sixth on the Louisiana single season chart, eight short of fifth place Michael Southall (68 in 2002-03). Long's 2.0 blocks per game are fifth-best in school history.
A 20-POINT BARRAGE: One by-product of Louisiana ranking second in the Sun Belt this year in scoring with an average of 71.0 points per game is an increased number of 20 point games by Cajuns individuals. In 32 games last year, six different Cajuns players combined to record nine 20-point performances with Josh Brown (3) being the only player with more than one 20-point game. In 30 games this year, Louisiana players have scored 20 points or more 24 times. Shawn Long leads the way with nine while Elfrid Payton (8), Bryant Mbamalu (5) and Alan-Michael Thompson (2) have also surpassed the mark.
. . . AND A 105-POINT BARRAGE: The 105 points by the Cajuns against North Texas on Jan. 31 was the most points by a Sun Belt team this year. It marked the second time that Louisiana surpassed the 100-point mark in three seasons under Bob Marlin (102 vs. Dillard on Dec. 12, 2011). It was the most points by the Cajuns since UL scored 110 at Western Kentucky on January 29, 2004.
THOMPSON ENJOYS A LONG-RANGE EVENING: Alan-Michael Thompson stepped up to provide the Cajuns with an outside shooting presence against FIU on Jan. 24, setting career highs for three-point field goals made (6) and attempted (16). The 16 three-point attempts was the second-highest single game total in school history, two shy of the school record of 18 set by Brad Boyd vs. Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 2002. The six treys is the most by a Cajun since Boyd had seven at Birmingham-Southern on Dec. 8, 2002.
. . . AND THOMPSON HAS ANOTHER GREAT NIGHT: Alan-Michael Thompson is coming off a 20-point explosion in the Feb. 21 win over Troy, going six-for-nine from three-point to match his career-high for three-pointers in a game.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of sophomore Elfrid Payton (16.0) ppg), freshman Shawn Long (15.7) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 62-percent of the points this season (1,315 of 2,126). Together, they have reached double figures 73 of the possible 86 times this year, including 21 games of 20-points or more. They combined to score a season-best 65 points vs. North Texas on Jan. 31 and previously scored 62 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 3), 61 vs. Troy on Feb. 21, 60 at North Texas on Dec. 1 and 59 vs. South Alabama (Jan. 10). The trio has totaled 50 points or more 10 times this year.
. . . THE TRIO FROM A SUN BELT PERSPECTIVE: A look at the most recent Sun Belt statistics shows that the trio of Elfrid Payton (16.0 ppg), Shawn Long (15.7 ppg) and Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) rank third, fifth and 10th, respectively in league scoring. Florida Atlantic is the only other team that has two players in the top 10 in scoring, but its third-leading scorer ranks 25th. In Sun Belt games only, Payton (17.6), Long (15.4) and Mbamalu (14.9) rank third, eighth and 10th, respectively.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns head to Hot Springs, Ark. for the annual Sun Belt Conference championship, opening play on Friday (March 8) against either Troy or North Texas.
Quannas White Media Availability (May 4, 2025)
Monday, May 05
Quannas White Introductory Press Conference
Sunday, March 16
Derrick Zimmerman Media Availability (Feb 24, 2025)
Monday, February 24
Derrick Zimmerman Media Availability (Feb 17, 2025)
Monday, February 17
