Cajuns Head to South Alabama to Continue Sun Belt Action

Game 15

Louisiana (9-5, 2-1) vs South Alabama (4-10, 2-2)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Site: Mitchell Center
Radio: None
TV: None
Live Video Stream/Stats: www.USAJaguars.com
Series: South Alabama leads 10-34.
Last Meeting: Louisiana 66, UT Arlington 64 - Jan. 11, 2014 at Lafayette, La.
Louisiana season tickets available at RaginCajuns.com and by calling the Cajundome (337) 265-2357.

THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
GARRY BRODHEAD
At Louisiana: 19-26 (2nd Season)
Overall: Same
vs. USA: 0-2

UT ARLINGTON
TERRY FOWLER
At USA: 4-10 (1st Season)
Overall: Same
vs. Louisiana: First Meeting

Game Notes

Setting the Scene: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team will take to the road and head to the state of Alabama for a pair of Sun Belt Conference games, taking on South Alabama on Jan. 15 at 7:05 p.m. Sophomore guard Sylvana Okde has led the Cajuns in scoring in four of the last five games, scoring 13, 23, 15, and 20 points. She has done so with a strong outside presence, shooting 19-for-45 from behind the arc in the last five games, including 5-for-7 against Texas State and 6-for-13 against UT Arlington. Junior Robbie Brown had a solid game against UT Arlington as well, starting for the fourth time this season and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds while scoring eight points.

About the Opponent: South Alabama comes into the game after a two-game trip to Arkansas, falling to UALR (61-42) and Arkansas State (73-60), and are 4-10, going 2-2 in Sun Belt action. The Jaguars are led by seniors Meghan Dunn and Ronneka Robertson. Dunn averages a team-high 12.8 points per game and has a team-high 28 triples, and Robertson leads the team with 8.4 rebounds per game, while scoring 7.9 a game.

Century Mark for Okde: Sophomore guard Sylvana Okde hit 74 3-pointers as a freshman in 2012-13 and has hit 31 so far this season, becoming the eighth player in school history to reach 100 career triples. Two players have reached the 200-mark, with Rhonda McCullough (1987-90) holding the school record with 260, and Kim Perrot (1986-90) with 202. Perrot achieved that feat despite the 3-point shot being nonexistent in her first season with the Ragin' Cajuns. Okde continues to climb the all-time leader board for career three's at Louisiana, and currently sits in 7th place with 111 three's, and is one shy of tying Whitney Dunlap (2006-09/112) for sixth all-time.

Chairmen of the (Offensive) Board: The Ragin' Cajuns lead the Sun Belt in offensive rebounds with 16.8 per game, an honor that they came just short of in 2013, finishing second to Middle Tennessee. The Cajuns lead both Troy and Arkansas State by 1.7 rebounds a game.

Avoiding the Turnover: The Cajuns have forced the most turnovers per game among all Sun Belt teams with 23.1 per game and hold a league-high +5.43 turnover margin. That margin is good enough to rank the Cajuns in the top-25 in the nation.

Defending the Three: As of January 9, Louisiana ranks 50th in the nation in opponent 3-point percentage, holding opponents to .276 from 3-point land. The Cajuns currently rank second in the Sun Belt, holding opponents to 37-of-134 from behind the arc, while making 68 triples of their own. UALR leads the conference, holding opponents to .243 from behind the arc.

Shades of 2006-07: The Ragin' Cajuns posted a four-game winning streak beginning with a Dec. 14 victory against New Orleans through the Sun Belt Conference opener at ULM on Jan. 4. The win against ULM marked the longest winning streak and first time the Cajuns have won their conference opener since the 2006-07 season. The Cajuns won seven straight games from Jan. 3-25, 2007, all Sun Belt match ups. The Cajuns earned a bid to the NCAA tournament in 2007, falling to Marquette in the opening round.

Another Time Change: As is expected during season play, the Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team has pushed back their game against Western Kentucky from a scheduled 2 p.m. start to a 5 p.m. start at the Cajundome. The move is due to the men's game on the same day being televised by the ESPN network.

What's Next? The Ragin' Cajuns will stay in Alabama and take on Troy in Sun Belt game number five, on Jan. 18 at 5:15. The Cajuns return home for a pair of games on Jan. 23 when they take on Georgia State, and again on Jan. 25 when they take on Western Kentucky, both games tipping off at 5 p.m.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Cajuns Head to South Alabama to Continue Sun Belt Action

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