University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, January 11
Lafayette
1 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
UT Arlington
Cajuns Host UT Arlington To Begin SBC Home Slate
1/6/2014 5:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 15
UT Arlington (6-9, 0-2) at Louisiana (9-5, 0-1)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Promo: Take A Kid To A Game
(Children 12 & Under free with an adult. The first 400 children get full-sized Ragin' Cajuns Basketball
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 10-7
Last Meeting: Louisiana 81, UT Arlington 75 (3/5/82, Lafayette, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 52-56 (4th year)
4-Year Overall: 277-187 (16th year)
All Collegiate: 400-222 (21st year)
vs. UTA: 15-8
UT ARLINGTON
SCOTT CROSS (UT Arlington '98)
At UTA: 122-97 (9th year)
Overall: 122-97 (9th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-0
SETTING THE SCENE: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns return home for the first time in the new year, beginning the nine-game Sun Belt Conference home slate against league newcomer UT Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 11 beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Cajundome. The game will be a doubleheader with the women's basketball team hosting UT Arlington at 3:15 p.m. It will also be Take A Kid To A Game Day with children 12 & under being free with an adult. The Cajuns enter the week with a 9-5 overall record after dropping their Sun Belt opener, 103-98 in double overtime at ULM on Saturday (Jan. 4). Louisiana is led by the play of Shawn Long (21.5 ppg) and Elfrid Payton (20.7), the only duo in the country to each average better than 20 points a game. UT Arlington is 6-9 overall and 0-2 in league play after dropping home games to Arkansas State (82-66) and UALR (72-70) last week.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: Louisiana is off to an 9-5 start in 2013-14, benefiting from the return of five starters and a total of 10 lettermen from last year's squad that went 13-20, leading fourth-year head coach Bob Marlin to feel confident that the Cajuns are on a path to national prominence. The team is centered around the duo of point guard Elfrid Payton (20.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.2 spg) and forward Shawn Long (21.5 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.9 bpg), both of whom were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team this year. Long plays mostly at center with Elridge Moore (6.6, 4.9) normally starting as an under-sized forward but is sidelined currently with an ankle injury. Bryant Mbamalu (13.8, 3.7 in 2012-13), who started 26 games as a wing guard last season, has returned after missing the first 12 games with a foot injury. With Mbamalu out, junior Kevin Brown (6.6, 1.5) has seen increased playing time with Steven Wronkoski (6.4, 2.9) starting on the other wing. The bench has been a source of a good offensive spark as junior Xavian Rimmer (7.1, 2.1) and sophomore Kasey Shepherd (8.6, 2.5) providing the biggest lift at guard with freshman Hayward Register (2.2) also seeing time. Junior J.J. Davenport (2.8, 3.2), who played the last two seasons at New Mexico Junior College, and freshmen Vieux Kande (1.3, 0.8), and Luka Kamber (0.6, 1.3) are the primary reserves inside with both Davenport and Kande playing center and Kamber a forward. 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.
LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns were featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Shawn Long was fourth in rebounding (11.3) and field goals made (116), seventh in double-doubles (8), 15th in scoring (21.5) and 25th in blocks (2.9). Junior Elfrid Payton was 21st in assists (6.0), 24th in scoring (20.7) and 31st in steals (2.2), owning one of seven triple doubles in the nation this year. As a team, the Cajuns were 15th in scoring offense (84.9) and 39th in three-point field goal defense (.295).
MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100-percent both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2013 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns set a program record with a 2.904 grade point average for the team. They backed that up with a 2.840 during the recently completed fall semester, the second-highest average in the 31 years that athletics has tracked grades, with eight of the 15 players posting a 3.0 or better. In seven semesters under head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns have recorded seven of the top 10 semesters in program history.
SHIPLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Legendary Louisiana men's basketball coach Beryl Shipley, who guided the Cajuns to a 293-126 record with winning records in 15 of his 16 seasons, will be one of eight individuals selected for enshrinement in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Shipley was the first head coach of a predominantly white state college in the deep south to give scholarships to black student-athletes. Under Shipley's leadership, the Cajuns finished in the national top 20 in each of his last six seasons - the first four in the college division polls, the last two in Division I. Starting in 1963, Shipley rattled off five Gulf States Conference Championships in six seasons, including a win at the 1964-65 NAIA District 27 Tournament Championship. The 2014 induction class will be enshrined on Saturday, June 21.
MARLIN CLAIMS 400TH VICTORY: Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin used a 90-58 win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30 to claim his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the week with a 400-222 record (.644) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola Junior College (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Dec. 14 and owns a 52-56 record.
20-POINT PARTNERS: Midway through the 2013-14 season, the Cajuns duo of Shawn Long (21.5 ppg) and Elfrid Payton (20.7 ppg) have emerged as the only duo in the country to both average 20 points per game. There are 36 players averaging 20 points or more this year with Long ranking 15th and Payton 24th. Long leads the team with nine 20-point efforts this year (18 in his career) with Payton owning eight 20-point games (18 career). Payton however has the upper hand by producing three 30-point games this year while Long has one.
A TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR PAYTON: After flirting with it a half-dozen times over the last 40 games, junior Elfrid Payton recorded the first triple-doule of his career when he set career highs for scoring (34), rebounds (11) and assists (11) at ULM on Saturday (Jan. 4). It was the sixth triple-double in school history and the seventh in the nation this year. Michael Southall recorded the last triple-double by a Cajun when he had one at North Texas in 2005-06. Here are a list of triple-doubles in Cajuns basketball history (all are points-rebounds-assists except where noted with *):
Elfrid Payton at ULM (Jan. 4, 2014) (34 pts, 11 reb, 11 asst.)
Michael Southall @ North Texas (Jan. 5, 2006) (19 pts, 12 reb, 11 blocks)
Aaron Mitchell vs. Jackson State (Dec. 1, 1989) (21-10-10)
Randal Smith vs. Rider (Jan. 8, 1987) (22-11-11)
George Almones vs. Long Island (Jan. 28, 1985) (12-16-11)
George Almones vs. ULM (Feb. 14, 1983) (14-10-12)
RIMMER COMES THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: Junior Xavian Rimmer has only been with the Cajuns for 14 games, but he is quickly gaining a reputation for making last-second shot. At Jackson State on Dec. 19, he made a three-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the game at 67-67. On Saturday at ULM, he was fouled with 2.3 seconds left and made all three free throws to tie the game at 74-74 and force overtime.
SHEPHERD SPARKS THE CAJUNS: The emergence of Kasey Shepherd has provided the Cajuns with a scoring spark off the bench this season. Shepherd, who averaged 3.4 points in 10.9 minutes of action last year, started the year slowly, averaging just 2.7 points over the first six games. He earned the LSWA Player of the Week award on Dec. 9 after scoring 22 points at Louisiana Tech and 18 at Louisville. He has now settled into the offense, averaging 13.5 points over the last eight games, including 17 or more points four times. He leads the Sun Belt shooting .588 from three-point (20-34).
SHEPHERD & RIMMER ARE A ONE-TWO PUNCH: The graduation of Alan-Michael Thompson and the injury to Bryant Mbamalu left the Cajuns without their two most effective three-point shooters at the start of the season. Their loss has been offset by the addition of Xavian Rimmer and the maturation of Kasey Shepherd. Shepherd leads the Sun Belt shooting .588 from three-point (20-34) while Rimmer is third at .500 (23-46). As a team, the Cajuns rank third in the Sun Belt, making 104 of their 288 three-point attempts (.361). Last year, Louisiana shot .341 from three-point (226-663).
. . . AND DON'T FORGET LONG: One of the reason improved three-point shooting by the Cajuns has been the performance of forward Shawn Long. Long shot .311 from three-point a year ago (33-106) but has made 13 of his 32 attempts this year to improve to .406.
MBAMALU BACK: After missing the first 12 games of the season with a foot injury suffered in September, senior Bryant Mbamalu returned to play in both games last week. He scored four points with two rebounds and two assists in the win over Central Methodist on Monday (Dec. 30) and came back to score five points with two boards at ULM. As a junior in 2012-13, Mbamalu started all but seven games as a wing guard, averaging 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, finishing second on the team with 49 treys. He scored in double figures 21 times, including five 20-point games.
PAYTON MOVES UP SCORING CHART: A career-high 34-point effort at ULM on Saturday (Jan. 4) has moved Elfrid Payton from 40th to 36th place on the career scoring chart with 1,043 points. Payton became the 40th Cajun to score 1,000 career points in the win over Central Methodist on Monday (Jan. 4).
Payton, who is averaging 20.7 points, has three career 30-point games.
LONG PASSES 100 BLOCK MARK: A career-high six blocks at ULM on Jan. 4 allowed sophomore Shawn Long to become just the sixth player in program history to block 100 shots in a career. Long enters the week game with 105 blocks in his career, five shy of Marvin Lancaster (1987-89), who ranks fifth with 110 blocks. Long had 65 blocks as a freshman, the sixth-highest single season total in school history, and has started his sophomore campaign with 40 blocks in the first 14 games, ranking him 16th on the single season list.
PLAYING OVERTIME: The ULM game marked the second time in five games that the Cajuns played to overtime this season. The Cajuns previously toppled Houston in OT on Dec. 14 and are now 7-5 in overtime in the four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin. The ULM game was the first double overtime game since Louisiana dropped double overtime decision at Texas Southern (74-71) and vs. South Alabama (91-89) last year.
20-POINT GAMES: The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the four Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 20 times in the first 14 games this season. Shawn Long (9) and Elfrid Payton (8) lead the way, including four contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (2) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have come off the bench to reach the mark. Last year, Cajuns players had 25, 20-point games, with all but one coming from a starter. Payton and Long had nine each with Bryant Mbamalu adding five and Alan-Michael Thompson getting two.
. . . AND 30-POINT EFFORTS: When Elfrid Payton set a career-high with 34 points at ULM, it marked the fourth time this season that Ragin' Cajuns player scored 30 or more points in a game. Elfrid Payton owns three of the efforts, scoring 31 points against Houston (Dec. 14) and a 32 points vs. Oakland (Nov. 23) while Shawn Long has the other, a 30-point effort vs. Centenary. Last year, Payton scored 32 points against Western Kentucky for the only 30-point game by a Cajun.
SCORING OFF THE GLASS: Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 35 baskets off his 58 offensive rebounds this season or an average of 5.0 points a game. Long ranks third in the Sun Belt averaging 4.1 offensive rebounds a game and second in scoring (21.5).
PAYTON NEARS ASSIST TOP 10: With 84 assists in 14 games this year, Elfrid Payton has moved into 12th place on the Louisiana career assist list. Payton has 351 assists, and needs nine assists to catch 11th place Michael Allen (371 assists from 1992-94) and 26 to pass 10th place Andrew Toney (387 from 1977-80).
LONG LIKES TO DOUBLE UP: Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in eight of the first 14 games to rank fourth nationally. Long now has 26 double-doubles in 47 career games. He enters the week leading the Sun Belt in both rebounding (11.1) and defensive rebounding (7.1), ranked second in scoring (21.5) and blocks (2.9), third in offensive rebounds (4.0) and field goal percentage (.563).
LONG RECORDS QUICK DOUBLE-DOUBLES: After ranking sixth nationally last year with 18 double-doubles, sophomore Shawn Long has started the year with eight double-doubles in the first 14 games, achieving two before halftime. He scored 23 points with 14 rebounds in the season-opening win over Louisiana College. He needed just 18:07 to get his first double-double of the year, grabbing his 10th rebound of the night (to go with 14 points at the time) as part of an 18-point, 11-rebound effort in the first half. Against Northwestern State on Nov. 26, Long had 16 points and 12 rebounds at halftime, accomplishing the double-double with 2:51 to play. He finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
. . . AND PAYTON ADDS HIS SIXTH: Elfrid Payton is also getting into the double-double action, recording four already this season (counting his triple-double) including in back-to-back games against Louisiana Tech (Dec. 4) and Louisville (Dec. 7) to give him six career double-doubles. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds at Louisiana Tech and came back to record 12 points and 10 assists against the Cardinals. Payton has been diverse in putting his double-doubles together, owning three point-rebound double-doubles and three with points and assists. Payton registered his first double-double of the year in the season opener, scoring 21 points with a career-high matching 10 assists.
PAYTON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50: Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.
. . . AND MORE HONORS FOR PAYTON: Being selected to the Wooden Award list is the latest in a long list of preseason awards for Elfrid Payton. Earlier in the fall, Payton was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, Payton was named to the Mid-Major All-America first team by NBCSports.com and to the Lou Henson All-America team, which honors the nation's top mid-major players and is presented by CollegeInsider.com.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns remain at home to continue Sun Belt Conference play on Monday (Jan. 13) with a 6:00 p.m. contest against Texas State that will be televised as part of the Sun Belt Network.
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Game 15
UT Arlington (6-9, 0-2) at Louisiana (9-5, 0-1)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Promo: Take A Kid To A Game
(Children 12 & Under free with an adult. The first 400 children get full-sized Ragin' Cajuns Basketball
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 10-7
Last Meeting: Louisiana 81, UT Arlington 75 (3/5/82, Lafayette, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 52-56 (4th year)
4-Year Overall: 277-187 (16th year)
All Collegiate: 400-222 (21st year)
vs. UTA: 15-8
UT ARLINGTON
SCOTT CROSS (UT Arlington '98)
At UTA: 122-97 (9th year)
Overall: 122-97 (9th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-0
SETTING THE SCENE: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns return home for the first time in the new year, beginning the nine-game Sun Belt Conference home slate against league newcomer UT Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 11 beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Cajundome. The game will be a doubleheader with the women's basketball team hosting UT Arlington at 3:15 p.m. It will also be Take A Kid To A Game Day with children 12 & under being free with an adult. The Cajuns enter the week with a 9-5 overall record after dropping their Sun Belt opener, 103-98 in double overtime at ULM on Saturday (Jan. 4). Louisiana is led by the play of Shawn Long (21.5 ppg) and Elfrid Payton (20.7), the only duo in the country to each average better than 20 points a game. UT Arlington is 6-9 overall and 0-2 in league play after dropping home games to Arkansas State (82-66) and UALR (72-70) last week.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: Louisiana is off to an 9-5 start in 2013-14, benefiting from the return of five starters and a total of 10 lettermen from last year's squad that went 13-20, leading fourth-year head coach Bob Marlin to feel confident that the Cajuns are on a path to national prominence. The team is centered around the duo of point guard Elfrid Payton (20.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.2 spg) and forward Shawn Long (21.5 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.9 bpg), both of whom were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team this year. Long plays mostly at center with Elridge Moore (6.6, 4.9) normally starting as an under-sized forward but is sidelined currently with an ankle injury. Bryant Mbamalu (13.8, 3.7 in 2012-13), who started 26 games as a wing guard last season, has returned after missing the first 12 games with a foot injury. With Mbamalu out, junior Kevin Brown (6.6, 1.5) has seen increased playing time with Steven Wronkoski (6.4, 2.9) starting on the other wing. The bench has been a source of a good offensive spark as junior Xavian Rimmer (7.1, 2.1) and sophomore Kasey Shepherd (8.6, 2.5) providing the biggest lift at guard with freshman Hayward Register (2.2) also seeing time. Junior J.J. Davenport (2.8, 3.2), who played the last two seasons at New Mexico Junior College, and freshmen Vieux Kande (1.3, 0.8), and Luka Kamber (0.6, 1.3) are the primary reserves inside with both Davenport and Kande playing center and Kamber a forward. 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.
LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns were featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Shawn Long was fourth in rebounding (11.3) and field goals made (116), seventh in double-doubles (8), 15th in scoring (21.5) and 25th in blocks (2.9). Junior Elfrid Payton was 21st in assists (6.0), 24th in scoring (20.7) and 31st in steals (2.2), owning one of seven triple doubles in the nation this year. As a team, the Cajuns were 15th in scoring offense (84.9) and 39th in three-point field goal defense (.295).
MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100-percent both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2013 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns set a program record with a 2.904 grade point average for the team. They backed that up with a 2.840 during the recently completed fall semester, the second-highest average in the 31 years that athletics has tracked grades, with eight of the 15 players posting a 3.0 or better. In seven semesters under head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns have recorded seven of the top 10 semesters in program history.
SHIPLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Legendary Louisiana men's basketball coach Beryl Shipley, who guided the Cajuns to a 293-126 record with winning records in 15 of his 16 seasons, will be one of eight individuals selected for enshrinement in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Shipley was the first head coach of a predominantly white state college in the deep south to give scholarships to black student-athletes. Under Shipley's leadership, the Cajuns finished in the national top 20 in each of his last six seasons - the first four in the college division polls, the last two in Division I. Starting in 1963, Shipley rattled off five Gulf States Conference Championships in six seasons, including a win at the 1964-65 NAIA District 27 Tournament Championship. The 2014 induction class will be enshrined on Saturday, June 21.
MARLIN CLAIMS 400TH VICTORY: Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin used a 90-58 win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30 to claim his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the week with a 400-222 record (.644) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola Junior College (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Dec. 14 and owns a 52-56 record.
20-POINT PARTNERS: Midway through the 2013-14 season, the Cajuns duo of Shawn Long (21.5 ppg) and Elfrid Payton (20.7 ppg) have emerged as the only duo in the country to both average 20 points per game. There are 36 players averaging 20 points or more this year with Long ranking 15th and Payton 24th. Long leads the team with nine 20-point efforts this year (18 in his career) with Payton owning eight 20-point games (18 career). Payton however has the upper hand by producing three 30-point games this year while Long has one.
A TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR PAYTON: After flirting with it a half-dozen times over the last 40 games, junior Elfrid Payton recorded the first triple-doule of his career when he set career highs for scoring (34), rebounds (11) and assists (11) at ULM on Saturday (Jan. 4). It was the sixth triple-double in school history and the seventh in the nation this year. Michael Southall recorded the last triple-double by a Cajun when he had one at North Texas in 2005-06. Here are a list of triple-doubles in Cajuns basketball history (all are points-rebounds-assists except where noted with *):
Elfrid Payton at ULM (Jan. 4, 2014) (34 pts, 11 reb, 11 asst.)
Michael Southall @ North Texas (Jan. 5, 2006) (19 pts, 12 reb, 11 blocks)
Aaron Mitchell vs. Jackson State (Dec. 1, 1989) (21-10-10)
Randal Smith vs. Rider (Jan. 8, 1987) (22-11-11)
George Almones vs. Long Island (Jan. 28, 1985) (12-16-11)
George Almones vs. ULM (Feb. 14, 1983) (14-10-12)
RIMMER COMES THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: Junior Xavian Rimmer has only been with the Cajuns for 14 games, but he is quickly gaining a reputation for making last-second shot. At Jackson State on Dec. 19, he made a three-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the game at 67-67. On Saturday at ULM, he was fouled with 2.3 seconds left and made all three free throws to tie the game at 74-74 and force overtime.
SHEPHERD SPARKS THE CAJUNS: The emergence of Kasey Shepherd has provided the Cajuns with a scoring spark off the bench this season. Shepherd, who averaged 3.4 points in 10.9 minutes of action last year, started the year slowly, averaging just 2.7 points over the first six games. He earned the LSWA Player of the Week award on Dec. 9 after scoring 22 points at Louisiana Tech and 18 at Louisville. He has now settled into the offense, averaging 13.5 points over the last eight games, including 17 or more points four times. He leads the Sun Belt shooting .588 from three-point (20-34).
SHEPHERD & RIMMER ARE A ONE-TWO PUNCH: The graduation of Alan-Michael Thompson and the injury to Bryant Mbamalu left the Cajuns without their two most effective three-point shooters at the start of the season. Their loss has been offset by the addition of Xavian Rimmer and the maturation of Kasey Shepherd. Shepherd leads the Sun Belt shooting .588 from three-point (20-34) while Rimmer is third at .500 (23-46). As a team, the Cajuns rank third in the Sun Belt, making 104 of their 288 three-point attempts (.361). Last year, Louisiana shot .341 from three-point (226-663).
. . . AND DON'T FORGET LONG: One of the reason improved three-point shooting by the Cajuns has been the performance of forward Shawn Long. Long shot .311 from three-point a year ago (33-106) but has made 13 of his 32 attempts this year to improve to .406.
MBAMALU BACK: After missing the first 12 games of the season with a foot injury suffered in September, senior Bryant Mbamalu returned to play in both games last week. He scored four points with two rebounds and two assists in the win over Central Methodist on Monday (Dec. 30) and came back to score five points with two boards at ULM. As a junior in 2012-13, Mbamalu started all but seven games as a wing guard, averaging 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, finishing second on the team with 49 treys. He scored in double figures 21 times, including five 20-point games.
PAYTON MOVES UP SCORING CHART: A career-high 34-point effort at ULM on Saturday (Jan. 4) has moved Elfrid Payton from 40th to 36th place on the career scoring chart with 1,043 points. Payton became the 40th Cajun to score 1,000 career points in the win over Central Methodist on Monday (Jan. 4).
Payton, who is averaging 20.7 points, has three career 30-point games.
LONG PASSES 100 BLOCK MARK: A career-high six blocks at ULM on Jan. 4 allowed sophomore Shawn Long to become just the sixth player in program history to block 100 shots in a career. Long enters the week game with 105 blocks in his career, five shy of Marvin Lancaster (1987-89), who ranks fifth with 110 blocks. Long had 65 blocks as a freshman, the sixth-highest single season total in school history, and has started his sophomore campaign with 40 blocks in the first 14 games, ranking him 16th on the single season list.
PLAYING OVERTIME: The ULM game marked the second time in five games that the Cajuns played to overtime this season. The Cajuns previously toppled Houston in OT on Dec. 14 and are now 7-5 in overtime in the four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin. The ULM game was the first double overtime game since Louisiana dropped double overtime decision at Texas Southern (74-71) and vs. South Alabama (91-89) last year.
20-POINT GAMES: The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the four Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 20 times in the first 14 games this season. Shawn Long (9) and Elfrid Payton (8) lead the way, including four contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (2) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have come off the bench to reach the mark. Last year, Cajuns players had 25, 20-point games, with all but one coming from a starter. Payton and Long had nine each with Bryant Mbamalu adding five and Alan-Michael Thompson getting two.
. . . AND 30-POINT EFFORTS: When Elfrid Payton set a career-high with 34 points at ULM, it marked the fourth time this season that Ragin' Cajuns player scored 30 or more points in a game. Elfrid Payton owns three of the efforts, scoring 31 points against Houston (Dec. 14) and a 32 points vs. Oakland (Nov. 23) while Shawn Long has the other, a 30-point effort vs. Centenary. Last year, Payton scored 32 points against Western Kentucky for the only 30-point game by a Cajun.
SCORING OFF THE GLASS: Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 35 baskets off his 58 offensive rebounds this season or an average of 5.0 points a game. Long ranks third in the Sun Belt averaging 4.1 offensive rebounds a game and second in scoring (21.5).
PAYTON NEARS ASSIST TOP 10: With 84 assists in 14 games this year, Elfrid Payton has moved into 12th place on the Louisiana career assist list. Payton has 351 assists, and needs nine assists to catch 11th place Michael Allen (371 assists from 1992-94) and 26 to pass 10th place Andrew Toney (387 from 1977-80).
LONG LIKES TO DOUBLE UP: Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in eight of the first 14 games to rank fourth nationally. Long now has 26 double-doubles in 47 career games. He enters the week leading the Sun Belt in both rebounding (11.1) and defensive rebounding (7.1), ranked second in scoring (21.5) and blocks (2.9), third in offensive rebounds (4.0) and field goal percentage (.563).
LONG RECORDS QUICK DOUBLE-DOUBLES: After ranking sixth nationally last year with 18 double-doubles, sophomore Shawn Long has started the year with eight double-doubles in the first 14 games, achieving two before halftime. He scored 23 points with 14 rebounds in the season-opening win over Louisiana College. He needed just 18:07 to get his first double-double of the year, grabbing his 10th rebound of the night (to go with 14 points at the time) as part of an 18-point, 11-rebound effort in the first half. Against Northwestern State on Nov. 26, Long had 16 points and 12 rebounds at halftime, accomplishing the double-double with 2:51 to play. He finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
. . . AND PAYTON ADDS HIS SIXTH: Elfrid Payton is also getting into the double-double action, recording four already this season (counting his triple-double) including in back-to-back games against Louisiana Tech (Dec. 4) and Louisville (Dec. 7) to give him six career double-doubles. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds at Louisiana Tech and came back to record 12 points and 10 assists against the Cardinals. Payton has been diverse in putting his double-doubles together, owning three point-rebound double-doubles and three with points and assists. Payton registered his first double-double of the year in the season opener, scoring 21 points with a career-high matching 10 assists.
PAYTON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50: Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.
. . . AND MORE HONORS FOR PAYTON: Being selected to the Wooden Award list is the latest in a long list of preseason awards for Elfrid Payton. Earlier in the fall, Payton was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, Payton was named to the Mid-Major All-America first team by NBCSports.com and to the Lou Henson All-America team, which honors the nation's top mid-major players and is presented by CollegeInsider.com.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns remain at home to continue Sun Belt Conference play on Monday (Jan. 13) with a 6:00 p.m. contest against Texas State that will be televised as part of the Sun Belt Network.
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