Cajuns Travel To Mississippi To Take On Alcorn State

Game 8 - Louisiana (6-1, 0-0 SBC) vs. Alcorn State (1-6, 0-0 SWAC)
Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 • 1 p.m. (CT) • Lorman, Miss.
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Louisiana Game Notes

LAFAYETTE, La. – After suffering their first loss of the 2014-15 season in a hard-fought battle with No. 20 Mississippi State on Wednesday at the Cajundome, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team looks to get back on track Friday when the Cajuns take on Alcorn State at 1 p.m. in Lorman, Mississippi.

Last Time Out
- Louisiana held a 34-22 advantage over No. 20 Mississippi State with less than five minutes to play in the first half, but a 10-0 run by the Bulldogs to end the period carried momentum over to the other side as MSU pulled out a 66-51 victory Wednesday afternoon at the Cajundome
- Keke Veal led the Cajuns with 17 points while Jaylyn Gordon added 13, shooting 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Kia Wilridge finished with 10 points and a team-high seven boards and four steals
- Louisiana held one of the nation's top offenses to 23 points below its season average as Mississippi State came into Wednesday's contest averaging 89.2 points per game to rank fifth in the nation
- The Cajuns also forced the Bulldogs into 24 turnovers, the fourth-straight game a Louisiana opponent has committed at least 20 turnovers
- Cold shooting haunted the Cajuns a majority of the game, finishing with a season-low 27.7 percentage from the floor including an 18.8 percent clip in the second half

A Look at the Lady Braves
- Alcorn State brings a 1-6 record into Friday's matchup with the Cajuns
- The Lady Braves, coached by former Tennessee standout Tonya Edwards, have faced some tough competition in the first few weeks of the season with trips to nationally-ranked Nebraska (83-49) and Michigan State (77-41)
- The Lady Braves have eclipsed the 50-point scoring mark just once this year in a win over ULM, 62-53
- Alcorn State is led by junior guard Olivia Brown, who recorded a season-high 21 against Nebraska and is averaging 11.2 points per game
- Junior guard Norianna Haynes, who made her first appearance vs. ULM, is averaging 13.5 points in two games this season
- Also providing some help on the offensive side for the Lady Braves is senior guard Ashtin McNichols, who is averaging 6.0 points per game

Series History
- Louisiana and Alcorn State are tied 1-1 in a series that dates back to 1995
- The Lady Braves took the first meeting, 71-63, in the SFA Ladyjack Dial Classic in Nacogdoches, Texas, before the Cajuns recorded a 63-50 win last season in Lafayette

Up Next
- The Cajuns will take a week off for the Christmas holiday before returning Dec. 28 for their final non-conference game vs. Jackson State at 4 p.m. in the Cajundome

Cajuns Match Best Start in Program History
- After their win over Southern-New Orleans, the Cajuns matched their best start in program history at 6-0
- In 1983, the Cajuns started off the season 6-0 under first-year head coach Ross Cook, eventually recording the program's first 20-win season with a 22-6 record

Cajuns Picked Sixth in the Sun Belt
- After tying for seventh in the Sun Belt Conference a season ago, the league's 11 head coaches tabbed the Cajuns sixth with 64 points in the SBC Preseason Poll
- Arkansas State was picked first with 118 points, receiving nine of the 11 first-place votes, while UALR was a close second with 112 points and two first-place votes
- Texas State (93), Georgia State (82) and Troy (70) rounded out the top five in the poll

Veal, Wilridge Named All-SBC Preseason
- Junior guards Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge were selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference Preseason Team, voted on by the league's head coaches
- Veal was named to the second team while Wilridge earned a spot on the third team
- Louisiana was joined by Arkansas State, Georgia State, South Alabama, Texas State and UALR in placing a league-high two players on the preseason team

-- RaginCajuns.com --

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Players Mentioned

Jaylyn Gordon

Keke Veal

Kia Wilridge