University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Players Mentioned
MBB Game 16 Preview: at Georgia Southern
1/13/2015 9:50:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Thursday, Jan. 15 • 6:30 p.m. (CST) • Hanner Fieldhouse (4,358) • Statesboro, Ga.
Game Notes: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Live Stats
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM Video: GSEagles.com
Rosters: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Statistics: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @Cajunbasketball
Opponents Twitter: @GSAthletics
THE COACHES
Louisiana: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 424-234 (22nd season) Record at Louisiana: 76-68 (5th season)
Georgia Southern: Mark Byington (UNC Wilmington, 1998)
Career Record: 32-26 (3rd season) Record at Georgia Southern: 25-22 (2nd season)
FOR STARTERS
Still standing as the final unbeaten team in Sun Belt Conference play through four games, the Ragin' Cajuns will put that standing on the line on Thursday when it travels to league newcomer Georgia Southern. The Eagles enter the game just a game back of the Cajuns in the early-season standings and serve as the Cajuns' opener of a stretch of games that will see them hit the floor three times in the next five days, and seven times in the final 16 days of the month of January.
THE LAST TIME OUT
Down as much as 17 points in the first half, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns rallied back and used a clutch performance at the foul line to hold off the SBC preseason favorite Georgia State, 84-80, on Thursday at the Cajundome in front of a season-high 4,531 fans.
In a rematch of last season's classic SBC Tournament championship game, the Cajuns hit 31 of 38 free throws, including all eight in the game's final minutes to pick up their seventh win in their last eight games and stay perfect on the Cajundome floor in seven tries.
All five of the Ragin' Cajun starters registered double figures, led by senior Brian Williams' 20 points and 9-for-10 effort at the foul line. It took that type of effort at the stripe to withstand a potent Panther team who got a combined 52 points from backcourt mates Ryan Harrow and R.J. Hunter.
The Cajuns shot 51.1 percent from the field, hitting for better than 50 percent for the third straight game, and hit seven from beyond the arc. But the difference was the foul line where they put up a new season high in attempts and makes, helping negate a night where GSU made nine more field goals and attempted 14 more shots from the field.
UP NEXT
The Cajuns return to the Cajundome for three in a row, starting Saturday against South Alabama. Two days later they host in-state rival ULM before a Jan. 22 meeting with Arkansas State.
• The Cajuns went 31-for-38 from the free throw line against Georgia State, hitting all eight of its tries in the game's final minute to hold off the Panthers.
• UL was 0-4 in true road games in non-conference play, but has opened up conference play 2-0 away from the Cajundome.
• Head coach Bob Marlin picked up his 300th career wins at the Division I level in UL's win at Appalachian State.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 4-0 in SBC play for the first time since the 2007-08 season. That team finished 11-7 in conference play, claiming the SBC West Division title.
• Louisiana has scored at least 80 points in each of its last eight games, marking the first time that has occurred since the 1989-90 squad had 11 straight 80+-point games to start the season.
• Jay Wright was 6-for-18 from three-point range in his first 10 games of the year, but has gone 6-for-9 from distance in the last three games, hitting three treys against both Troy and Georgia State.
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