Cajuns Continue SBC Play Thursday In Georgia

Game 14 - Louisiana (9-4, 1-3 SBC) vs. Georgia Southern (4-9, 1-3 SBC)
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2014 • 4 p.m. (CT) • Statesboro, Ga. - Hanner Fieldhouse (4,358)
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LAFAYETTE, La. – After capturing their first Sun Belt Conference victory and a week break from competition, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team continues SBC play Thursday with a 4 p.m. (CT) matchup against Georgia Southern in Statesboro.

Last Time Out
- For the eighth time this season, the Cajuns forced an opponent to more than 20 turnovers as Louisiana scored 28 points off 24 Georgia State errors in a 68-52 victory Thursday at the Cajundome
- Jaylyn Gordon recorded her fourth 20-point game of the season, hitting a career-high six three-pointers for 20 points
- Kia Wilridge added 18 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, while Robbie Brown was the third Cajun in double figures with 10 points
- Louisiana shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the floor while holding the Panthers to 36.7 percent (18-of-49) shooting

A Look at the Eagles
- Georgia Southern comes into Thursday's contest with a 4-9 record and 1-3 mark in Sun Belt Conference play
- The Eagles recently picked up their first SBC win, defeating South Alabama 67-53 in Mobile on Saturday
- GSU ranks ninth in the league in scoring, averaging 62.2 points per game while allowing 69.0 points for eighth-best in the conference
- While offense has not been the Eagles' forte this season, they are among the leaders in the SBC in defense
- GSU ranks fifth in field goal defense, holding opponents to a 40.2 shooting percentage while limiting teams to just 29.8 percent from outside the arc for fourth in the league
- While the Cajuns are first in the Sun Belt with a 6.15 turnover margin, GSU commits 3.15 more turnovers per game than its opponents for last in the conference
- Sophomore guard Angel McGowan leads the Eagles with 11.9 points and 2.2 assists per game
- Sophomore forward Patrice Butler is second for GSU with 10.9 points, but is averaging 16.3 points in SBC play for fourth-best in the league
- Senior guard Anna Claire Knight has totaled 10.5 points and matched a team-best 5.2 rebounds per game this season

Series History
- Louisiana and Georgia Southern will meet for the first time Thursday in Statesboro

Up Next
- The Cajuns will begin a three-game homestand Saturday with a 5 p.m. matchup vs. South Alabama at the Cajundome
- Louisiana will also host ULM on Monday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. before wrapping up its three-game home stretch Thursday, Jan. 22 at 5 p.m. vs. Arkansas State

Cajuns in the National Rankings
- As a team, the Cajuns defense has caused many problems for opponents this season, limiting teams to 57.1 points per game for 44th in the nation
- The Cajuns have forced opponents to 20-plus turnovers on eight different occasions as teams are averaging 21.3 turnovers per game this season
- Louisiana ranks 17th nationally in turnover margin with teams recording 6.15 more turnovers per game than the Cajuns
- In 12 of 13 games, a team has committed at least 15 turnovers with Louisiana Tech being the one exception (14)
- Junior guard Kia Wilridge's tenacious defense through the first 13 games of the season has her ranked among the best in the country
- Wilridge has totaled 36 steals on the season for an average of 2.8 per game for first in the Sun Belt Conference and 31st in the country

Louisiana Among Sun Belt Schools
- Defense is what has stood out this season for the Cajuns, and their numbers have placed them near the top in the Sun Belt in several categories
- Among Sun Belt schools, Louisiana ranks first in three-point field goal percentage defense (28.4%) and turnover margin (+6.15), and third in scoring defense (57.1 ppg) and steals (10.3 spg)
- In league play, the Cajuns lead the conference with 9.8 steals per game and have held teams to 60.5 points per game to rank second behind UALR

Gordon, Wilridge in the Sun Belt Rankings
- Jaylyn Gordon and Kia Wilridge are making several appearances in the SBC top-10 individual rankings
- Wilridge is first in steals (2.8 spg), ninth in assists (2.8 apg) and 10th in scoring (12.8 ppg) and minutes (30.5 mpg)
- Gordon also appears four times in the SBC rankings, coming in second in free throw percentage (84.3%), fourth in three-pointers per game (2.2), seventh in scoring (14.3 ppg) and eighth in minutes (31.8 mpg)

Veal Dishing It Out
- While Keke Veal's offensive numbers have been slightly down from her previous two seasons, the junior guard has made an impact on the Cajuns offense with her passing
- Veal is seventh in the SBC with 3.2 assists per game and a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio to lead the Cajuns this season

-- RaginCajuns.com --

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Players Mentioned

Robbie Brown

Jaylyn Gordon

Keke Veal

Kia Wilridge