University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, March 7
Jonesboro, Ark.
3:05 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Arkansas State
WBB Game 29 Preview: at Arkansas State
3/6/2015 2:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Cajuns look for first win in Jonesboro since 2000
LAFAYETTE – For the second consecutive year, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team will close out the regular-season when it visits Arkansas State in a Sun Belt Conference game at the ASU Convocation Center.
Tipoff is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. and can be heard in the Lafayette area on Talk Radio 960-AM.
Game 29 • Louisiana (18-10, 10-9 SBC) vs. Arkansas State (20-9, 15-4 SBC)
Saturday, March 7 • 3:05 p.m. • Jonesboro, Ark. • Convocation Center (10,563)
TV: None • Radio: Talk Radio 960 AM • Talent: Jay Walker, PxP
Live Stats/Video: RaginCajuns.com/ • Twitter: @RaginCajunsWBB
Series History: A-State leads, 45-14 • Last Meeting: UL 69, A-State 57 (1/22/15)
The Coaches
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Head Coach: Garry Brodhead • Alma Mater: Louisiana, 1980
Record at UL: 42-47, 3rd season • Career Record: Same
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Head Coach: Brian Boyer • Alma Mater: Missouri Western, 1993
Record at A-State: 268-221, 15th season • Career Record: Same
Last Time Out
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team nearly erased a 22-point deficit in the second half before time expired and Sun Belt-leading UALR held on for a 68-66 win Thursday at the Cajundome.
• The Cajuns (18-10, 10-9 Sun Belt), who trailed 50-28 with 12:53 remaining, had closed their deficit to 65-63 with 9.3 seconds left after a Jodi Quinn basket.
• UALR (25-4, 18-2 Sun Belt) received two free throws from Kaitlyn Pratt to create a two-possession lead, 67-63, with 8.5 seconds showing. The Trojans would intercept a length-of-court pass by Robbie Brown snuffing out the Cajuns' last effort at completing the comeback.
• Kia Wilridge connected on a triple as the final horn sounded resulting in the final margin and leaving Louisiana wondering about missed shots in a the opening half in which the team shot 34.6 percent (9-of-26).
• Wilridge led a quartet of Cajuns in double figures with a team-best 16 points. Jaylyn Gordon (15), Keke Veal (14) and Brown (10) were the others in double figures.
A Look at A-State
• Arkansas State (20-9, 15-4 SBC) secured the No. 2 overall seed heading into next week's Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament with a 70-60 victory over South Alabama Thursday evening at the Convocation Center.
• Jasmine Hunt finished just three points off a career-high with 20 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds for her third career double-double. Aundrea Gamble chipped in with 18 points and seven assists, while Khadija Brown-Haywood and Hanna Qedan finished with 13 points each.
• With the victory A-State recorded its third 20-win regular season in school history and the first time that the Red Wolves have won 20 games in the regular season in back-to-back years. The school record for most victories in a single season is 21, which was set during the 1992-93 season.
• An 11-0 run midway through the first half helped the Red Wolves build a 20-13 lead behind a strong start by Gamble. The redshirt junior knocked down her first four shots from the field and led all scorers with nine points in the half. Qedan added eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and finished the opening frame with an 18-8 edge in points in the paint.
Series History
• Arkansas State leads the all-time series between the schools, 45-14, and have won the last nine meetings in Jonesboro dating back to 2001.
• The Cajuns are 5-22 all-time in games played in Jonesboro with their last win coming in a 74-71 victory on Feb. 17, 2000.
• Louisiana claimed the previous meeting between the schools, 69-57, on Jan. 22 in Lafayette behind 18 points from Keke Veal, 16 from Kia Wilridge and 12 from Robbie Brown.
Up Next
• The Ragin' Cajuns will begin play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Wednesday, March 11, at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena.
At Home In The Dome
• Louisiana completed its 2014-15 home schedule with an 11-5 mark, the third-most home wins in school history.
• The Ragin' Cajuns went a perfect 13-0 in the 2004-05 season and finished 12-1 in 2006-07.
10x3 For Cajuns In Sun Belt Play
• Louisiana's 10 wins in Sun Belt Conference play mark the third time since joining the league that the Ragin' Cajuns recorded double-digit wins in league play.
• The Ragin' Cajuns earned 14 victories in the 2006-07 season and 10 in 2004-05.
Cajuns Reach 100 Sun Belt Wins
• With a 64-41 victory over Texas State at the Cajundome on Feb. 19, Louisiana reached the 100-win mark in Sun Belt Conference victories.
• Since joining the league in the 1991-92 season, the Ragin' Cajuns have posted a 101-279 record.
• Louisiana's 10 wins in 2014-15 marks the third time the Ragin' Cajuns have reached double digits (10, 2004-05; 14, 2006-07).
Stifling Defense
• As a team, the Cajuns defense has caused many problems for opponents this season, limiting teams to 57.9 points per game for 47th in the nation.
• The Cajuns have forced opponents to 20-plus turnovers on 18 different occasions as teams are forcing 21.6 turnovers per game this season. In 25 of 27 games, a team has committed at least 15 turnovers with Louisiana Tech (14) and UT Arlington (10) being the only exceptions.
• Louisiana ranks fourth nationally in turnover margin with teams recording 7.1 more turnovers per game than the Cajuns
• Louisiana is 35th in the country in steals per game, averaging 10.5 on the season.
• Junior guard Kia Wilridge's tenacious defense this season has her ranked among the best in the country.
• Wilridge has totaled 78 steals on the season for an average of 2.9 per game for first in the Sun Belt Conference and 21st 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 turnover margin (+7.1), second in steals (10.5) and opponent turnovers per game (21.7), and third in scoring defense (58.2).
• In league play, the Cajuns lead the conference in turnover margin (+7.7), and are second in both opponent turnovers per game (21.7) and steals per game (10.4). The Cajuns have held teams to 59.5 points per game to rank third behind UALR (47.8) and UT Arlington (55.4).
Guards in the Sun Belt Rankings
• Guards Jaylyn Gordon, Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge are making several appearances in the SBC top-10 individual rankings.
• Gordon comes in third in three-pointers per game (2.3), fifth in free-throw percentage (79.8%), seventh in minutes played (33.0), seventh in steals (2.0), ninth in scoring (13.8 ppg), and 15th in 3-point field goal percentage (.286).
• Veal ranks sixth with 2.1 steals per game but is third overall in SBC play with 2.4 per game. She is eighth in the SBC with 3.4 assists per game and eighth with a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Wilridge appears three times in the SBC rankings, coming in first in steals (2.9 spg), 14th in assists (2.4 apg) and 13th in scoring (12.3 ppg).
Cajuns Climbing the Record Books
• As the season progresses, several Cajuns are ranked in or nearing the top 10 in the career record books:
• With an appearance today, Robbie Brown will tie Sonora Edwards (2005-08) for third in career games played with 118.
• With three steals against UALR, Kia Wilridge increased her career total to 174 and moved past Billie Popovska (1997-01) into fifth-place on the school's all-time list.
• Wilridge is ranked ninth in school history with 215 assists.
• Keke Veal is eighth in school history with 167 steals, three shy of tying Mary Douglas (1982-84) for seventh place.
• Jaylyn Gordon is the final Cajun that ranked in the career top 10 list as her 99 made 3-pointers are the ninth-best total in school history. She is 11 shy of tying Charlotte Green (110, 1999-03) for eighth place on the school's all-time list.
Brodhead Could Join Elite Company
• With a win in Louisiana's regular-season finale or in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, head coach Garry Brodhead would join a pair of former Ragin' Cajuns coaches for the best record in his first three years.
• Currently with 42 victories, Brodhead would join Ross Cook (43 wins, 1983-86) and J. Kelley Hall (43 wins, 2002-05) in equaling the most wins in a three-year period in school history.
Working Overtime Under Brodhead
• Under Garry Brodhead, the Ragin' Cajuns have thrived in games that have gone past the traditional 40 minutes, including games that reach a sixth period.
• Under Brodhead, Louisiana has posted a 7-4 record in overtime games, including a 3-0 mark in games that have gone to double OT.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have gone 3-1 in overtime games this season - including double overtime wins at Texas State (1/31) and ULM (2/12).
• Before Brodhead's arrival, the Ragin' Cajuns were 0-4 all-time in games that reached double overtime.
Nine-Game Start
• With an 8-1 non-conference record this season, the Cajuns matched their best nine-game start in program history.
• After dropping their season opener to SMU in the 2005-06 season, the Cajuns reeled off eight-straight wins under former head coach J. Kelley Hall to also start the season 8-1.
Louisiana's Upset Bid Falls Short
• 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 Dec. 17 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 the 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.
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.
Defense Carries Cajuns to Win
• Louisiana forced Sam Houston State to 30 turnovers, recording 19 steals, that turned into 30 points for the Cajuns in a 65-46 victory over the Bearkats on Dec. 6.
• Junior guard Kia Wilridge led the Cajuns with 16 points and a career-high eight steals while sophomore guard Gabby Alexander added 14 points and five boards.
Cajuns Record Historic Win Over LaTech
• In 39 meetings, the Ragin' Cajuns had always come up short in knocking off Louisiana Tech, one of the nation's most decorated women's college basketball programs.
• However, the 40th meeting on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 was one exception.
• The Cajuns led from the beginning as they claimed a 58-55 victory over the Lady Techsters to snap their 39-game losing streak to Louisiana Tech.
• Kia Wilridge led all scorers with 18 points and a team-high five assists while Jaylyn Gordon added 15 points, shooting 3-of-6 from long range, and six boards to help Louisiana to a historic win.
• The Cajuns dominated the paint, outscoring the Lady Techsters 30-16 down low. Louisiana Tech earned nearly half of its points from the outside, shooting 8-of-25 from behind the arc.
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.
Tipoff is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. and can be heard in the Lafayette area on Talk Radio 960-AM.
Game 29 • Louisiana (18-10, 10-9 SBC) vs. Arkansas State (20-9, 15-4 SBC)
Saturday, March 7 • 3:05 p.m. • Jonesboro, Ark. • Convocation Center (10,563)
TV: None • Radio: Talk Radio 960 AM • Talent: Jay Walker, PxP
Live Stats/Video: RaginCajuns.com/ • Twitter: @RaginCajunsWBB
Series History: A-State leads, 45-14 • Last Meeting: UL 69, A-State 57 (1/22/15)
The Coaches
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Head Coach: Garry Brodhead • Alma Mater: Louisiana, 1980
Record at UL: 42-47, 3rd season • Career Record: Same
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Head Coach: Brian Boyer • Alma Mater: Missouri Western, 1993
Record at A-State: 268-221, 15th season • Career Record: Same
Last Time Out
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team nearly erased a 22-point deficit in the second half before time expired and Sun Belt-leading UALR held on for a 68-66 win Thursday at the Cajundome.
• The Cajuns (18-10, 10-9 Sun Belt), who trailed 50-28 with 12:53 remaining, had closed their deficit to 65-63 with 9.3 seconds left after a Jodi Quinn basket.
• UALR (25-4, 18-2 Sun Belt) received two free throws from Kaitlyn Pratt to create a two-possession lead, 67-63, with 8.5 seconds showing. The Trojans would intercept a length-of-court pass by Robbie Brown snuffing out the Cajuns' last effort at completing the comeback.
• Kia Wilridge connected on a triple as the final horn sounded resulting in the final margin and leaving Louisiana wondering about missed shots in a the opening half in which the team shot 34.6 percent (9-of-26).
• Wilridge led a quartet of Cajuns in double figures with a team-best 16 points. Jaylyn Gordon (15), Keke Veal (14) and Brown (10) were the others in double figures.
A Look at A-State
• Arkansas State (20-9, 15-4 SBC) secured the No. 2 overall seed heading into next week's Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament with a 70-60 victory over South Alabama Thursday evening at the Convocation Center.
• Jasmine Hunt finished just three points off a career-high with 20 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds for her third career double-double. Aundrea Gamble chipped in with 18 points and seven assists, while Khadija Brown-Haywood and Hanna Qedan finished with 13 points each.
• With the victory A-State recorded its third 20-win regular season in school history and the first time that the Red Wolves have won 20 games in the regular season in back-to-back years. The school record for most victories in a single season is 21, which was set during the 1992-93 season.
• An 11-0 run midway through the first half helped the Red Wolves build a 20-13 lead behind a strong start by Gamble. The redshirt junior knocked down her first four shots from the field and led all scorers with nine points in the half. Qedan added eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and finished the opening frame with an 18-8 edge in points in the paint.
Series History
• Arkansas State leads the all-time series between the schools, 45-14, and have won the last nine meetings in Jonesboro dating back to 2001.
• The Cajuns are 5-22 all-time in games played in Jonesboro with their last win coming in a 74-71 victory on Feb. 17, 2000.
• Louisiana claimed the previous meeting between the schools, 69-57, on Jan. 22 in Lafayette behind 18 points from Keke Veal, 16 from Kia Wilridge and 12 from Robbie Brown.
Up Next
• The Ragin' Cajuns will begin play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Wednesday, March 11, at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena.
At Home In The Dome
• Louisiana completed its 2014-15 home schedule with an 11-5 mark, the third-most home wins in school history.
• The Ragin' Cajuns went a perfect 13-0 in the 2004-05 season and finished 12-1 in 2006-07.
10x3 For Cajuns In Sun Belt Play
• Louisiana's 10 wins in Sun Belt Conference play mark the third time since joining the league that the Ragin' Cajuns recorded double-digit wins in league play.
• The Ragin' Cajuns earned 14 victories in the 2006-07 season and 10 in 2004-05.
Cajuns Reach 100 Sun Belt Wins
• With a 64-41 victory over Texas State at the Cajundome on Feb. 19, Louisiana reached the 100-win mark in Sun Belt Conference victories.
• Since joining the league in the 1991-92 season, the Ragin' Cajuns have posted a 101-279 record.
• Louisiana's 10 wins in 2014-15 marks the third time the Ragin' Cajuns have reached double digits (10, 2004-05; 14, 2006-07).
Stifling Defense
• As a team, the Cajuns defense has caused many problems for opponents this season, limiting teams to 57.9 points per game for 47th in the nation.
• The Cajuns have forced opponents to 20-plus turnovers on 18 different occasions as teams are forcing 21.6 turnovers per game this season. In 25 of 27 games, a team has committed at least 15 turnovers with Louisiana Tech (14) and UT Arlington (10) being the only exceptions.
• Louisiana ranks fourth nationally in turnover margin with teams recording 7.1 more turnovers per game than the Cajuns
• Louisiana is 35th in the country in steals per game, averaging 10.5 on the season.
• Junior guard Kia Wilridge's tenacious defense this season has her ranked among the best in the country.
• Wilridge has totaled 78 steals on the season for an average of 2.9 per game for first in the Sun Belt Conference and 21st 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 turnover margin (+7.1), second in steals (10.5) and opponent turnovers per game (21.7), and third in scoring defense (58.2).
• In league play, the Cajuns lead the conference in turnover margin (+7.7), and are second in both opponent turnovers per game (21.7) and steals per game (10.4). The Cajuns have held teams to 59.5 points per game to rank third behind UALR (47.8) and UT Arlington (55.4).
Guards in the Sun Belt Rankings
• Guards Jaylyn Gordon, Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge are making several appearances in the SBC top-10 individual rankings.
• Gordon comes in third in three-pointers per game (2.3), fifth in free-throw percentage (79.8%), seventh in minutes played (33.0), seventh in steals (2.0), ninth in scoring (13.8 ppg), and 15th in 3-point field goal percentage (.286).
• Veal ranks sixth with 2.1 steals per game but is third overall in SBC play with 2.4 per game. She is eighth in the SBC with 3.4 assists per game and eighth with a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Wilridge appears three times in the SBC rankings, coming in first in steals (2.9 spg), 14th in assists (2.4 apg) and 13th in scoring (12.3 ppg).
Cajuns Climbing the Record Books
• As the season progresses, several Cajuns are ranked in or nearing the top 10 in the career record books:
• With an appearance today, Robbie Brown will tie Sonora Edwards (2005-08) for third in career games played with 118.
• With three steals against UALR, Kia Wilridge increased her career total to 174 and moved past Billie Popovska (1997-01) into fifth-place on the school's all-time list.
• Wilridge is ranked ninth in school history with 215 assists.
• Keke Veal is eighth in school history with 167 steals, three shy of tying Mary Douglas (1982-84) for seventh place.
• Jaylyn Gordon is the final Cajun that ranked in the career top 10 list as her 99 made 3-pointers are the ninth-best total in school history. She is 11 shy of tying Charlotte Green (110, 1999-03) for eighth place on the school's all-time list.
Brodhead Could Join Elite Company
• With a win in Louisiana's regular-season finale or in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, head coach Garry Brodhead would join a pair of former Ragin' Cajuns coaches for the best record in his first three years.
• Currently with 42 victories, Brodhead would join Ross Cook (43 wins, 1983-86) and J. Kelley Hall (43 wins, 2002-05) in equaling the most wins in a three-year period in school history.
Working Overtime Under Brodhead
• Under Garry Brodhead, the Ragin' Cajuns have thrived in games that have gone past the traditional 40 minutes, including games that reach a sixth period.
• Under Brodhead, Louisiana has posted a 7-4 record in overtime games, including a 3-0 mark in games that have gone to double OT.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have gone 3-1 in overtime games this season - including double overtime wins at Texas State (1/31) and ULM (2/12).
• Before Brodhead's arrival, the Ragin' Cajuns were 0-4 all-time in games that reached double overtime.
Nine-Game Start
• With an 8-1 non-conference record this season, the Cajuns matched their best nine-game start in program history.
• After dropping their season opener to SMU in the 2005-06 season, the Cajuns reeled off eight-straight wins under former head coach J. Kelley Hall to also start the season 8-1.
Louisiana's Upset Bid Falls Short
• 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 Dec. 17 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 the 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.
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.
Defense Carries Cajuns to Win
• Louisiana forced Sam Houston State to 30 turnovers, recording 19 steals, that turned into 30 points for the Cajuns in a 65-46 victory over the Bearkats on Dec. 6.
• Junior guard Kia Wilridge led the Cajuns with 16 points and a career-high eight steals while sophomore guard Gabby Alexander added 14 points and five boards.
Cajuns Record Historic Win Over LaTech
• In 39 meetings, the Ragin' Cajuns had always come up short in knocking off Louisiana Tech, one of the nation's most decorated women's college basketball programs.
• However, the 40th meeting on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 was one exception.
• The Cajuns led from the beginning as they claimed a 58-55 victory over the Lady Techsters to snap their 39-game losing streak to Louisiana Tech.
• Kia Wilridge led all scorers with 18 points and a team-high five assists while Jaylyn Gordon added 15 points, shooting 3-of-6 from long range, and six boards to help Louisiana to a historic win.
• The Cajuns dominated the paint, outscoring the Lady Techsters 30-16 down low. Louisiana Tech earned nearly half of its points from the outside, shooting 8-of-25 from behind the arc.
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.
Players Mentioned
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