Cajuns and Weber State Battle for WBI Championship

Game 35 – No. 1 Seed Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (24-10) vs. No. 7 Seed Weber State Wildcats (23-11)
Series History: First Meeting
Postseason History: First Meeting
Saturday, March 26, 2016 • 4 p.m. • Earl K. Long Gymnasium – Lafayette, La.
Live Stats l Live Video l Radio: Ian Auzenne (TalkRadio960 AM)
Twitter Updates: @ULRaginCajuns • @RaginCajunWBB
Louisiana Women's Basketball Home Page l Weber State Women's Basketball Home Page | Louisiana Game Notes

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (24-10) and Weber State Wildcats (23-11) play for the WBI championship this Saturday, March 26 at historic Earl K. Long Gymnasium for a 4 p.m. tip-off. It is the first meeting between the two schools.

The first 1,000 students will be admitted free with a valid University ID, courtesy of Coca Cola and Buffalo Wild Wings.

The Cajuns are in search of their second consecutive WBI championship.

Louisiana is one win from tying the program's single-season record, set in 2006-07 when they finished 25-9.

Senior guard Keke Veal, the WBI Tournament MVP last season, averaged 21.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and led the Cajuns in assists (12) in the four games vs. UT Pan American, McNeese State, Oral Roberts and Siena. In three WBI Tournament games this postseason, Veal is averaging team-highs with 20.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. She also leads the Cajuns in assists (9), blocks (2) and steals (11).

Senior guard Kia Wilridge scored a career-high of 22 points in the 69-49 win over Youngstown State in the WBI semifinals on Wednesday. She made 10-of-16 shots (62.5%), grabbed seven rebounds with two assists and three steals.

Fourth-year head coach Garry Brodhead passed Ross Cook for sole possession of second place for most wins in program history with 58 in the Cajuns' 56-39 win at Georgia Southern on Jan. 14. Brodhead is currently at 71 career wins and trails only J. Kelley Hall (86 wins) on the Cajuns all-time coaching ledger.

Setting the Scene: The No. 1 seeded Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (24-10) and No. 7 seeded Weber State meet in the WBI Championship on Saturday, March 26. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at historic Earl K. Long Gymnasium.

The Cajuns are playing in their second consecutive WBI Championship game. Should the Cajuns win, they would tie the program record for most wins in a season with 25, also accomplished back in 2006-07. Weber State is coming off a 79-53 win in the WBI semifinals against USC Upstate. Weber State is 23-11 this season, the winningest campaign in the history of the program. Senior guard Brittney Dunbar is ranked seventh in the nation in steals per game averaging 3.12 per contest. She is also ranked fifth in the country in steals with 103.

The Wildcats are 11-5 on the road this season and have won five of their past six games.

The Cajuns have won three games in a row and are fresh off a 69-49 win over Youngstown State in the WBI semifinals. Senior guard Kia Wilridge paced the offense with a career-high 22 points against the Penguins. Senior guard Keke Veal added 19 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Simone Fields finished with 16 points and eight boards. Simone Fields finished with 16 points and eight boards.

Coach Brodhead at the Helm: Louisiana head coach Garry Brodhead is in his fourth season at the helm of the Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball program, finishing with 23 wins last season, the most in a single season since 2006-07 (25). Brodhead guided the team to 15 victories at home in 2014-15, a program record. He passed Ross Cook (57) to move into sole possession of second place on the program's all-time wins list with his 58th victory on January 14. With 71 career wins, Brodhead trails only J. Kelley Hall (86) for the most wins by a coach in Ragin' Cajuns history.

Veal, Wilridge Named All-Sun Belt: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns seniors Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge were both named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team on March 8. It is the second all-conference honor for both players in their four-year careers. Veal, a native of Opelousas, La., was a first-team All-SBC selection while Wilridge, a Crowley, La., native, was named to the second team. Both were named to the All-Sun Belt Conference third team following the 2014-15 season.

Cajuns at E.K. Long Gymnasium: The Cajuns are 2-0 at E.K. Long Gymnasuium this season and have won 10 games in a row in that venue. Their last loss at EK Long came on Jan. 30, 2013 against North Texas.

On The Brink Of History: Including this season, the Cajuns have five 20-win seasons (1983-84, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2014-15, 2015-16). The Cajuns are one win from tying the program's single-season record, set in 2006-07 when they finished 25-9.

2016 Postseason Numbers: In five games this postseason, the Cajuns have three players averaging double-digit points. Senior Keke Veal is averaging 18.8 points per game followed by sophomore Simone Fields at 13.8 points. Senior Kia Wilridge comes in as the third leading scorer at 12.8 points per contest.

Okde Three-Point Watch: Redshirt junior guard Sylvana Okde has made 162 three-point shots in her career, good for fourth-most in Cajuns history. She is eight shy of tying Alyson Habetz for third on UL's all-time list with 170. She splashed a season-high of four three-pointers against Stetson in the WBI quarterfinals.

Wilridge Assists Watch: Senior guard Kia Wilridge enters Wednesday night with 329 career assists. She is 55 helpers shy of tying Ashley Branche for fourth all-time in UL history (384). Wilridge cracked 100 assists this season with two against Youngstown State, the first time she reached that number in her career.

Home Cooking: In 17 games at home this season, the Cajuns are 14-3 and 7-0 against non-conference opponents. They are averaging 62.8 points per game and are holding opponents to an average of 50.0 points. Louisiana is shooting 43.7% from the floor and are plus-3.8 in rebounding margin (33.9-30.1). In the first quarter alone in home games, the Cajuns are outscoring the opposition, 276-188 and also have a 292-197 advantage in third quarters.

Cajuns and Weber State Battle for WBI Championship

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Players Mentioned

Simone Fields

Sylvana Okde

Keke Veal

Kia Wilridge

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