MBB Game 28 Preview: at Coastal Carolina

CONWAY, S.C. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team begins its final regular-season road trip when it faces Sun Belt Conference newcomer Coastal Carolina on Saturday at the HTC Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on KHXT 107.9-FM and worldwide on the RadioPup app. Live video and statistics will be available at RaginCajuns.com. After facing the Chanticleers (14-14, 9-6 SBC), Louisiana (16-11, 6-8 SBC) will wrap up its road schedule on Monday at Appalachian State.

The Ragin' Cajuns return to the court after a come-from-behind 85-84 victory at ULM last Saturday. Jay Wright tied a career-high with 28 points for Louisiana and Johnathan Stove scored 17 points, including a halfcourt, game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Frank Bartley, who is ninth in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring, leads Louisiana with a 15.6 points per game average with Wright next in scoring at 15.4. Bryce Washington, who was held to a season-low two points and five rebounds against ULM, is averaging 13.7 points and a SBC-leading 11.3 rebounds per game.

Louisiana claimed the only meeting between the schools with a 73-69 win in the championship game of the 2013 EA Sports Maui on the Mainland Classic on Nov. 24, 2013 in Conway.

Xavian Rimmer came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points and Shawn Long battled back from first-half foul trouble to score all 18 of his points in the second half as Louisiana held off a last-minute charge by the Chanticleers.

The victory snapped a 19-game road losing streak against non-conference opponents that dated back to the end of the 2009-10 season. Former Cajun and current Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton flirted with a triple-double for the Cajuns, scoring 13 points with nine assists and eight rebounds.

GAME 27: Louisiana (16-11, 6-8 SBC) at Coastal Carolina (14-14, 9-6 SBC)
Date / Time: February 25, 2017 / 3:30 p.m. CT
Site: Conway, S.C.
Arena: HTC Center (3,600)

Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM
Talent: Jay Walker (pxp)

Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB

Series History: Louisiana leads, 1-0
In Lafayette: Never met
In Conway: Louisiana leads, 1-0
At Neutral Sites: Never met
Current streak: Louisiana +1

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 471-269 (24th season), Record at Louisiana: 123-103 (7th season)

COASTAL CAROLINA
Head Coach: Cliff Ellis (Florida State, 1968)
Career Record: 805-472 (41st season), Record at CCU: 193-122 (10th season)

STORY LINES
• Jay Wright is currently eighth in school history with 352 assists. The senior has scored 1,030 points and is the 44th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career.

• Louisiana is 48-28 overall in games played during the months of February and March under head coach Bob Marlin.

• The Ragin' Cajuns rank 13th nationally (as of Feb. 22) in offensive rebounds per game (13.48), 21st in scoring offense (82.1), 24th in rebound margin (+6.3), 36th in free throw attempts (676) and 44th in turnovers forced per game (15.19).

• Louisiana is 5-5 this season in games decided by six points or less. In 2015-16, the Ragin' Cajuns were 0-6 in close games and are 39-41 overall under Bob Marlin.

QUICK HITS
• Bryce Washington has recorded 19 of his 22 career double-doubles this season. His career .575 percentage from the floor is currently the fourth-best in school history behind Roy Ebron (.579, 1970-73) and ahead of Bobby Cutrer (.569, 1964-66).

• Washington is fourth in the nation in double-doubles (19), Purdue's Caleb Swanigan (23) leading all Division I players. The junior is fifth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (3.96), fifth in rebounds per game (11.3) and seventh in total rebounds (305).

• Louisiana's 31 points off the bench against South Alabama eclipsed the combined total of 23 recorded in the previous four games (all losses).

• Johnathan Stove's buzzer beater at ULM was the first by the Ragin' Cajuns since Jay Wright's game-winning 3-pointer against Sam Houston State in the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

• The 85-84 win by the Ragin' Cajuns was their sixth true road win of the season, surpassing the total (5) set in 2015-16. Louisiana is 6-7 away from Lafayette this season.

SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
• In its first season in the Sun Belt Conference, Coastal Carolina is vying for a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, scheduled for March 8-12 at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena.

• CCU rallied from a 16- point deficit and defeated South Alabama, 81-77, in overtime on Monday in Mobile.

• Senior Elijah Wilson and Jaylen Shaw each average 13.6 points to lead the Chanticleers in scoring with Demario Beck pulling down a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana wraps up the road schedule on Monday at Appalachian State before hosting Texas State (March 2) and UTA (March 4) to conclude the regular-season.

MBB Game 28 Preview: at Coastal Carolina

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Frank Bartley

Shawn Long

Johnathan Stove

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics