@RaginCajunsMBB Game 17 Preview: at Georgia Southern

STATESBORO, Ga. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team wraps up a two-game swing through the state of Georgia on Saturday when it visits Sun Belt Conference rival Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse.

Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., CT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Danny Waugh (pxp) and Greg Talbott (color) on the call. Fans can listen to the game in the Lafayette area on KHXT-FM (107.9) and worldwide on RaginCajuns.com with Jay Walker (PxP) and Ross Cook (color) providing the commentary.

Louisiana (10-6, 1-2 SBC) opened its two-game swing through the Peach State on Thursday, falling to Georgia State, 89-76. JaKeenan Gant notched his second straight double-double, and fifth of the season, with a game-high 36 points with 11 rebounds.

The Springfield, Ga., native, who is leading the Ragin' Cajuns in scoring (19.7), rebounds (7.9), field goal percentage (.546) and blocked shots (2.9), has averaged an SBC-best 33.0 points in league games while ranking second in rebounds (9.3) and field goal percentage (.667).

Marcus Stroman (12.1 ppg.) and Justin Miller (10.4) also average in double figures for Louisiana with Jerekius Davis (8.8), Cedric Russell (6.0) and Jeremy Hayes (5.6) following.

Georgia Southern (10-6, 2-1 SBC) improved to 5-1 at home after rallying for a 79-78 victory over ULM on Thursday. The Eagles trailed by as many as 14 points before Quan Jackson's 3-pointer at the buzzer sealed the win.

The Eagles rank among the national leaders in field goal percentage, converting on 52 percent of their attempts to rank 12^th nationally.

Three-time All-SBC selection Tookie Brown leads GS in scoring (16.2) and is second in the SBC in assists (5.1). Jackson is averaging 16.0 points per game for the Eagles and is second in the league in steals (2.4) with Montae Glenn leading the team in rebounds (6.5).

GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (10-6, 1-2 SBC) at GEORGIA SOUTHERN (10-6, 2-1 SBC)
Date / Time: January 12, 2019 / 4 p.m. CT
Site: Statesboro, Ga.
Arena: Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897)

TV/RADIO
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP); Ross Cook (color)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Danny Waugh (PxP); Greg Talbott (color)

LIVE STATS/SOCIAL
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Social Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB | #GeauxCajuns

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 6-4
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 4-2
In Statesboro: Tied, 2-2
Streak: Louisiana +1

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 165-117 (ninth season), Career Record: 513-283 (26th season)

GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Head Coach: Mark Byington (UNC Wilmington, 1998)
Record at GS: 100-78 (sixth season), Career Record: 107-82 (seventh season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana's JaKeenan Gant is a native of Springfield, Ga., and prepped at nearby Effingham County High School.
• Gant and former high school teammate and Ragin' Cajuns guard Jay Wright, a native of Rincon, Ga., are the last two Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year recipients.
• Gant enters Saturday's game three points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark in his collegiate career. He scored 265 points in two seasons at Missouri and has scored 732 points since transferring to Louisiana after the 2015-16 campaign.
• Georgia Southern (85.0) and Louisiana (82.4) are ranked 1-2 in scoring offense among Sun Belt Conference teams in 2018-19.
• Marcus Stroman leads the Sun Belt Conference in both assists (6.6) and steals (2.5) with Georgia Southern's Tookie Brown (5.1) trailing in assists and Quan Jackson second in steals (2.4).

QUICK HITS
• JaKeenan Gant's 45-point, 11-rebound performance against Little Rock on Jan. 5 marked the sixth time during the 2018-19 season a Division I player notched a 40-10 game. His record-setting performance was the seventh 45-10 contest by a Division I player dating back to 2010-11.
• The 45-point performance by Gant was the first 40-point game by a Ragin' Cajun since Sydney Grider (41 at Ole Miss) on Nov. 24, 1989.
• Gant is the only active Division I player in 2018-19 (joining Oregon's Bol Bol) averaging 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are officially 258-181 in Sun Belt Conference play and 92-57 under head coach Bob Marlin.
• Louisiana's 73-72 victory at Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 29 was its first one-point win since defeating ULM, 85-84, on Feb. 18, 2017. The Ragin' Cajuns are 11-4 overall in one-point games under head coach Bob Marlin and 55-49 overall in school history.
• Louisiana is 6-1 on the season when scoring 80 points or more and 7-1 when allowing less than 80 points.

SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN
• Georgia Southern improved to 5-1 at home after rallying for a 79-78 victory over ULM on Thursday. The Eagles trailed by as many as 16 points before Quan Jackson's 3-pointer at the buzzer sealed the win.
• The Eagles rank among the national leaders in field goal percentage, converting on 52 percent of their attempts.
• Three-time All-SBC selection Tookie Brown leads GS in scoring (16.2) and is second in the SBC in assists (5.1). Jackson is averaging 16.0 points per game for the Eagles and is second in the league in steals (2.4) with Montae Glenn leading the team in rebounds (6.5), including tying Louisiana's JaKeenan Gant and Justin Miller for the SBC lead in offensive rebounds per game (2.8).

SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE
• Season tickets, beginning at $100, are available online at RaginCajuns.com using Account Manager, or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2357.
• All current UL faculty and staff, along with recent graduates (within the last five years), can purchase season tickets at a 50-percent discount to cheer on the Ragin' Cajuns during the 2018-19 season at the Cajundome.
• The special package will allow recent graduates of Louisiana to purchase tickets in sections 101-103. Discounts will be applied upon confirmation of graduate status by the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office.

GET YOUR PASSPORT
• The game against Southern is part of the "Louisiana Passport," which will recognize Ragin' Cajuns fans who attend all eight of Louisiana's scheduled games against in-state opponents during the 2018-19 season.
• Each game, beginning with the Ragin' Cajuns Nov. 28 game at New Orleans, fans will get their passport stamped at a location to be determined. In-state games for the Ragin' Cajuns include home games against Southern (Dec. 1), Loyola (Dec. 5), Louisiana Tech (Dec. 15) and ULM (Feb. 16), with additional road games slated against McNeese State (Dec. 18), Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 29) and ULM (Jan. 19).
• At Louisiana's game against ULM at the Cajundome on Feb. 16, those who have a completed passport with eight stamps will be recognized on the court at some point during the game.
• For more information on tickets, contact the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2357. For information concerning parking, contact the RCAF at (337) 851-2903.

CAJUNS CARE TICKET INITIATIVE
• Help Louisiana Athletics continue to give back! After a successful start during the 2018 football season, the Cajuns Care program will allow Ragin' Cajuns fans the opportunity to purchase Louisiana men's basketball season tickets for $20.
• Tickets purchased through the Cajuns Care program will be donated to local charitable and philanthropic initiatives, including Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana, the United Way and area military servicemen and servicewomen.
• Fans and supporters of Louisiana men's basketball can find the option to purchase Cajuns Care season tickets online, by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the Cajundome (337-265-2357) or visiting in-person.

FOLLOW THE CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsMBB), Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsMBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Men's Basketball.

@RaginCajunsMBB Game 17 Preview: at Georgia Southern

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Players Mentioned

Jerekius Davis

JaKeenan Gant

Jeremy Hayes

Justin Miller

Cedric Russell

Marcus Stroman

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