@RaginCajunsMBB Game 21 Preview: at App State

BOONE, N.C. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team closes out the month of January on Thursday when it travels to face Appalachian State in a Sun Belt Conference game at the Holmes Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., CT. 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. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Tom Purvis (pxp) and Pierre Banks (color) on the call.

Louisiana (13-7, 4-3 SBC), which will wrap up its two-game road trip on Saturday at Coastal Carolina, earned an 86-81 victory over Troy in its last contest on Saturday while moving to within a game-and-a-half behind SBC co-leaders Texas State and Georgia State.

JaKeenan Gant, ranked No. 2 in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring (20.9), rebounds (8.4) and field goal percentage (.544), notched his eighth double-double of the season for the Ragin' Cajuns in the win over the Trojans with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus Stroman added 21 points for Louisiana with Jerekius Davis (14 points) and P.J. Hardy (13 points) following in double figures.

Stroman (12.2 points), Justin Miller (9.8 ppg.) and Davis (9.6) follow in the scoring column for the Ragin' Cajuns, who are second overall in the SBC in scoring (83.7) and 19^th nationally.

GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (13-7, 4-3 SBC) at APPALCHIAN STATE (6-14, 1-6 SBC)
Date / Time: January 31, 2019 / 6 p.m. CT
Site: Boone, N.C.
Arena: Holmes Center (8,375)

RADIO/TV
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP); Ross Cook (color)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Tom Purvis (PxP); Pierre Banks (color)

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

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 8-0
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 4-0
In Boone: Louisiana leads, 4-0
Streak: Louisiana +8

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 168-118 (ninth season), Career Record: 516-284 (26th season)

APPALACHIAN STATE
Head Coach: Jim Fox (SUNY Geneseo, 1995)
Record at App State: 51-92 (fifth season), Career Record: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana's last four games have been decided by six points or less with the Ragin' Cajuns posting a 3-1 record. The four-game streak is the first since the 2013-14 season when Louisiana played five straight games that was capped by an 82-81 overtime victory over Georgia State in championship game of the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
• Louisiana is 6-0 against App State since the Mountaineers joined the Sun Belt Conference in the 2014-15 season.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have used nine different starting lineups during the 2018-19 season.
• App State's Isaac Johnson (8.8) and JaKeenan Gant (8.4) are first and second overall in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounds per game.
• Louisiana (83.7 points per game) and Appalachian State (80.4) are ranked second and third overall in scoring offense among Sun Belt Conference schools.
• The Ragin' Cajuns (9.5 per game) and Mountaineers (9.1) join ULM and Georgia State as the only SBC schools averaging nine or more 3-point field goals per game.

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana has averaged an SBC-best 84.3 points and 15.7 assists per game in league play.
• JaKeenan Gant is the lone Division I player averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks during the 2018-19 season.
• With 1,099 points in his collegiate career (including 834 in his career at Louisiana), Gant is 164 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark with the Ragin' Cajuns.
• Louisiana is 9-2 overall when scoring 80 or more points during the 2018-19 season.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are officially 261-182 in Sun Belt Conference play and 95-58 under head coach Bob Marlin.
• Louisiana's 88-84 victory over South Alabama was its first win on Thursday during the 2018-19 season. The Ragin' Cajuns were 0-2 (vs. Arkansas State, at Georgia State) in previous games on "Must See Thursday."

SCOUTING APP STATE
• The Mountaineers snapped a seven-game losing skid on Saturday, posting a 77-73 win at Little Rock. Four of App State's losses during the seven-game slide were by six points or less, including one-point setbacks to Texas State (Jan. 12) and Arkansas State (Jan. 24).
• Ronshad Shabazz, sixth in the SBC in scoring, leads App State with 18.7 points per game with Justin Forrest averaging 15.7. Isaac Johnson, the SBC leader in rebounds (8.8), is averaging 10.1 points per game for the Mountaineers.
• App State is third in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense, averaging 80.4 points per game. The Mountaineers opened the season 5-0 at the Holmes Center before losses in their last homestand to UT Arlington and Texas State.

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
• Each game against in-state opponents, beginning with the Ragin' Cajuns Nov. 28 game at New Orleans, fans can get their "Louisiana 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 21 Preview: at App State

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Players Mentioned

Jerekius Davis

JaKeenan Gant

P.J. Hardy

Justin Miller

Marcus Stroman

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