@RaginCajunsMBB Game 23 Preview: vs. Georgia Southern

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Cajundome on Wednesday when it faces Georgia Southern to open a three-game Sun Belt Conference homestand.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Fans can listen to the game in the Lafayette area on KHXT-FM (107.9), ESPN 1420 AM 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 Dan McDonald (pxp) and Eric Mouton (color) on the call.

Louisiana (13-9, 4-5 SBC) looks to bounce back after suffering losses on the road at Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. The Ragin' Cajuns, who had won three of their previous four games, opened the stretch with an 87-85 victory at Georgia Southern (13-9, 5-4 SBC) on Jan. 12 as JaKeenan Gant scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds with five assists and five blocked shots.

The Ragin' Cajuns made 11 of 12 free throws in the second half, including nine in the final 2:04 to earn a split on their two-game road trip to the state of Georgia. Gant, who leads Louisiana in scoring (20.9), rebounds (8.6), blocks (2.9), field goal percentage (.541) and free throw percentage (.802), made 9 of 17 shots from the floor, was 2-for-4 from behind the 3-point line and broke an 80-all tie with a pair of free throws with 1:16 left.

Marcus Stroman (11.7), Jerekius Davis (9.9) and Justin Miller (9.6) are next in scoring for Louisiana, which is second in the Sun Belt Conference behind Georgia Southern (83.5) in scoring average (83.2).

GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (13-9, 4-5 SBC) vs. GEORGIA SOUTHERN (13-9, 5-4 SBC)
Date / Time: February 6, 2019 / 7 p.m.
Site: Lafayette, La.
Arena: Cajundome (13,362)

RADIO/TV
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM / ESPN 1420 AM
Talent: Jay Walker (PxP); Ross Cook (color)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Dan McDonald (PxP); Eric Mouton (color)

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

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 7-4
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 4-2
In Statesboro: Louisiana leads, 3-2
Streak: Louisiana +2

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record at Louisiana: 168-120 (ninth season), Career Record: 516-286 (26th season)

GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Head Coach: Mark Byington (UNC Wilmington, 1998)
Record at GS: 103-81 (sixth season), Career Record: 110-85 (seventh season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana opens the second-half of its Sun Belt Conference schedule playing five of its next seven games at home.
• Louisiana plays the first of three straight games at home. The Ragin' Cajuns will host Georgia State in a nationally-televised game on Friday before hosting ULM on Feb. 16.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 7-2 overall at the Cajundome in 2018-19 and 3-1 overall in SBC play.
• The game pits the top two scoring teams in the Sun Belt Conference with Georgia Southern averaging 83.5 points and Louisiana 83.2.
• Georgia Southern (8.0) and Louisiana (7.8) are ranked 1-2 in the Sun Belt Conference in steals per game.

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana is 9-2 overall when scoring 80 or more points during the 2018-19 season.
• Louisiana is ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense, free throw percentage (.751), assists (15.1) and steals per game (7.8).
• The Ragin' Cajuns are averaging a SBC-best 82.9 points per game in league contests.
• JaKeenan Gant is the lone Division I player averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and 2.9 blocks during the 2018-19 season.
• Gant is the lone SBC player currently averaging a double-double (27.1 points, 10.0 rebounds) in conference games.
• Georgia Southern's Montae Glenn (3.2) and JaKeenan Gant (3.1) are ranked 1-2 in the Sun Belt Conference in offensive rebounds per game.
• Gant is ranked in the top 100 nationally in 11 categories, including ranked fifth in both total blocks (60) and blocks per game (2.86).
• With 1,114 points in his collegiate career (including 849 in his career at Louisiana), Gant is 124 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark with the Ragin' Cajuns.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are officially 261-184 in Sun Belt Conference play and 95-60 under head coach Bob Marlin.

SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN
• Georgia Southern, the top-scoring team in the Sun Belt Conference at 83.5 points per game, plays its second of three consecutive games on the road. The Eagles, who opened the road trip with an 81-72 loss at Georgia State last Saturday, concludes its three-game tour on Friday at ULM.
• The Eagles have won five games this season in which they trailed by double digits, including coming back from 22 points to defeat George Mason on Nov. 13. Two of Georgia Southern's comeback wins have come in SBC play, beginning with a 10-point comeback at UT Arlington and a 14-point comeback against ULM.
• Tookie Brown, who is 11th in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring, leads Georgia Southern with a 16.5 points per game average and is third in the league with 4.8 assists per game. Quan Jackson, the SBC leader in steals per game (2.3), is averaging 15.7 points for the Eagles with Montae Glenn ranked eighth in the SBC with 7.3 rebounds.

LAST MEETING - LOUISIANA 87, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 85
• Playing a half-hour from his hometown of Springfield, Ga., JaKeenan Gant scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out a career-best five assists and blocked five shots – including a key rejection in the final seconds – to help Louisiana claim an 87-85 victory over Georgia Southern in a Sun Belt Conference game at Hanner Fieldhouse.
• Louisiana made 11 of 12 free throws in the second half, including nine in the final 2:04 to earn a split on its two-game road trip to the state of Georgia. Gant made 9 of 17 shots from the floor, was 2-for-4 from behind the 3-point line and broke an 80-all tie with a pair of free throws with 1:16 left.
• The Ragin' Cajuns closed out the first half on a 21-9 run to take a 44-35 lead at halftime and stretched their lead to 55-38 on Jerekius Davis' 3-pointer with 17:34 remaining.

AT HOME IN THE DOME
• In eight of the past nine seasons, Louisiana has won 10 or more games in the Cajundome, highlighted by a single-season record tying 14 victories in 2017-18.
• Louisiana is 7-2 overall at the Cajundome in 2018-19.
• Since opening in 1985-86, Louisiana has posted a 336-127 record in the Cajundome and is 98-29 under head coach Bob Marlin.

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 23 Preview: vs. Georgia Southern

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Players Mentioned

Jerekius Davis

JaKeenan Gant

Justin Miller

Marcus Stroman

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