Louisiana Welcomes South Alabama for Sun Belt Home Opener

LAFAYETTE – For the first time since it faced Mississippi State on Dec. 16, Louisiana will play a basketball game in the Cajundome when it hosts South Alabama on Thursday evening. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

After opening their league slate on the road in Georgia, the Ragin' Cajuns (8-5, 1-1 SBC) are looking to win their third-straight Sun Belt home opener. Overall, the team is 8-20 in those contests.

Louisiana suffered a setback in its last conference game, falling on the road at Georgia Southern, 83-67, despite shooting 39 percent (22-for-56) from the floor. Junior Ty'Reona Doucet led the way with 17 points in her first action after missing two games, while Andrea Cournoyer notched 13 points for the second-straight game in the defeat.

The team utilized one of its strengths against the Eagles by making 19 of its 26 free throw attempts. Louisiana has made 197 free throws this season, good for 33rd in the country, while its 294 attempts is good for 27th nationally.

Louisiana also ranks among the nation's best in two other categories, owning the 79th-best 3-point field goal percentage (33.9) and coming in at 93rd in steals per game (9.4).

South Alabama will play its first league road game of the season on Thursday night when it faces off with Louisiana at the Cajundome, entering the contest with a 6-8 overall record and a 1-1 record in Sun Belt play after defeating Appalachian State, 81-66, in its league opener and falling to Coastal Carolina, 71-62, in its most recent outing on Jan. 4.

In the loss to the Chanticleers, Shaforia Kines scored 21 points to pace four Jaguars in double figures. Antoinette Lewis, the league's Preseason Player of the Year, notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards in the loss.

Kines leads the Jaguars' offensive efforts this year, averaging 15.7 points per game. Savannah Jones (13.9) and Lewis (12.5) joined Kines in double figures in 14 games started.

Louisiana and South Alabama will be meeting for the 56th time dating back to 1987 when the two programs face off on Thursday evening in Lafayette. The Jaguars leads the all-time series, 39-16 and is 14-11 against the Ragin' Cajuns in Lafayette.

Women's Basketball season tickets, as well as single game tickets, for the 2019-20 season are available online at RaginCajuns.com using Account Manager, or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2170.

Thursday's game will be Rally Program Appreciation Day, in which members of the Rally Program can receive free admission and local businesses can enter to win a prize pack. Fans will also have their first chance to take pictures with the LendingTree Bowl trophy.

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

Louisiana Welcomes South Alabama for Sun Belt Home Opener

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Players Mentioned

Andrea Cournoyer

Ty'Reona Doucet

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