Louisiana Moves on to Boone in Search of Continued Success

BOONE, N.C. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team starts the second half of Sun Belt Conference play and wraps up a two-game trip in the eastern region of the league on Saturday, January 28 facing App State in a 1:00 p.m. (CST) contest at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, North Carolina.

Louisiana (12-9, 6-3 SBC), which started the road trip shutting down Georgia Southern's offense in a 68-58 win in Statesboro, is in search of a second consecutive 2-0 week in Sun Belt play.

The Ragin' Cajuns head into Saturday's meeting with the Mountaineers (8-12, 4-5 SBC) on a three-game winning streak – the squad's longest win streak in SBC play this season.

Winners in five of the last six outings, overall, Louisiana has moved within one game of first place in the SBC standings as the league schedule flips over to the back half. The Ragin' Cajuns mission on Saturday is the keep pace with the others near the top of the ledger heading into February next week.

The UL-APP contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Kendall Lewis (pxp) and Katie Pate (analyst) providing the commentary. Fans in the Acadiana region can listen to call of the game by Ian Auzenne on 103.3 FM The Goat and 1420 AM and worldwide on the Varsity Network. Live stats will be provided by CajunStats.com.

The Ragin' Cajuns are all-too familiar with Saturday's game setting as its marks the fourth straight time a matchup with the Mountaineers is held inside the Holmes Convocation Center, a streak that dates back to March 2019.

Louisiana has played its best road games of the season in January, despite a 2-2 showing. The losses were near-misses – one-point defeat at Southern Miss and an overtime bout at Troy – and the wins were convincing double-digit triumphs at Texas State (71-51) and Georgia Southern (68-58).

The Ragin' Cajuns bring a wave of momentum into Boone after successfully controlling the Sun Belt's top scoring offense in Georgia Southern on Thursday in Statesboro. UL held the Eagles, who were averaging 87-plus points per game, to their lowest shooting percentage (35.2%), second-fewest three-point makes (3), and lowest point total (58) of the season.

Themselves, the Ragin' Cajuns continued making strides offensively by shooting 42 percent (26-of-62) overall and 40 percent (8-of-20) from beyond the arc. Thursday's performance in Statesboro marked the fifth time in the last six games that Louisiana shot above 40 percent and scored 60-plus – a streak that began with the resounding 71-51 road win at Texas State back on January 7.

Louisiana's defense continued to be the main constant in the team's success in Sun Belt play. The Ragin' Cajuns have now held the opposition to 60 points or less in all but two of the nine games played so far.

The statement in Statesboro was sparked by the return of leading scorer Lanay Wheaton – who missed the Arkansas State game for precautionary measures – as she poured in a game-high 19 points to lead a quartet of Ragin' Cajuns in double figures. Tamera Johnson continued to find her footing in SBC play as she turned in a double-double for the second consecutive game.

Boosted by four 20-point games since mid-December, and having scored at least 18 points each of her last four outings, Wheaton has increased her season scoring average nearly five full points and taken over the team lead now averaging 11.7 points per game. Johnson, the previous leading scorer, follows closely at 11.0 points per game, has scored double figures 13 times and recorded five double-doubles.

In SBC play, Wheaton (14.4) and Johnson (12.0) have been the primary scorers. Destiny Rice has increased her SBC-play average to 8.7 points, boosted by a career-high 21 points at Texas State and followed up by an average of 10 points per game in the South Alabama-Troy set (January 12-14).

The Ragin' Cajuns defense, which ranks Top 25 nationally and leads the Sun Belt forcing 20.8 turnovers per game, is led by Wheaton's 36 steals with Johnson right behind at 34 steals. Rice leads in assists with 40, overall, and is averaging near three assists per game in SBC play (26 total assists).

App State is returning to Boone after a hard-fought 64-56 loss on Thursday in Atlanta at Georgia State, in which there were 18 lead changes throughout the night. The Mountaineers stand third in the Sun Belt for made 3-pointers, averaging 7.5 per contest. Individually, Emily Carver ranks third for 3-pointers per game (2.3) and Janay Sanders checks in at sixth for scoring (14.6) for the season.

GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (12-9, 6-3 SBC) at APP STATE (8-12, 4-5 SBC)
Date / Time: Saturday, January 28, 2023 / 1:00 p.m. (CST)
Site: Boone, N.C.
Arena: Holmes Convocation Center (8,325)

RADIO/TV
Radio: The GOAT 103.3 FM / 1420 AM
Talent: Ian Auzenne (PxP)
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Kendall Lewis (PxP); Katie Pate (Analyst)

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

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Louisiana leads, 6-4
In Boone: App State leads, 4-2
Streak: App State +1
Last Meeting: APP 55-46, 1/20/22 (Boone, N.C.)
Noteworthy: Saturday's matchup in Boone marks the 11th meeting between the Ragin' Cajuns and Mountaineers … all prior meetings were Sun Belt Conference games … series began when App State joined the Sun Belt Conference in the 2014-15 season … Louisiana makes its seventh appearance inside the Holmes Convocation Center … each of App State's four series wins have occurred in Boone … it'll be the fourth straight meeting that the Mountaineers hold the home court advantage … since March 2019 the two programs have met only in Boone (last meeting in Louisiana came in January 2019) … in last season's visit, the Ragin' Cajuns were held to their lowest point total (46) in the series … the winning team scored in the 50s each of the last two contests in Boone … after falling in the first-ever series meeting in January 2015, Louisiana won five of the next six matchups to gain control of the series lead.

FIVE-PLUS THINGS TO KNOW

The Back Nine: On Saturday, the entire Sun Belt Conference "makes the turn" and starts the second half of league play, signaling the final nine-game stretch leading up to the conference tournament in Pensacola (Feb. 28-March 6).
Looking for an Encore: Last week's home sweep of Old Dominion and Arkansas State marked Louisiana's first 2-0 week in SBC play this season. Thursday's win at Georgia Southern has given the team an opportunity for a repeat performance.
Setting the Trend: By holding the opposition to less than 60 points in seven of nine Sun Belt games, the Ragin' Cajuns are in a virtual tie atop the conference with Southern Miss in scoring defense allowing just 55.0 points per game in league play (USM slightly ahead at 54.6 ppg).
It's the Small Details: A subtle layer to the Ragin' Cajuns stout defensive system is the ability to draw a charge to force a turnover from the opposition. Twice in Thursday's win at Georgia Southern it was a charge drawn by Tamera Johnson that wiped out a potential three-point play for the Eagles.
It's an Art: Louisiana ranks Top 25 nationally, and leads the Sun Belt Conference, in turnovers forced per game (20.8). Thirteen (13) times – and in nine of the last 13 games – the Ragin' Cajuns have forced the opposition into 20-plus turnovers.
Sun Belt Success Story: Dating back to the 2020-21 season in which Louisiana won the regular season championship, the program has won 28 of its last 36 Sun Belt Conference games.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana is back at the Cajundome to kick off play in the month of February with a brief two-game homestand. The Ragin' Cajuns are set to take on ULM on Thursday, February 2 at 5:00 p.m. and then meet Troy in a rematch on Saturday, February 4 at 2:00 p.m.

The ULM and Troy games are the first of four remaining home games for Louisiana in the 2022-23 season. The Ragin' Cajuns have won three straight in the Cajundome and are unbeaten at home since the turn of the calendar year.

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

Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.

- www.RaginCajuns.com -

Louisiana Moves on to Boone in Search of Continued Success

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Players Mentioned

Tamera Johnson

Destiny Rice

Lanay Wheaton

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Louisiana Moves on to Boone in Search of Continued Success

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Tamera Johnson

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Lanay Wheaton

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