University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, November 9
Auburn, Ala.
7:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Auburn
Cajuns and Tigers Meet in Auburn After Season-Opening Success
11/8/2023 6:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Louisiana and Auburn set to battle for the right to claim a 2-0 start to the 2023-24 campaign
AUBURN, Ala. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team continues its season-opening week three-game stretch – and plays the only game outside the State of Louisiana prior to New Year's Day – on Thursday, November 9 in Auburn, Alabama at Neville Arena.
The contest with the host-Tigers tips off at 7:00 p.m. live on SEC Network Plus (accessible on WatchESPN.com) and can be heard in the Acadiana region on Classic Rock 105.1 FM and worldwide on The Varsity Network.
Both Louisiana (1-0) and Auburn (1-0) are coming off of resounding season-opening victories on Monday, the Ragin' Cajuns topping Spring Hill 75-45 at the Cajundome and the Tigers besting Jacksonville State 78-49 at Neville Arena.
The Ragin' Cajuns received contributions from all 14 available players in their season opener, led by a game-high 15 points and nine rebounds from junior forward and hometown product Tamera Johnson. The Tigers were led by a trio of returners and a newcomer who all scored in double figures in the opener with Jax State, paced by veterans Honesty Scott-Grayson (14), Kaitlyn Duhon (13) and Mar'shaun Bostic (12).
Louisiana, which won its season opener for the third straight season and 10th time overall in 12 years with coach Garry Brodhead, is in search of its first 2-0 start since the 2021-22 season.
The season opener also saw the Cajuns gain the services of Brandi Williams, who is returning to play after missing nearly all of the past two seasons with injury, and transfer Tamiah Robinson from Utah State – two individuals expected to have a significant impact throughout the season.
Thursday's game marks the second straight season that Louisiana and Auburn meet in Neville Arena. The Ragin' Cajuns visited last December, a game that got away from the visitors in the third quarter (outscored 21-3).
GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (1-0, 0-0 SBC) at AUBURN (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Date / Time: Thursday, November 9, 2023 / 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Site: Auburn, Ala.
Arena: Neville Arena (9,121)
RADIO/TV
Radio: Classic Rock 105.1 FM
Talent: Dawson Eiserloh (PxP)
TV: SECN+
Talent: Brad Law (PxP); Joe Ciampi (analyst)
LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsWBB | #GeauxCajuns
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Auburn leads, 4-0
In Lafayette: Auburn leads, 1-0
In Auburn: Auburn leads, 3-0
At Neutral Sites: –
Streak: Auburn, +4
Last Meeting: Auburn, 81-41 (12/11/22 at Auburn, Ala.)
Series Notables
- All meetings have occurred this century, the series beginning during the J. Kelley Hall era during the 2005-06 season.
- Fifth meeting overall, the fourth time meeting in Auburn, and the third matchup at Neville Arena.
- Tigers won each of the previous four meetings – all by double digits.
- Aside from last season's 40-point outcome, all other matchups were decided by 12 points or fewer.
- After a 12-year gap following first meeting, the series resumed in the Garry Brodhead era when the two programs met back-to-back seasons in a home-and-home arrangement (2017-18 and 2018-19).
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Garry Brodhead (Louisiana, 1980)
Record at Louisiana: 186-151 (12th season), Career Record: Same
AUBURN
Head Coach: Johnnie Harris (Arkansas Baptist, 1996)
Record at Auburn: 27-33 (third season), Career Record: Same
STORY LINES
• The Louisiana Women's Basketball plays the second of three games during the opening week of the 2023-24 season, traveling to Auburn, Alabama to face Tigers on Thursday, November 9 at Neville Arena.
• The busy opening-week stretch wraps up on Sunday, November 12 when the Ragin' Cajuns return home and face Kent State in the MAC-SBC Challenge at 4:00 p.m. inside the Cajundome.
• To begin the season, the Ragin' Cajuns are playing nine of their first 10 games within the State of Louisiana's borders through New Year's Day – all but three of the contests being played at the Cajundome.
• Thursday's game in Auburn marks the only trip out-of-state in the first two months of the season.
• The Cajuns and Tigers are meeting for the second straight season. Boosted by a 21-3 run in the third quarter, Auburn pulled away in the meeting at Neville Arena last December.
• UL has yet to face a deficit this season. The Cajuns led for all but 1:11 of the season opener vs. Spring Hill.
• Louisiana officially welcomed Brandi Williams back to play on Monday. The sixth-year senior missed nearly the entirety of the past two seasons (all but four of 56 games) with injury.
• UL's defense forced 28 turnovers and limited Spring Hill to 29 percent shooting in the season opener.
• Looking for more inside scoring, Louisiana is off to a solid start after 42 points in the paint vs. Spring Hill.
QUICK HITS
• UL returns four of five starters from the 2022-23 squad including All-Sun Belt performer Lanay Wheaton.
• Lanay Wheaton was selected as a second team member on the 2023-24 Preseason All-Sun Belt team – her second straight preseason nod.
• Louisiana was picked sixth (6th) in the Sun Belt's preseason coaches poll. Last season, the Cajuns were a mere three games shy of a conference championship.
• The Ragin' Cajuns return their top two leading scorers, the duo of Lanay Wheaton (12.3 ppg) and Tamera Johnson (11.3), as well as the top rebounder in Johnson (7.3 rpg).
• UL is expecting an added boost on offense, with the much anticipated return of 1,000-point career scorer, and three-point threat, Brandi Williams (missed all but four games the past two seasons with injury).
• Senior Destiny Rice is in her third season as the starting point guard. Rice tallied 50-plus assists and 200-plus points the previous two seasons and is UL's top free throw shooter (147 makes at 72 percent).
• Head coach Garry Brodhead, the lone coach in program history to reach 100 wins, is presently 14 wins away from recording his 200th win at Louisiana.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana wraps up the opening week of the 2023-24 season with the third and final game of the week on Sunday, November 12, taking on Kent State in the MAC-SBC Challenge at 4:00 p.m. inside the Cajundome.
Admission to Sunday's game – and all UL Women's Basketball games throughout the entire season – is free and open to the public.
Live video coverage of the first-ever matchup with the Golden Flashes will be available on ESPN+ and CajunStats.com.
The KSU contest kicks off a four-game homestand for Louisiana at the Cajundome to close out November. The stretch continues the following Saturday (Nov. 18) vs. Nicholls and finishes with back-to-back exhibition games surrounding Thanksgiving on Nov. 21 vs. Xavier (La.) and Nov. 27 vs. Loyola, (La.).
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.
The contest with the host-Tigers tips off at 7:00 p.m. live on SEC Network Plus (accessible on WatchESPN.com) and can be heard in the Acadiana region on Classic Rock 105.1 FM and worldwide on The Varsity Network.
Both Louisiana (1-0) and Auburn (1-0) are coming off of resounding season-opening victories on Monday, the Ragin' Cajuns topping Spring Hill 75-45 at the Cajundome and the Tigers besting Jacksonville State 78-49 at Neville Arena.
The Ragin' Cajuns received contributions from all 14 available players in their season opener, led by a game-high 15 points and nine rebounds from junior forward and hometown product Tamera Johnson. The Tigers were led by a trio of returners and a newcomer who all scored in double figures in the opener with Jax State, paced by veterans Honesty Scott-Grayson (14), Kaitlyn Duhon (13) and Mar'shaun Bostic (12).
Louisiana, which won its season opener for the third straight season and 10th time overall in 12 years with coach Garry Brodhead, is in search of its first 2-0 start since the 2021-22 season.
The season opener also saw the Cajuns gain the services of Brandi Williams, who is returning to play after missing nearly all of the past two seasons with injury, and transfer Tamiah Robinson from Utah State – two individuals expected to have a significant impact throughout the season.
Thursday's game marks the second straight season that Louisiana and Auburn meet in Neville Arena. The Ragin' Cajuns visited last December, a game that got away from the visitors in the third quarter (outscored 21-3).
GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (1-0, 0-0 SBC) at AUBURN (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Date / Time: Thursday, November 9, 2023 / 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Site: Auburn, Ala.
Arena: Neville Arena (9,121)
RADIO/TV
Radio: Classic Rock 105.1 FM
Talent: Dawson Eiserloh (PxP)
TV: SECN+
Talent: Brad Law (PxP); Joe Ciampi (analyst)
LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsWBB | #GeauxCajuns
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Auburn leads, 4-0
In Lafayette: Auburn leads, 1-0
In Auburn: Auburn leads, 3-0
At Neutral Sites: –
Streak: Auburn, +4
Last Meeting: Auburn, 81-41 (12/11/22 at Auburn, Ala.)
Series Notables
- All meetings have occurred this century, the series beginning during the J. Kelley Hall era during the 2005-06 season.
- Fifth meeting overall, the fourth time meeting in Auburn, and the third matchup at Neville Arena.
- Tigers won each of the previous four meetings – all by double digits.
- Aside from last season's 40-point outcome, all other matchups were decided by 12 points or fewer.
- After a 12-year gap following first meeting, the series resumed in the Garry Brodhead era when the two programs met back-to-back seasons in a home-and-home arrangement (2017-18 and 2018-19).
THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Garry Brodhead (Louisiana, 1980)
Record at Louisiana: 186-151 (12th season), Career Record: Same
AUBURN
Head Coach: Johnnie Harris (Arkansas Baptist, 1996)
Record at Auburn: 27-33 (third season), Career Record: Same
STORY LINES
• The Louisiana Women's Basketball plays the second of three games during the opening week of the 2023-24 season, traveling to Auburn, Alabama to face Tigers on Thursday, November 9 at Neville Arena.
• The busy opening-week stretch wraps up on Sunday, November 12 when the Ragin' Cajuns return home and face Kent State in the MAC-SBC Challenge at 4:00 p.m. inside the Cajundome.
• To begin the season, the Ragin' Cajuns are playing nine of their first 10 games within the State of Louisiana's borders through New Year's Day – all but three of the contests being played at the Cajundome.
• Thursday's game in Auburn marks the only trip out-of-state in the first two months of the season.
• The Cajuns and Tigers are meeting for the second straight season. Boosted by a 21-3 run in the third quarter, Auburn pulled away in the meeting at Neville Arena last December.
• UL has yet to face a deficit this season. The Cajuns led for all but 1:11 of the season opener vs. Spring Hill.
• Louisiana officially welcomed Brandi Williams back to play on Monday. The sixth-year senior missed nearly the entirety of the past two seasons (all but four of 56 games) with injury.
• UL's defense forced 28 turnovers and limited Spring Hill to 29 percent shooting in the season opener.
• Looking for more inside scoring, Louisiana is off to a solid start after 42 points in the paint vs. Spring Hill.
QUICK HITS
• UL returns four of five starters from the 2022-23 squad including All-Sun Belt performer Lanay Wheaton.
• Lanay Wheaton was selected as a second team member on the 2023-24 Preseason All-Sun Belt team – her second straight preseason nod.
• Louisiana was picked sixth (6th) in the Sun Belt's preseason coaches poll. Last season, the Cajuns were a mere three games shy of a conference championship.
• The Ragin' Cajuns return their top two leading scorers, the duo of Lanay Wheaton (12.3 ppg) and Tamera Johnson (11.3), as well as the top rebounder in Johnson (7.3 rpg).
• UL is expecting an added boost on offense, with the much anticipated return of 1,000-point career scorer, and three-point threat, Brandi Williams (missed all but four games the past two seasons with injury).
• Senior Destiny Rice is in her third season as the starting point guard. Rice tallied 50-plus assists and 200-plus points the previous two seasons and is UL's top free throw shooter (147 makes at 72 percent).
• Head coach Garry Brodhead, the lone coach in program history to reach 100 wins, is presently 14 wins away from recording his 200th win at Louisiana.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana wraps up the opening week of the 2023-24 season with the third and final game of the week on Sunday, November 12, taking on Kent State in the MAC-SBC Challenge at 4:00 p.m. inside the Cajundome.
Admission to Sunday's game – and all UL Women's Basketball games throughout the entire season – is free and open to the public.
Live video coverage of the first-ever matchup with the Golden Flashes will be available on ESPN+ and CajunStats.com.
The KSU contest kicks off a four-game homestand for Louisiana at the Cajundome to close out November. The stretch continues the following Saturday (Nov. 18) vs. Nicholls and finishes with back-to-back exhibition games surrounding Thanksgiving on Nov. 21 vs. Xavier (La.) and Nov. 27 vs. Loyola, (La.).
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 -
Players Mentioned
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