Louisiana and Coastal Battle for Positioning in Sun Belt Standings

CONWAY, S.C. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team closes out its Carolinas road trip on Saturday, February 1 in Conway, South Carolina with a 12:00 p.m. (CST) contest against Coastal Carolina at the HTC Center.

The Ragin' Cajuns (9-10, 5-5 SBC) and Chanticleers (14-6, 5-5 SBC) will be involved in a "swing" game. Tied together at seventh in the SBC standings, the winner stakes claim to a spot in the top half of the conference.

Louisiana seeks a split of the road trip after not being able to fully overcome a slow start against App State in Boone, North Carolina in Thursday's 61-52 loss. Nubia Benedith's career-high 22 points provided a spark as the Cajuns rallied but the Mountaineers withstood the effort.

The Ragin' Cajuns are stepping inside the HTC Center for the first time since February 2020.

UL, which prefers to play in the 60s, will look to contain a Chants squad that 11 times has scored 70-plus. Both teams rank Top 25 nationally forcing 21-plus turnovers per game.

Erica Lafayette is Louisiana's top scorer (14.1). CCU's roster features three players averaging double figures.

GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (9-10, 5-5 SBC) at COASTAL CAROLINA (14-6, 5-5 SBC)
Date/Time: Saturday, February 1, 2025 / 12:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Conway, S.C.
Arena: HTC Center (3,212)

Radio: The GOAT 103.3 FM/1420 AM
Talent: Dawson Eiserloh

TV: ESPN+
Talent: Sam Weiderhaft (pxp), Amanda Poole (analyst)

Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Social Updates: @RaginCajunsWBB | #GeauxCajuns

Series Record: Coastal Carolina leads leads, 5-3
In Conway: Coastal Carolina leads, 3-0
Streak: UL, +1

BOUNCE PASSES

Louisiana and Coastal will settle a tie in the SBC standings, the winner remaining in the top half of the ledger.
The Cajuns and Chanticleers are currently tied for seventh in the SBC standings, both with a 5-5 mark.
UL aims to break a three-game road losing streak and collect its first-ever win at the HTC Center in Conway.
Louisiana closes its Carolinas road trip on Saturday – the last game before a four-game homestand starts Feb. 5.
The Cajuns and Chants meet in Conway for the first time since February 2020.
Last season, UL broke a four-game losing streak to Coastal by shooting 46 percent and holding the Chants to 34 percent in a 67-51 win at the Cajundome on Jan. 25, 2024.
Nubia Benedith has scored 20-plus two of the last three road games, following a career-high 22 points at App State. Benedith's 13.0 ppg on the road in SBC play trails only Erica Lafayette (13.4).
App's 25-14 edge in points off turnovers marked a third straight loss for UL when having a deficit in the category.
The Cajuns' SBC losses have come to teams that have a combined 34-6 conference mark (JMU, ASU, App, Troy).
Louisiana is expected to have only nine players available, but has had success shorthanded before. The Cajuns defeated Rice and Georgia Southern in December and most recently, Troy, with only eight players available.
In snapping a three-game skid last Saturday, Louisiana's defense held Troy to its lowest field goal percentage (30.5%) in five weeks (30.2% at JMU) and its most turnovers committed since December 1.
Free throws (19-of-23) keyed the crucial win over Troy, the Cajuns now shooting 75.5% in conference play.
Erica Lafayette scored at least 17 points each of the first five SBC games, pacing her 16.8 average in conference play. She ranks No. 2 and trails only JMU's Peyton McDaniel (17.6) for the scoring lead in SBC play.
Erica Lafayette was held to seven points at App State, breaking her streak of 12 straight double-digit outings.
The 4-1 start to SBC play was the best for Louisiana since the 2020-21 regular season championship campaign.
UL has scored 25-plus off turnovers three times in SBC play and is averaging 20.3 ppg off turnovers in SBC play.
The Ragin' Cajuns rank Top 25 nationally in turnovers forced (21.5), turning the opposition over 20-plus times in 14 of 19 games, including forcing No. 4 LSU into a season-high tying 21 turnovers and Auburn into 25 miscues.
UL held its first five foes to 60 or below and has yielded 70-plus only twice (No. 4 LSU, Troy).
UL led the SBC in scoring defense – and ranked Top 60 nationally – holding foes below 60 ppg the last two seasons.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns return to the Cajundome for a four-game homestand that is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 5 with a 6:00 p.m. contest against Marshall.

The homestand is Louisiana's longest of the season and keeps the team at home through February 15.

Marshall is visiting the Cajundome for the first time. The matchup with the Thundering Herd marks the Cajuns last game against an SBC eastern region team in the regular season.

Live coverage is available on ESPN+, the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network (The Goat 103.3 FM/1420 AM and Varsity Sports app) and CajunStats.com.

The MAC-SBC Challenge contest with Miami University follows on Saturday, February 8, a game that puts the finishing touches on non-conference play for the 2024-25 season.

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 and Coastal Battle for Positioning in Sun Belt Standings

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Nubia Benedith

Erica Lafayette

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Louisiana and Coastal Battle for Positioning in Sun Belt Standings

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