Louisiana Women Join the Competition in Pensacola on Thursday

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team enters play in the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament on Thursday, March 6 taking on Marshall in a third round contest that tips off at 2:00 p.m. from the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida.

The No. 7 seeded Ragin' Cajuns (13-15), who earned byes on the first two days of competition in Pensacola, are stepping onto court for the first time in the 2025 edition of SBC Championship Tournament.

No. 11 seed Marshall faces its third game in as many days. The Thundering Herd (13-19) claimed wins over South Alabama on Tuesday and Texas State on Wednesday to reach the third round.

Louisiana claimed the regular season matchup with Marshall, winning 92-88 in overtime at the Cajundome back on February 5. Erica Lafayette's career-high 26 points, which included the three-pointer that forced overtime, and Skylah Travis' first career double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) carried the Ragin' Cajuns.

Thursday's contest marks the first SBC Championship matchup between Louisiana and Marshall. The winner moves to the fourth round to meet App State on Friday, March 7.

Two of the Sun Belt's top three scorers from conference play headline the Ragin' Cajuns-Thundering Herd bout: Marshall's Aislynn Hayes (17.2) and Louisiana's Erica Lafayette (16.8) who ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the scoring ledger.

It's the fifth straight season the SBC's postseason event is held in Pensacola. UL has advanced to the semifinals three of the previous four trips, including last season's run. The Cajuns last reached the title game in 2021.

GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (13-15, 9-9 SBC) vs. MARSHALL (13-19, 6-12 SBC)
Date/Time: Thursday, March 6, 2025 / 2:00 p.m.
Site: Pensacola, Fla.
Arena: Pensacola Bay Center (10,000)

Radio: The GOAT 103.3 FM/1420 AM
Talent: Jay Walker

TV: ESPN+
Talent: Noah Frary (pxp), Amanda Poole (analyst)

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

Series Record: Marshall leads, 2-1
Neutral Sites: Marshall leads, 1-0
Streak: UL +1

BOUNCE PASSES

One year to the date from beginning a run to the semifinals, Louisiana starts play in the Sun Belt Championship Tournament at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The Ragin' Cajuns spot at No. 7 in the SBC Championship Tournament bracket affords the squad two byes in the seven-day event, advancing them to the third round.
Louisiana is 5-4 in the SBC Championship Tournament since the event moved to Pensacola in 2021.
Head coach Garry Brodhead has overseen the program's most successful era in the SBC Championship Tournament – 15 of the program's all-time 19 wins in the event have come under his watch.
UL advanced to the semifinals in three of the previous four trips to Pensacola, including last season's run. The Cajuns last played for the SBC Championship Tournament title in 2021.

To advance in Pensacola, Louisiana will need to overcome its road struggles – the team has lost seven straight road games and stands at 2-11 away from the Cajundome in the 2024-25 season.

Erica Lafayette, a graduate transfer from Rutgers, is the SBC Newcomer of the Year. She emerged to lead UL in scoring overall (14.8) and in conference play (16.8), producing the program's first 400-point season since 2016-17.
Erica Lafayette is the first Cajun to win SBC Newcomer of the Year since the 2005-06 season (Yolanda Jones).
With six players scoring 6.0-plus, UL averaged 66.4 in SBC play, the second-highest mark of Garry Brodhead's tenure.
Cajuns rank Top 40 nationally in turnovers forced (19.8), turning foes over 20-plus times in 16 of 28 games.
UL yielded 70-plus only four times (#4 LSU, Troy, Coastal, Marshall) and has the SBC's No. 2 scoring defense (62.2).
Skylah Travis led UL in rebounding in five of the last eight games. She averaged 8.0 boards in February, boosted by a four-game stretch from Feb. 15-26 where she grabbed at least eight rebounds.
Skylah Travis posted three double-doubles in February. She averaged 7.4 points and shot 64% in the month.
Boosted by career-bests of 24 pts at Coastal and 26 pts vs. Marshall, Erica Lafayette averaged 16.4 ppg in SBC play in February. She produced 20-plus points five times against league foes.
Erica Lafayette reached double digits in 15 of 18 SBC games, pacing her 16.8 ppg in conference play – the highest conference average by a Cajun since Jaylyn Gordon (17.5) in 2016-17.
Skylah Travis emerged as a presence in the front court in February, recording a double-double each of the first two weeks (Marshall, ULM). She averaged 8.6 points and 8.6 rebounds during the stretch.
Nubia Benedith is shooting her best as a Cajun (42.6%) and generating her highest points average (9.2). On February 12, she eclipsed 500 points at Louisiana and clinched her second 200-point season with the program.
Tamiah Robinson is eight field goals and 18 points shy of matching her single-season bests in both categories.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
A win on Thursday would advance Louisiana to the fourth round of the 2025 SBC Championship Tournament on Friday, March 7 to face No. 6 seed App State at 2:00 p.m. in the Pensacola Bay Center.

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.

A loss on Thursday would eliminate the Ragin' Cajuns from the SBC Championship Tournament and conclude the team's 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 Women Join the Competition in Pensacola on Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Nubia Benedith

Erica Lafayette

Tamiah Robinson

Skylah Travis

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Louisiana Women Join the Competition in Pensacola on Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nubia Benedith

Erica Lafayette

Tamiah Robinson

Skylah Travis

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