GAME CENTER
Date: Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009
Location: Lafayette, La.
Opponent: Florida Atlantic (3-3)
Site: Cajundome (11,550)
Game Time: 1:07 p.m.
Television: Sun Belt Network (aired on Cox 4 in Lafayette)
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM (KPEL), 107.9 FM (KRKA)
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

Game Night Story Lines
● Louisiana meets Florida Atlantic in the 2009-10 Sun Belt Conference opener on Saturday, Dec. 12 at the Cajundome. The game will also serve as the inaugural Sun Belt Network basketball broadcast. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:07 p.m.
● It's the first of two meetings scheduled this season with FAU. The Cajuns and Owls meet in Boca Raton on Feb. 11.
● This is Louisiana's first game action in a week. After rallying to defeat Sam Houston State last Saturday, the Cajuns took a break for final exams Dec. 7-11.
● UL begins its 19^th season of competition in the Sun Belt Conference. The Cajuns' all-time Sun Belt record is 156-115.
● The Cajuns begin Sun Belt play at home for the second straight season. Louisiana is 5-3 when opening its Sun Belt slate at the Cajundome.
● For the first time since 2006-07, UL starts SBC play with an opponent not named Louisiana-Monroe. The Cajuns are 13-5 all-time in SBC openers.
● Junior Travis Bureau needs only one (1) triple to reach 100 in his career.
● UL has four players averaging double figures scoring.
● The Cajuns are getting to the free throw line, averaging 27.2 attempts per game.
● The home team has won every game so far in the UL-FAU series.

SAM HOUSTON STATE LEFTOVERS
● Tyren Johnson posted his second double-double in a one-week span with a career-high 31 points and career-high 14 rebounds. It was his fifth career double-double.
● Louisiana scored 42 points in the paint to offset Sam Houston combining for 36 points in points off turnovers and second chance opportunities.
● The Cajuns had an assist on 30 of their 34 made field goals (88 percent). It was the most assists since exactly 30 were recorded vs. New Orleans on Jan. 5, 2002.
● Raymone Andrews, a true freshman, came off the bench and dished out four assists in 20 minutes.
● The 95 points scored tied for the highest output of the Robert Lee Era.
● Javan Mitchell made a least three field goals for the second straight game.
● Randell Daigle tied his career-high with 10 assists.

LAST TIME VS. FAU (Jan. 31, 2009 in Boca Raton, Fla. - FAU won 63-47)
● The Cajuns fell into a 10-3 hole in the opening minutes of the game. The second group cut the FAU lead to 16-12 at the second media timeout.
● UL's first five returned to hold the Owls scoreless for the next four minutes, to pull the visitor's within two points, 18-16, with 9:31 remaining.
● Good defense held the Owls in check and UL trailed just 25-20 at the break.
● FAU started the second half with six straight points to increase its halftimelead to 11 points. Chris Gradnigo added a basket to bring the Cajuns within seven points.
● FAU then used a 15-3 run to extend its lead to 46-27 with 9:59 left in the game. UL tried to use the three-point shot to get back into the game, but the shots wouldn't fall.

LAST TIME VS. FAU IN CAJUNDOME (Dec. 29, 2007 - UL won 71-52)
● After FAU cut the Louisiana lead to three, 15-12, with 10:23 left in the first half, the Cajuns embarked on a 16-5 run to take a 31-17 edge.
● FAU wouldn't get any closer than 10 points, 31-21. The Cajuns used an emphatic 15-2 run during the last 4:51 to enter the locker room with a 46-23 lead.
● The Cajuns' stranglehold on the Owls continued in the second half as Louisiana built its largest lead of the game, 52-23, with 17:24 remaining. Louisiana's lead remained 20 or more until the game's final minute.

RESPONDING TO ADVERSITY
● Robert Lee challenged his team to respond after tough defeats to Mobile and McNeese State and they did just that last week.
● In the LSU and SHSU games combined, the Cajuns shot 51.4 percent (56-of-109), 12-of-24 from three-point range (50 percent), and had more assists (36) than turnovers (31).

THE LEADER OF THE PACK
● Tyren Johnson leads Louisiana in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounds (9.5 rpg).
● He's led the squad in rebounds all six games and grabbed at least seven each time.
● At the current pace, he'll best his current season-best total of 153 set last year.

A LOT OF FREE STUFF BEING HANDED OUT
● Through six games, the Cajuns (19.3 FTM/g) and their opponents (21.5 FTM/g) are combining to average 40.8 free throw makes per game. 

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY
● Four different Cajuns with double figure free throw attempts are shooting above 70%.
● Tyren Johnson (85.7%), Randell Daigle (80.0%), Lamar Roberson (77.3%) and Chris Gradnigo (75.0%).
● As a team, Louisiana is shooting 71.2 percent (116-of-163). The Cajuns have gone above 70 percent in four of the past five games since shooting 52% in the opener.

SERIES HISTORY (FAU leads 2-1, overall; Louisiana leads 1-0 at Cajundome)
● Series started when Florida Atlantic joined the Sun Belt Conference in the 2006-07 season.
● Today's game marks the fourth meeting in this young series and second at the Cajundome. 
● The home team has won all meetings. In 2006-07, FAU edged UL 75-72 in Boca Raton. In 2007-08, Louisiana built a 23-point halftime lead and rolled to a 71-52 victory in the Cajundome. Last season, FAU took advantage of UL's poor shooting and won 63-47 in Boca Raton.
● This is the youngest series for the Ragin' Cajuns against any Sun Belt opponent (only the fourth meeting). The Troy series is the second youngest (nine meetings).
● The Owls were coached by Rex Walters in the first trip to the Cajundome ('07-08). Current FAU coach Mike Jarvis coaches in the Cajundome for the first time in his career.

BY THE NUMBERS
1: Travis Bureau is only one (1) 3-point make shy of 100 in his career
3.2: Ryan McCoy is averaging 3.2 assists per game in only 19.8 minutes per game
+4: UL outrebounded Sam Houston 35-31. It was the first positive margin against a DI team this season
5-of-6: Chris Gradnigo's shooting performance at Sam Houston State - his best of the season
7.0: Scoring average for Javan Mitchell the past two games. He shot 7-of-13 (54%) from the floor
10.3: Chris Gradnigo is averaging 10.3 points per game, despite shooting 27.3% (15-of-55)
40%: Both UL wins have come when the team shot above 40 percent
62: Tyren Johnson needs 62 points to reach career point No. 500
63.6%: That's Tyren Johnson's field goal percentage. He's shooting 35-of-55 from the field
76.0%: The Cajuns field goal percentage during the second half (19-of-25) at Sam Houston State
500: The Ragin' Cajuns now have three 500-plus point scorers - Travis Bureau, Randell Daigle and Chris Gradnigo. Daigle joined the group during the Louisiana College game (Nov. 16)

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns begin the second and final segment of non-conference play on Tuesday, Dec. 15 in Hattiesburg, Miss., with a rematch against Southern Miss. Game time is set for 7 p.m., at USM's Reed Green Coliseum.

It's the first of five games that will be played from Dec. 15-28 to close out non-conference play for the season.

The Cajuns and Golden Eagles met in the season opener at the Cajundome on Saturday, Nov. 14 with USM posting a 79-72 victory. That night the Cajuns shot 52 percent from the free throw line and were outrebounded by a 2-to-1 margin (40-20).

Louisiana is making its first trip to Hattiesburg since January 2001. USM posted a 76-61 victory on Jan. 18.

USM has won 14 of the last 16 meetings, but most of those games have been close with three overtime games and seven other games decided by seven or fewer points.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --