GAME CENTER
Date: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010
Location: Boca Raton, Fla.
Opponent: Florida Atlantic (12-12, 8-5 Sun Belt)
Site: FAU Arena (5,000)
Game Time: 6:00 p.m. (CST)
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM (KPEL), 107.9 FM (KXHT), 1240 AM (KANE)
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

Game Night Story Lines
● Two months after opening Sun Belt Conference play at the Cajundome on Dec. 12, Louisiana and Florida Atlantic meet again...this time in Boca Raton at FAU Arena.
● The Ragin' Cajuns go for a season sweep of the Owls and attempt to become the first road team to win a game in the all-time series.
● Both teams have enjoyed a turnaround since New Year's Day. UL is 7-3 while FAU is 7-4 since the calendar turned over to 2010.
● The Cajuns scorched the nets last week. UL shot above 50 percent in wins over FIU and UALR and have shot above 40 percent in all but one SBC contest (at ASU).
● The Cajuns seek to keep their hold on sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt West. Division-leader Arkansas State is at Western Kentucky tonight.
● Louisiana enters the night only one game behind ASU in the SBC West. The Cajuns are also only one game back for the overall No. 1 seed in the SBC Tournament.
● Tyren Johnson has scored double figures in 12 straight games. He averaged 26 points per game in victories over FIU and UALR last week.
● The Cajuns' defense appears to have hit its stride. Since the turn of the calendar year UL has limited eight of 10 opponents below 70 points (four under 60). The Cajuns are holding opponents to 61.5 points per game during the streak.
● Chris Gradnigo has reached 900 career points and enters tonight's game with 969. If he sustains his 14.5 points per game average he would register career point No. 1,000 on Feb. 18 vs. Arkansas State at the Cajundome.

UALR LEFTOVERS
● Tyren Johnson registered his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 30 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
● Randell Daigle scored 15 points for his second straight double figure outing. Performance gave him an average of 17 points per game during the week.
● For the second straight game Louisiana never trailed. UL is now on a streak of 115 consecutive minutes without trailing at the Cajundome.
● The Cajuns held UALR to a season-low 25 percent shooting (12-of-48). UL limited the Trojans to only four field goal makes in the second half.
● More than half of UALR's 51 points came from the free throw line. The Trojans made 27 free throws and were 0-for-13 from three-point range.
● The Cajuns ended a six-game losing streak to UALR and remained undefeated (7-0) at home in Sun Belt play.

LAST TIME VS. FAU (Dec. 12, 2009 in Cajundome - UL won 81-74)
● UL held a 45-34 lead at half. The Cajuns shot 7-of-14 from three-point range, registered 16 points in the paint and scored 15 points off FAU turnovers.
● The Owls used their second 9-2 run of the second half to take a 58-57 lead at 8:44.
● Randell Daigle returned the lead to UL with a baseline jumper at 7:59. FAU drew within two points, 69-67, after a basket by Greg Gantt at 2:04.
● UL turned to Tyren Johnson on back-to-back possessions for inside baskets, the last coming at 1:03 for a 73-68 lead and later finished off the win at the free throw line.

LAST TIME VS. FAU in BOCA RATON (Jan. 31, 2009 - FAU won 63-47)
● FAU started the second half with six straight points to increase its halftime lead to 11 points (31-20).
● Ryan McCoy's short jumper at 16:59 put the Cajuns on the board in the second half. Chris Gradnigo added a basket to bring the Cajuns within seven points.
● From there, FAU 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.

A NEW LEADER ATOP THE 'BELT
● Tyren Johnson has taken over the lead as the Sun Belt's top scorer.
● The senior forward is averaging 17.2 points, overall, just ahead of WKU's AJ Slaughter (17.0) and Troy's Brandon Hazzard (16.9). In SBC play, Johnson averages 19.1 ppg.

THE LEADER OF THE PACK
● Tyren Johnson leads Louisiana in both scoring (17.2 ppg) and rebounds (8.6 rpg).
● Led the squad in rebounds the first six games, and 21 of 23 overall.
● Also leads the team with 75 assists, 37 blocks and 36 steals.

JOHNSON'S GOING OUT WITH STYLE
● With 395 points and 197 boards through 23 games, Tyren Johnson's having a magnificent ending to his career.
● This season's point total bests his previous of 215 set last season. His rebound total exceeds his previous best of 153, also set last season.

A SOLID, ONE-TWO PUNCH
● In nine of the last 10 games, Chris Gradnigo and Tyren Johnson have each scored double figures.
● Johnson's string of double-figure games is 12 (dates back to Dec. 28 vs. Centenary).

TWO AT A TIME
● UL averages 38.7 points on 2-point field goals - 55.7% of its scoring.
● Tyren Johnson is the leading force - 135 of his 154 makes are from two-point range.

SERIES HISTORY (Tied at 2-2; FAU leads 2-0 in Boca Raton)
● Series started when Florida Atlantic joined the Sun Belt Conference in the 2006-07 season.
● Tonight's game marks the fifth meeting in this young series and third at FAU Arena. 
● 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. Earlier this season, the Cajuns posted an 81-74 victory at the Cajundome on Dec. 12.
● This is the youngest series for the Ragin' Cajuns against any Sun Belt opponent (only the fifth meeting). The Troy series is the second youngest (nine meetings).
● The Cajuns 81 points in this season's earlier meeting (Dec. 12 in Cajundome) marked the most points by either school in the series.

BY THE NUMBERS
1: Chris Gradnigo is only one triple shy of reaching 100 in his career
5: Tyren Johnson needs five (5) points for 400 this season. Last Cajuns to score 400-plus were David Dees and Ross Mouton in 2006-07
6-0: Record when opponent shoots below 40%
7: Tyren Johnson is seven rebounds shy of career rebound No. 500
10: Raymone Andrews has committed only 10 turnovers in 335 minutes
19.1: Tyren Johnson's scoring average in Sun Belt play
28.4: Louisiana is averaging 28.4 points in the paint. The Cajuns have reached 30-plus, 10 times
31: The countdown to 1,000 career points in underway for Chris Gradnigo; currently needs 31
50%: The Cajuns shot above 50% both games last week. UL is shooting 46.3% in SBC play
52: Randell Daigle has made 52 triples this season - his third straight season with 50-plus makes
61.5: Opponents scoring average since Jan. 1 (10 games)
70-below: Louisiana has held eight of its last 10 Sun Belt foes below 70 points (four below 60)

LAST TIME OUT: Louisiana 77, UALR 51 (Feb. 6, 2010 - Cajundome)
● Louisiana never trailed, held UALR to a season-low 25 percent shooting and was led by Tyren Johnson's 30 points.
● The 26-point margin of victory was the largest for UL over UALR in the Cajundome. UL ended a six-game losing to UALR, picking up their first win since February 2006.
● Chris Gradnigo gave UL its first double-digit lead with a baseline jumper at 4:41 of the first half which upped the lead to 27-16.
● After UALR scored five unanswered to return the lead to single digits, UL scored six of the next eight points to take a 35-23 lead at1:21.
● With UL holding on to a 37-28 lead, a technical foul on UALR coach Steve Shields triggered a 13-1 run by the Cajuns that put the game away.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns will be in Mobile, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 13 for a meeting with South Alabama's Jaguars at 7:05 p.m., at the Mitchell Center.

Louisiana has had recent success at the Mitchell Center, winning three of the past four meetings in the facility. The Cajuns are 10-8 all-time in Mobile.

Last season, Randell Daigle's buzzer-beater shocked the Jaguars as UL escaped the Cajundome with a 67-65 victory on Jan. 24, 2009. Saturday's game is the first meeting since that night.

USA posted a 66-60 victory on Jan. 24, 2008, the last time the two programs met in Mobile.

Following the USA game, the Cajuns return home for the final two home games of the season against Arkansas State (Feb. 18) and UL Monroe (Feb. 20).

-- Ragin' Cajuns --