University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Hosts South Alabama On Thursday In the Cajundome
1/7/2013 2:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 18
South Alabama (7-7, 4-2) at Louisiana (6-11, 2-4)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 24-21
Last Meeting: South Alabama 70, UL 65 (1/12/12, Lafayette, La.)
Tickets: $8, $10 & $15
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 36-41 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 261-172 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 384-207 (20th year)
vs. South Alabama: 1-2
SOUTH ALABAMA
JEFF PRICE (Pikeville '81)
At South Alabama: 2-2 (1st year)
Overall: 225-188 (18th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-0
SETTING THE SCENE: After playing four of their first six league games on the road, the Ragin' Cajuns will play four of their next six, and eight of 12, at home. Louisiana begins the stretch by hosting South Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 10 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Cajundome. Louisiana enters the week with a 6-11 overall record and in fourth place in the Sun Belt west division with a 2-4 mark. The Cajuns are coming off a pair of setbacks last week by identical 75-70 scores at Florida Atlantic and FIU last week. Louisiana is 5-2 in the Cajundome this year, including back-to-back wins over Duquesne (91-79) and UALR (79-70) sandwiched around the holiday break. South Alabama is 7-7 overall and tied for second place in the east division with a 4-2 record, one-half game behind first place Middle Tennessee (4-1). This will be the 46th meeting between Louisiana and South Alabama with the Cajuns owning a 24-21 series lead overall and 11-10 in games played in Lafayette.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is excited about the possibilities for the 2012-13 season, knowing that the team that took the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (14.2, 6.2, 5.2). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (6.1 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.1, 3.5), a JC transfer from Lamar State, will unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylan Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (6.7, 3.0), Kasey Shepherd (3.2) and Josh Soto (4.1) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. Marlin is utilizing the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. Look for the Cajuns to use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Monday (Jan. 7) and include games through Jan. 6. Individually, Shawn Long ranked eighth nationally in double-doubles (8), 36th in rebounds (9.2) and 60th in blocks (1.9) while Elfrid Payton is 34th in steals (2.3) and 52nd in assists (4.9).
HALFWAY TO 100: Thursday's game will be the 50th game played for both Elfrid Payton and Bryant Mbamalu with the duo also quickly closing in on the 500 point marks for their careers. Payton has scored 470 points in his first 49 games (9.6 ppg) while Mbamalu, who has started 42 times to just 28 for Payton, has scored 466 points. The duo are even closer in minutes played with Payton playing 1,314 minutes and Mbamalu 1,312.
THOMPSON FINDS HIS ROLE: After starting out the season slowly, senior Alan-Michael Thompson has found his niche by providing the Cajuns with an offensive spark off the bench. Over the last four games, Thompson is averaging 10.5 points, scoring in double figures three times. He is shooting .500 from the floor (13-26) and .350 from three-point (7-20).
LONG RANKS AMONG THE NATION'S TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that Shawn Long ranks among the top freshmen in the nation this year. Long ranks third nationally in rebounding among freshman, trailing only Binghamton's Jordan Reed (10.0 rpg) and Longwood's Michael Kessens (9.9), and he was seventh among freshman scorers averaging 16.6 points a game as of Jan. 3.
. . . AND LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 10-point, 13-rebound effort against UALR on Dec. 29 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his eighth double-double in 17 games to move into fourth place nationally. Siena senior O.D. Anosike leads the nation with 10 double-doubles with Notre Dame's Jack Cooley, Bucknell's Mike Muscala and Delaware's Jamelle Hagins being tied for second with nine double-doubles.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of freshman Shawn Long (15.8 ppg), sophomore Elfrid Payton (14.2) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 62-percent of the points this season (742 of 1202). Together, they have reached double figures 41 of the possible 51 times this year. Thursday's game at Florida Atlantic was no different as the trio totaled a season-high 62 points with Payton (23 points) and Long (22) scoring 20 points in the same game for the second time this year. The 62 points surpassed the previous high of 60 points at North Texas on Dec. 1 when Long tallied 27, Mbamalu 19 and Payton 14 in the win over the Mean Green. The trio has totaled 50 points or more four times this year.
PAYTON IS CHASING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Elfrid Payton's quest for the first triple-double by a Cajun in almost a decade came one rebound short at FIU on Saturday, scoring 13 points with a career-high 10 assists and a career-high matching nine rebounds against the Golden Panthers. This was not the first time that Payton came close. He closed the 2011-12 season with a 13-point, eight-rebound and nine-assist game in the opening round of the Sun Belt Championship. He toyed with the stat in the season opener against Oakland (14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), SUNO (11,7 , 7) and on Dec. 1 at North Texas (14, 6, 9) and posted 17 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at McNeese State (Dec. 8). For the record, the last triple-double by a Ragin' Cajuns player came on Jan. 5, 2006 when Michael Southall scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and 11 blocks at North Texas.
. . . BUT PAYTON MUST WALK BEFORE HE RUNS: Although Elfrid Payton has flirted with a triple-double, it took him until the McNeese State game on Dec. 8 to record the first of his three career double-doubles. Payton scored 17 points with 10 rebounds in the contest. It only took him three days to get the second, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds vs. Lamar on Dec. 11.
ENJOYING A SWEEP: The Dec. 29 sweep of UALR by the Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams, the men claiming a 79-70 win and the women earning a 56-54 double-overtime victory over a Trojan team that was 10-1 going into the game, marked the first sweep of a home doubleheader by Louisiana since the end of the 2009-10 season, a span of 12 twinbills. The Cajuns men's team has fared well in home doubleheaders under head coach Bob Marlin, owning a 9-2 record at home and 5-5 on the road.
THE MBAM HAS GONE OFF: There is no hotter player in the Sun Belt than junior Bryant Mbamalu, who has scored 20 or more points in four of the last six games. Mbamalu started the run with a 21-point effort against Robert Morris on Dec. 18 and then followed it up with 22 points vs. Duquesne on Dec. 22. After a season low four points at Arkansas State on Dec. 27, he came back to score a season-high 26 vs. UALR on Dec. 29. He had had 17 points at Florida Atlantic and 23 at FIU last week. Over the last six games, Mbamalu is averaging 18.3 points a game, shooting .656 from the field (41-64) and .533 from three-point (16-30). Those are considerably improved numbers over the .423 he shot from the field (41-97) and .340 from three-point (16-47) over the first 11 games.
PAYTON PASSES STEAL TOTAL: Sophomore Elfrid Payton recorded a pair of steals in Saturday's game at FIU, allowing him to start the second half of the season by surpassing the 37 steals he compiled in leading the team last year. Payton leads the Sun Belt and ranks 34th nationally averaging 2.3 steals a game. Payton had a career high seven steals at Michigan State on Nov. 25, falling one steal short of the school record, and came back to make four steals vs. Middle Tennessee.
PAYTON & MBAMALU START ALONE: With Shawn Long coming off the bench for the first time this season at Arkansas State on Dec. 27, that leaves junior Bryant Mbamalu and sophomore Elfrid Payton as the only Cajuns to start every game this season. Long and Elridge Moore each have come close, starting 16 of the 17 games.
BARNETT BECOMES NINTH CAJUN TO START: When freshman Cornell Barnett started in place of Shawn Long at Arkansas State on Dec. 27, he became the ninth diffterent Ragin' Cajuns player to start at least one game this year.
. . . AND LOUISIANA USES A FIFTH STARTING LINEUP: The youth of the Cajuns is evident this season in that head coach Bob Marlin has used five different starting lineups in the first 15 games. The group of Elfrid Payton, Bryant Mbamalu, Steven Wronkoski, Elridge Moore and Shawn Long have started 11 times, leading UL to a 4-7 record. The only other group to start multiple games included Alan-Michael Thompson in place of Wronkoski, a lineup that started the first three games together. Last year, Marlin used 12 different starting lineups, including 10 different in the first 13 games before he settled on a lineup that started 15 of the final 21 games.
SUPPORTING CAST THE DIFFERENCE: The Louisiana bench has proven to be an important factor in determining sucess on the court this year. The Cajun bench has scored 20 points or more five times this year with UL going 4-1 in those games. In the six Cajun wins, the reserves have totalled 122 points (20.3 ppg). At the other end of the spectrum, the bench has produced 155 points in the 11 losses (14.1 ppg), including seven points against Florida Atlantic on Thursday.
. . . BUT NOT AT FIU: With Shawn Long and Bryant Mbamalu limited because of foul trouble at FIU, the Louisiana bench came through by scoring 29 points, the third-highest output by the reserves this season. Alan-Michael Thompson scored 11 points while freshmen Josh Soto (9 points) and Kasey Shepherd (9) each set career highs in the game. The scoring total means that two of the top three efforts by the Cajun bench have resulted in a loss. The 32 points by the reserves at Arkansas State is the highest output this year.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that one area in which Louisiana would definitely show improvement is at the foul line, where the Cajuns shot just .631 (483-766) last year. So far, that prediction has come true as Louisiana has shot 70-percent or better from the line in nine of the 17 games. The Cajuns enter the FIU game having gone 218-for-323 (.675) from the line. The last time that the Cajuns shot above 70-percent for an entire season came 20 seasons ago (1993-94) when they went 463-for-647 (.716).
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN LEAD THE WAY: The simplest way to improve a team's free throw shooting is to simply get better shooters and Bob Marlin has apparently done that. The four freshman currently on the Louisiana roster have made 80 of their 108 free throws this year (.741). Steven Wronkoski (27-37, .730) and Shawn Long (40-52, .769) lead the way.
CAJUNS BENEFIT FROM LATE FREE THROW SHOOTING: The free throw shooting by the Cajuns has been at its best late in the game as Louisiana has gone 77-for-99 (.778) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Shawn Long (10-10) and Steven Wronkoski (8-8) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .791 shooter (34-43), is 13-for-14 this year (.929). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
. . . FREE THROWS KEY WIN OVER UALR: Clutch free throw shooting was a key in the Dec. 29 win over UALR as the Cajuns went 11-for-13 from the line in the final 2:03 of the game to deny the Trojans an opportunity to come back. After missing their first two attempts, Louisiana shooters knocked down their next 11 to finish the game. The game took a similar path on Dec. 1 at North Texas when the Cajuns went 11-for-14 (.786) from the stripe in the final 5:00, including seven-for-eight (.875) in the final 15 seconds to secure an 80-76 win.
MASTERING THE SUN BELT: Ragin' Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin has produced back-to-back double digit win totals in Sun Belt play in his first two seasons on Louisiana's bench (11 in 2010-11 and 10 in 2011-12). His SBC winning percentage of .605 (23-15) is second amongst all active coaches.
LONG TRIES TO EQUAL FRESHMAN SCORING FEAT: With a 15.8 scoring average through 17 games and 1.6 points per game average ahead of second leading scorer Elfrid Payton (14.2 ppg), freshman Shawn Long is on pace to become just the fifth freshman to lead the team in scoring. He would join Tim Thompson (14.2 ppg in 1957-58), Jerry Flake (17.6, 1965-66), Andrew Toney (21.0, 1976-77) and Chris Gradnigo (9.6, 2007-08).
. . . AND A SCORING, REBOUNDS & BLOCKS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Shawn Long's impact is more than just being a scorer. Ranking third in the Sun Belt in rebounding (9.2) and fourth in both scoring (15.8) and blocks (1.9), Long is on a pace to become just the third player in school history to lead the team in all three stat categories in a single season. Tyren Johnson was the most recent, averaging 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 2009-10. Reginald Poole is the other to accomplish it, doing it in both 1996-97 (16.0, 10.3, 1.7) and 1998-99 (14.7, 7.1, 0.9).
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 88 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.2 assists per game. He set a career high with 10 assists at FIU on Saturday and previously had nine assists at North Texas on Dec. 1 and against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns remain at the Cajundome on Saturday (Jan. 12) to host Arkansas State for the second of five doubelehaders. The women's team plays ASU at 5:00 p.m. followed by the men's game at approximately 7:15 p.m.
Complete Release (PDF)
Game 18
South Alabama (7-7, 4-2) at Louisiana (6-11, 2-4)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Site: Cajundome (11,550), Lafayette, Louisiana
Radio: KPEL (1420 AM) & KHXT (107.9 FM) (Jay Walker)
TV: None Live, Streaming available on the internet via RaginCajuns.com.
Series: Louisiana Leads, 24-21
Last Meeting: South Alabama 70, UL 65 (1/12/12, Lafayette, La.)
Tickets: $8, $10 & $15
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 36-41 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 261-172 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 384-207 (20th year)
vs. South Alabama: 1-2
SOUTH ALABAMA
JEFF PRICE (Pikeville '81)
At South Alabama: 2-2 (1st year)
Overall: 225-188 (18th year)
vs. Louisiana: 0-0
SETTING THE SCENE: After playing four of their first six league games on the road, the Ragin' Cajuns will play four of their next six, and eight of 12, at home. Louisiana begins the stretch by hosting South Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 10 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Cajundome. Louisiana enters the week with a 6-11 overall record and in fourth place in the Sun Belt west division with a 2-4 mark. The Cajuns are coming off a pair of setbacks last week by identical 75-70 scores at Florida Atlantic and FIU last week. Louisiana is 5-2 in the Cajundome this year, including back-to-back wins over Duquesne (91-79) and UALR (79-70) sandwiched around the holiday break. South Alabama is 7-7 overall and tied for second place in the east division with a 4-2 record, one-half game behind first place Middle Tennessee (4-1). This will be the 46th meeting between Louisiana and South Alabama with the Cajuns owning a 24-21 series lead overall and 11-10 in games played in Lafayette.
PREVIEWING LOUISIANA: With a lineup featuring five freshmen and four sophomores, third year head coach Bob Marlin is excited about the possibilities for the 2012-13 season, knowing that the team that took the court in November will grow and improve all season. As the new faces get acclimated to the collegiate game, the Cajuns have leaned heavily on junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (14.2, 6.2, 5.2). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (6.1 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (15.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.1, 3.5), a JC transfer from Lamar State, will unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylan Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (6.7, 3.0), Kasey Shepherd (3.2) and Josh Soto (4.1) also contribute, giving Louisiana a deep backcourt. Marlin is utilizing the depth and quickness by forcing an up-tempo game at both ends of the court by applying more defensive pressure. Look for the Cajuns to use their quickness and outside shooting ability to create a balanced offense, forcing opponents to cover the entire court.
CAJUNS IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns received several mentions in the NCAA basketball statistics, which were released on Monday (Jan. 7) and include games through Jan. 6. Individually, Shawn Long ranked eighth nationally in double-doubles (8), 36th in rebounds (9.2) and 60th in blocks (1.9) while Elfrid Payton is 34th in steals (2.3) and 52nd in assists (4.9).
HALFWAY TO 100: Thursday's game will be the 50th game played for both Elfrid Payton and Bryant Mbamalu with the duo also quickly closing in on the 500 point marks for their careers. Payton has scored 470 points in his first 49 games (9.6 ppg) while Mbamalu, who has started 42 times to just 28 for Payton, has scored 466 points. The duo are even closer in minutes played with Payton playing 1,314 minutes and Mbamalu 1,312.
THOMPSON FINDS HIS ROLE: After starting out the season slowly, senior Alan-Michael Thompson has found his niche by providing the Cajuns with an offensive spark off the bench. Over the last four games, Thompson is averaging 10.5 points, scoring in double figures three times. He is shooting .500 from the floor (13-26) and .350 from three-point (7-20).
LONG RANKS AMONG THE NATION'S TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that Shawn Long ranks among the top freshmen in the nation this year. Long ranks third nationally in rebounding among freshman, trailing only Binghamton's Jordan Reed (10.0 rpg) and Longwood's Michael Kessens (9.9), and he was seventh among freshman scorers averaging 16.6 points a game as of Jan. 3.
. . . AND LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 10-point, 13-rebound effort against UALR on Dec. 29 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his eighth double-double in 17 games to move into fourth place nationally. Siena senior O.D. Anosike leads the nation with 10 double-doubles with Notre Dame's Jack Cooley, Bucknell's Mike Muscala and Delaware's Jamelle Hagins being tied for second with nine double-doubles.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of freshman Shawn Long (15.8 ppg), sophomore Elfrid Payton (14.2) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (13.7) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 62-percent of the points this season (742 of 1202). Together, they have reached double figures 41 of the possible 51 times this year. Thursday's game at Florida Atlantic was no different as the trio totaled a season-high 62 points with Payton (23 points) and Long (22) scoring 20 points in the same game for the second time this year. The 62 points surpassed the previous high of 60 points at North Texas on Dec. 1 when Long tallied 27, Mbamalu 19 and Payton 14 in the win over the Mean Green. The trio has totaled 50 points or more four times this year.
PAYTON IS CHASING A TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Elfrid Payton's quest for the first triple-double by a Cajun in almost a decade came one rebound short at FIU on Saturday, scoring 13 points with a career-high 10 assists and a career-high matching nine rebounds against the Golden Panthers. This was not the first time that Payton came close. He closed the 2011-12 season with a 13-point, eight-rebound and nine-assist game in the opening round of the Sun Belt Championship. He toyed with the stat in the season opener against Oakland (14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists), SUNO (11,7 , 7) and on Dec. 1 at North Texas (14, 6, 9) and posted 17 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists at McNeese State (Dec. 8). For the record, the last triple-double by a Ragin' Cajuns player came on Jan. 5, 2006 when Michael Southall scored 19 points with 12 rebounds and 11 blocks at North Texas.
. . . BUT PAYTON MUST WALK BEFORE HE RUNS: Although Elfrid Payton has flirted with a triple-double, it took him until the McNeese State game on Dec. 8 to record the first of his three career double-doubles. Payton scored 17 points with 10 rebounds in the contest. It only took him three days to get the second, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds vs. Lamar on Dec. 11.
ENJOYING A SWEEP: The Dec. 29 sweep of UALR by the Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams, the men claiming a 79-70 win and the women earning a 56-54 double-overtime victory over a Trojan team that was 10-1 going into the game, marked the first sweep of a home doubleheader by Louisiana since the end of the 2009-10 season, a span of 12 twinbills. The Cajuns men's team has fared well in home doubleheaders under head coach Bob Marlin, owning a 9-2 record at home and 5-5 on the road.
THE MBAM HAS GONE OFF: There is no hotter player in the Sun Belt than junior Bryant Mbamalu, who has scored 20 or more points in four of the last six games. Mbamalu started the run with a 21-point effort against Robert Morris on Dec. 18 and then followed it up with 22 points vs. Duquesne on Dec. 22. After a season low four points at Arkansas State on Dec. 27, he came back to score a season-high 26 vs. UALR on Dec. 29. He had had 17 points at Florida Atlantic and 23 at FIU last week. Over the last six games, Mbamalu is averaging 18.3 points a game, shooting .656 from the field (41-64) and .533 from three-point (16-30). Those are considerably improved numbers over the .423 he shot from the field (41-97) and .340 from three-point (16-47) over the first 11 games.
PAYTON PASSES STEAL TOTAL: Sophomore Elfrid Payton recorded a pair of steals in Saturday's game at FIU, allowing him to start the second half of the season by surpassing the 37 steals he compiled in leading the team last year. Payton leads the Sun Belt and ranks 34th nationally averaging 2.3 steals a game. Payton had a career high seven steals at Michigan State on Nov. 25, falling one steal short of the school record, and came back to make four steals vs. Middle Tennessee.
PAYTON & MBAMALU START ALONE: With Shawn Long coming off the bench for the first time this season at Arkansas State on Dec. 27, that leaves junior Bryant Mbamalu and sophomore Elfrid Payton as the only Cajuns to start every game this season. Long and Elridge Moore each have come close, starting 16 of the 17 games.
BARNETT BECOMES NINTH CAJUN TO START: When freshman Cornell Barnett started in place of Shawn Long at Arkansas State on Dec. 27, he became the ninth diffterent Ragin' Cajuns player to start at least one game this year.
. . . AND LOUISIANA USES A FIFTH STARTING LINEUP: The youth of the Cajuns is evident this season in that head coach Bob Marlin has used five different starting lineups in the first 15 games. The group of Elfrid Payton, Bryant Mbamalu, Steven Wronkoski, Elridge Moore and Shawn Long have started 11 times, leading UL to a 4-7 record. The only other group to start multiple games included Alan-Michael Thompson in place of Wronkoski, a lineup that started the first three games together. Last year, Marlin used 12 different starting lineups, including 10 different in the first 13 games before he settled on a lineup that started 15 of the final 21 games.
SUPPORTING CAST THE DIFFERENCE: The Louisiana bench has proven to be an important factor in determining sucess on the court this year. The Cajun bench has scored 20 points or more five times this year with UL going 4-1 in those games. In the six Cajun wins, the reserves have totalled 122 points (20.3 ppg). At the other end of the spectrum, the bench has produced 155 points in the 11 losses (14.1 ppg), including seven points against Florida Atlantic on Thursday.
. . . BUT NOT AT FIU: With Shawn Long and Bryant Mbamalu limited because of foul trouble at FIU, the Louisiana bench came through by scoring 29 points, the third-highest output by the reserves this season. Alan-Michael Thompson scored 11 points while freshmen Josh Soto (9 points) and Kasey Shepherd (9) each set career highs in the game. The scoring total means that two of the top three efforts by the Cajun bench have resulted in a loss. The 32 points by the reserves at Arkansas State is the highest output this year.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that one area in which Louisiana would definitely show improvement is at the foul line, where the Cajuns shot just .631 (483-766) last year. So far, that prediction has come true as Louisiana has shot 70-percent or better from the line in nine of the 17 games. The Cajuns enter the FIU game having gone 218-for-323 (.675) from the line. The last time that the Cajuns shot above 70-percent for an entire season came 20 seasons ago (1993-94) when they went 463-for-647 (.716).
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN LEAD THE WAY: The simplest way to improve a team's free throw shooting is to simply get better shooters and Bob Marlin has apparently done that. The four freshman currently on the Louisiana roster have made 80 of their 108 free throws this year (.741). Steven Wronkoski (27-37, .730) and Shawn Long (40-52, .769) lead the way.
CAJUNS BENEFIT FROM LATE FREE THROW SHOOTING: The free throw shooting by the Cajuns has been at its best late in the game as Louisiana has gone 77-for-99 (.778) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Shawn Long (10-10) and Steven Wronkoski (8-8) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .791 shooter (34-43), is 13-for-14 this year (.929). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
. . . FREE THROWS KEY WIN OVER UALR: Clutch free throw shooting was a key in the Dec. 29 win over UALR as the Cajuns went 11-for-13 from the line in the final 2:03 of the game to deny the Trojans an opportunity to come back. After missing their first two attempts, Louisiana shooters knocked down their next 11 to finish the game. The game took a similar path on Dec. 1 at North Texas when the Cajuns went 11-for-14 (.786) from the stripe in the final 5:00, including seven-for-eight (.875) in the final 15 seconds to secure an 80-76 win.
MASTERING THE SUN BELT: Ragin' Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin has produced back-to-back double digit win totals in Sun Belt play in his first two seasons on Louisiana's bench (11 in 2010-11 and 10 in 2011-12). His SBC winning percentage of .605 (23-15) is second amongst all active coaches.
LONG TRIES TO EQUAL FRESHMAN SCORING FEAT: With a 15.8 scoring average through 17 games and 1.6 points per game average ahead of second leading scorer Elfrid Payton (14.2 ppg), freshman Shawn Long is on pace to become just the fifth freshman to lead the team in scoring. He would join Tim Thompson (14.2 ppg in 1957-58), Jerry Flake (17.6, 1965-66), Andrew Toney (21.0, 1976-77) and Chris Gradnigo (9.6, 2007-08).
. . . AND A SCORING, REBOUNDS & BLOCKS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Shawn Long's impact is more than just being a scorer. Ranking third in the Sun Belt in rebounding (9.2) and fourth in both scoring (15.8) and blocks (1.9), Long is on a pace to become just the third player in school history to lead the team in all three stat categories in a single season. Tyren Johnson was the most recent, averaging 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 2009-10. Reginald Poole is the other to accomplish it, doing it in both 1996-97 (16.0, 10.3, 1.7) and 1998-99 (14.7, 7.1, 0.9).
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?: Elfrid Payton has shown his continued development as the Cajuns' point guard by handing out 88 assists this year to lead the Sun Belt averaging 5.2 assists per game. He set a career high with 10 assists at FIU on Saturday and previously had nine assists at North Texas on Dec. 1 and against North Texas in the Sun Belt Championship last year.
NEXT UP: The Cajuns remain at the Cajundome on Saturday (Jan. 12) to host Arkansas State for the second of five doubelehaders. The women's team plays ASU at 5:00 p.m. followed by the men's game at approximately 7:15 p.m.
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