University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Sunday, February 10
Lafayette
7:15 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
ULM
Louisiana Hosts ULM At Dean O's Pizza Dome On Sunday
2/7/2013 12:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Contact: Brian McCann
Complete Notes (PDF)
Game 25
La.-Monroe (3-15, 2-10) at Louisiana (8-16, 4-9)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013
Time: 7:15 p.m. CST
Site: Dean O's Dome (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, 46-19
Last Meeting: ULM 78, Louisiana 60 (2/25/12, Lafayette, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 38-47 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 263-178 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 386-213 (20th year)
vs. ULM: 14-4
LA.-MONROE
KEITH RICHARD (ULM '82)
At ULM: 13-65 (3rd year)
Overall: 163-182 (12th year)
vs. Louisiana: 6-9
SETTING THE SCENE: After splitting a pair of Sun Belt games last week, the Cajuns will take both Thursday and Saturday night off from competition before resuming league play against La.-Monroe on Sunday, Feb. 10 beginning at 7:15p.m. in the Dean O's Pizza Dome. The game is the second half of a doubleheader with the Ragin' Cajuns women's team hosting the Warhawks beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Cajuns (8-16) are in sole possession of third place in the west division with a 4-9 record. Louisiana had two distinctively different games last week, scoring the most points in almost a decade in routing North Texas, 105-74, on Thursday before falling at Troy, 71-52, on Saturday. This will be the first meeting of the year with La-Monroe (3-15, 2-10), who will host UALR on Thursday night (Feb. 7) before traveling to Lafayette. The Ragin' Cajuns have dominated the all-time series, winning 46 of the first 65 meetings, including a 28-3 record 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 (14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (15.2, 5.7, 5.2). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (7.1 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (16.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.1, 3.8), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (6.1, 2.7), Kasey Shepherd (3.6) and Josh Soto (3.8) 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 (Feb. 4) and included games through Feb. 3. Individually, Shawn Long ranked third nationally in double-doubles (14), 11th in rebounds (10.5) and 60th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton was 27th in steals (2.3) and 48th in assists (5.2).
MARLIN TO COACH 600TH GAME ON SUNDAY: Third-year Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin will be on the sideline as a head coach for the 600th time during his coaching career when the Cajuns face La.-Monroe on Sunday (Feb. 10). It is only fitting that the game be against ULM, a school that Marlin earned a master's degree in health and physical education from 1983. A 33-year coaching veteran, Marlin has served as a head coach for 20 seasons since taking over as head coach at Pensacola JC for the 1990-91 campaign. Marlin is 386-213 in those 20 seasons, going 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State. He is 38-47 in his third year at Louisiana.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 23-point, 13-rebound effort against North Texas on Jan. 31 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 14th double-double in 23 games, good for third nationally. Bucknell's Mike Muscala leads the nation with 16 double-doubles with Towson's Jerrelle Benimon ranked second with 15. Long is tied for third with Notre Dame's Jack Cooley. Long had his streak of six straight double-doubles snapped at Troy on Saturday, giving him eight double-doubles in 13 league games this season.
A TRIPLE-TWENTY: When Elfrid Payton (22 points), Alan-Michael Thompson (22) and Shawn Long (21) each surpassed the 20-point mark against FIU on Jan. 24, it marked the first time since 2005-06 season that the Cajuns had three players with 20 or more points in a game. That came when Michael Southall (21), Dwayne Mitchell (21) and Ed Turner (20) each surpassed that mark in an 89-77 win over McNeese State on Dec. 22, 2005, 224 games ago.
. . . AND ALMOST TWO IN A ROW: You had to go back 224 games to find the last time three Cajuns each scored 20 points in a game, but the Cajuns almost made it two games in a row when Elfrid Payton (24 points), Shawn Long (23) and Bryant Mbamalu (18) helped the Ragin' Cajuns total 105 points against North Texas on Jan. 31. Mbamalu may well have reached the 20-point mark but was subbed out with 3:37 left and Louisiana comfortably ahead, 92-66.
LONG ENJOYS SWATTING SHOTS: With 47 blocked shots in 24 games this year, Shawn Long ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in blocks. His block total ranks him eighth on the Louisiana single season chart, one short of seventh place Reginald Poole, who blocked 48 shots in 1996-97, and four shy of sixth place Graylin Warner (51 in 1982-83). Long's 2.0 blocks per game is fifth-best in school history.
A 20-POINT BARRAGE: One by-product of Louisiana leading the Sun Belt this year in scoring with an average of 70.5 points per game is an increased number of 20 point games by Cajuns individuals. In 32 games last year, six different Cajuns players combined to record nine 20-point performances with Josh Brown (3) being the only player with more than one 20-point game. In 24 games this year, Louisiana players have twenty 20-point efforts. Shawn Long leads the way with nine while Elfrid Payton (6), Bryant Mbamalu (4) and Alan-Michael Thompson (1) have also surpassed the mark.
. . . AND A 105-POINT BARRAGE: The 105 points by the Cajuns against North Texas on Jan. 31 was the most points by a Sun Belt team this year. It marked the second time that Louisiana surpassed the 100-point mark in three seasons under Bob Marlin (102 vs. Dillard on Dec. 12, 2011). It was the most points by the Cajuns since UL scored 110 at Western Kentucky on January 29, 2004.
LONG RANGE SCORING: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that the three-point shot would be more prominent in the offense this year and that forecast has been accurate. With 18 three-pointers in the two games last week, Louisiana now ranks third in the league averaging 6.96 treys per game. FIU leads with 7.09 treys per game with Troy second at 7.00. The Cajuns made 74 treys in the first 12 games (6.2/game) with no double-figure games but have found their shooting touch of late, averaging 7.8 three-pointers (93 total) over the last 12 contests with four double-figure games. Louisiana has made 167 treys in 24 games this year and is quickly approaching the 172 three-pointers it made in 32 games last season.
FINALLY SOME THURSDAY SUCCESS: The 105-74 win over North Texas on Thursday (Jan. 31) was the first win by the Ragin' Cajuns in seven Thursday night games this year.
THOMPSON ENJOYS A LONG-RANGE EVENING: Alan-Michael Thompson stepped up to provide the Cajuns with an outside shooting presence against FIU on Jan. 24, setting career highs for three-point field goals made (6) and attempted (16). The 16 three-point attempts was the second-highest single game total in school history, two shy of the school record of 18 set by Brad Boyd vs. Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 2002. The six treys is the most by a Cajun since Boyd had seven at Birmingham-Southern on Dec. 8, 2002. The effort allowed Thompson to equal the most three-point field goals made and attempted in the Sun Belt this season.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of freshman Shawn Long (16.0 ppg), sophomore Elfrid Payton (15.2) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.3) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 61 percent of the points this season (1,034 of 1,693). Together, they have reached double figures 57 of the possible 68 times this year, including 17 games of 20-points or more. They combined to score a season-best 65 points vs. North Texas on Jan. 31 and previously scored 62 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 3), 60 at North Texas on Dec. 1 and 59 vs. South Alabama (Jan. 10). The trio has totaled 50 points or more six times this year.
. . . THE TRIO FROM A SUN BELT PERSPECTIVE: A look at the most recent Sun Belt statistics shows that the trio of Shawn Long (16.0 ppg), Elfrid Payton (15.2) and Bryant Mbamalu (14.3) rank third, sixth and 10th, respectively in league scoring. FIU and Florida Atlantic are the only other teams that have two players in the top 10 in scoring, but neither have a third player ranked in the top 25. In Sun Belt games only, Mbamalu (17.0), Payton (16.7) and Long (15.7) rank fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively.
. . . WITH MBAMALU OUT, CAJUNS FIND THIRD SCORER: Senior Alan-Michael Thompson helped to offset the loss of Bryant Mbamalu against FIU on Jan. 24 by scoring a career-high 22 points. He teamed with Elfrid Payton (22 points) and Shawn Long (21) to score 65 of Louisiana's 75 points, the highest total of the year.
A SATURDAY OFF: After playing FIU on Jan. 24, the Cajuns took Saturday (Jan. 26) off last week, their first off-Saturday since late November. After going through the month of November without playing any games on a Saturday, the Cajuns had played games on eight straight Saturdays since Dec. 1, with five of those contests coming on the road. Another light week is ahead as UL will take next Thursday (Feb. 7) and Saturday (Feb. 9) off next week, playing their lone game on Sunday (Feb. 10) at home against UL-Monroe. The game was originally slated for Saturday, but had to be moved because of scheduling conflicts with the Cajundome and its Mardi Gras schedule.
MBAMALU NEARS 700-POINT MARK: With 34 points in two games last week, junior guard Bryant Mbamalu raised his career-scoring total to 680 points, leaving him 20 points shy of the 700-point mark. Mbamalu has played in 80 games at Louisiana, starting 61, and totaling 1,958 minutes played.
. . . AND PAYTON IS RIGHT BEHIND HIM: An 11-point performance against Troy on Saturday has moved Elfrid Payton within six points of reaching the 600-point mark. Payton has played in 56 games during his two seasons, starting 35, scoring 594 points in 1,569 minutes of action.
. . . AND PAYTON GOES ALL 40: Elfrid Payton has taken on an increased leadership role on the team this year, leading the team and ranking second in the Sun Belt averaging 35.1 minutes per game. Payton added another first against FIU on Jan. 24, playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his collegiate career. Payton, the only Cajun to start every game this year, leads the team with 807 minutes played.
TOUGH DECISIONS: One of the best examples of the youth of the Cajuns this season is that Louisiana has not fared well in close games, going 2-9 in games decided by six points or less, including a pair of overtime losses. The lone wins came at UNT on Dec. 1 (80-76) and when they outlasted Arkansas State, 61-56, at home. For the year, the Cajuns are 0-1 in two-point games, 0-2 in three-point games, 1-0 in four-point games, 1-5 in five-point games and 0-1 in six-point decisions.
LONG MAINTAINS FRESHMAN REBOUNDING LEAD: With 11 or more rebounds in seven straight games, Shawn Long has taken over the mantra as the top freshman rebounder in the country this year. Long has grabbed 252 rebounds in 24 games (10.5 rpg) to rank ahead of Kentucky's Nerlens Noel (9.4).
. . . AND LONG CONTINUES TO RANK AMONG THE TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that besides being the top freshman rebounder in the country this year, Shawn Long also ranks as ninth among freshmen in scoring (16.0) and eighth in blocked shots (2.0).
CAJUNS GET A LITTLE HELP: The Ragin' Cajuns received some good news on the injury front last week when Bryant Mbamalu and Donovan Williams both returned to the lineup. Mbamalu, who missed four games with a thumb injury, entered the North Texas game early in the first half and went on to score 18 points in 28 minutes. He came back to lead Louisiana with 16 points at Troy on Saturday. Williams, who played in two games before suffering a knee injury that required surgery, returned to practice after missing 18 games and played the final two minutes at Troy, scoring one point.
A GREAT WIN: The win over Arkansas State on Jan. 12 is made a little more significant considering that the Cajuns had just nine players dressed in the game, with sophomore Elfrid Payton being the only player to see action who played last season. The victory allowed Louisiana to avenge a 87-70 loss to the Red Wolves in Jonesboro on Dec. 27.
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN CAME THROUGH: The freshman class turned in its most impressive performance against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 as the five Cajuns freshmen combined to score 43 of the 61 points and grab 28 of the 36 rebounds. The performance marked the third time this year that the freshmen class has scored 40 points or more. The group previously tallied a season-high 47 points in a 91-79 win over Duquesne and 41 points in a 76-66 victory over Southern-New Orleans.
SHEPHERD ENJOYS ROLE CHANGE: Freshman Kasey Shepherd celebrated his first career start against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 by setting his career highs for points (13), rebounds (7) and minutes played (37). He came back to score nine points with five rebounds in his second start at WKU on Jan. 17. In his three starts, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting .429 from three-point (6-14). For the season, Shepherd is averaging 3.6 points in 11.7 minutes a game.
PAYTON NEARS STEALS TOP 10: Sophomore Elfrid Payton recorded four steals against North Texas on Thursday, giving him 54 steals in 24 games this year to lead the Sun Belt and rank 27th nationally averaging 2.3 steals a game. He needs five more steals to pass four players who are tied for ninth with 59 steals each and break into the Louisiana single season top 10. Payton, who had 37 steals in 32 games last year, 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.
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. He returned to the lineup after missing the Arkansas State game on Jan. 12 with an ankle sprain and scored eight points against both WKU and Middle Tennessee and a career-high 22 vs. FIU on Jan. 24. Over his last 10 games, Thompson is averaging 10.0 points, scoring in double figures five times.
. . . AND THOMPSON HAS BOUNCED BACK: After opening the year by shooting just .216 from three-point in his first 12 games, Alan-Michael Thompson has bounced back to go 22-for-52 (.423)from three-point over his last eight games to improve to .341 (30-88) for the year. He ranks 13th in the Sun Belt in three-point percentage and 14th in three-point field goals made.
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 109-for-152 (.717) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Alan-Michael Thompson (13-14), Shawn Long (17-22) and Steven Wronkoski (12-17) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .771 shooter (37-48), is 16-for-19 this year (.842). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
LONG TRIES TO EQUAL FRESHMAN SCORING FEAT: With a 16.0 scoring average through 24 games and an 0.8 point per game lead ahead of second-leading scorer Elfrid Payton (15.2 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 second in the Sun Belt in rebounding (10.5), third in scoring (16.0) and fourth in blocks (2.0), 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).
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING: The exhibition win over Loyola-New Orleans marked the Cajuns debut for forward Shawn Long. Long transferred to Louisiana last December after spending the fall semester at Mississippi State. The 6-9 native of Morgan City, La. practiced with the Cajuns during the final three months of the year but was not eligible to play. During the summer, he was granted a waiver of transfer rule that would have made him ineligible until early December, allowing him to play immediately. Eager to make up for the lost season, Long scored 11 of UL's first 18 points against Loyola, finishing the night with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, going seven-for-11 from the field with a pair of blocks.
. . . AND LONG SCORES THE BASKETBALL: With at least eight games left to play this season, Shawn Long's nine 20-point games remains on a pace to record the most 20-plus point performances by a Cajun since former Sun Belt Player of the Year Tyren Johnson accomplished it 12 times in 2009-10.
WRONKOSKI PROVES MARLIN RIGHT: Bob Marlin said many times during the fall that when he took over as head coach two years ago, one of the first recruits he looked at was Steven Wronkoski, deciding that the current UL freshman's spirited play would be perfect in a Cajun uniform. Wronkoski has yet to prove Marlin wrong, averaging 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds this year. He posted back-to-back career highs of 12 points vs. SUNO on Nov. 21 and, in his first career start, 16 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 23. His Sun Belt debut was equally as strong as he scored all 13 of his points in the second half against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29. His current career scoring high is 17 points, set at McNeese State on Dec. 8.
NEXT UP: Louisiana has a split week ahead, traveling to South Alabama on Thursday (Feb. 14) for a 7:05 contest before returning home to host Florida Atlantic on Saturday (Feb. 16) at 7:15 p.m.
Complete Notes (PDF)
Game 25
La.-Monroe (3-15, 2-10) at Louisiana (8-16, 4-9)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013
Time: 7:15 p.m. CST
Site: Dean O's Dome (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, 46-19
Last Meeting: ULM 78, Louisiana 60 (2/25/12, Lafayette, La.)
THE COACHES:
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 38-47 (3rd year)
4-Year Overall: 263-178 (15th year)
All Collegiate: 386-213 (20th year)
vs. ULM: 14-4
LA.-MONROE
KEITH RICHARD (ULM '82)
At ULM: 13-65 (3rd year)
Overall: 163-182 (12th year)
vs. Louisiana: 6-9
SETTING THE SCENE: After splitting a pair of Sun Belt games last week, the Cajuns will take both Thursday and Saturday night off from competition before resuming league play against La.-Monroe on Sunday, Feb. 10 beginning at 7:15p.m. in the Dean O's Pizza Dome. The game is the second half of a doubleheader with the Ragin' Cajuns women's team hosting the Warhawks beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Cajuns (8-16) are in sole possession of third place in the west division with a 4-9 record. Louisiana had two distinctively different games last week, scoring the most points in almost a decade in routing North Texas, 105-74, on Thursday before falling at Troy, 71-52, on Saturday. This will be the first meeting of the year with La-Monroe (3-15, 2-10), who will host UALR on Thursday night (Feb. 7) before traveling to Lafayette. The Ragin' Cajuns have dominated the all-time series, winning 46 of the first 65 meetings, including a 28-3 record 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 (14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and sophomore sensation Elfrid Payton (15.2, 5.7, 5.2). Guard Alan-Michael Thompson (7.1 ppg), the lone senior on the squad, is also playing an increased role this year. Freshman forward Shawn Long (16.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg), a transfer from Mississippi State, and power forward Elridge Moore (5.1, 3.8), a JC transfer from Lamar State, unite to form the nucleus of the inside game with freshman Cornell Barnett and walk-on Braylon Lazare providing the depth inside. Although Payton, Mbamalu and Thompson provide the athleticism, quickness and leadership, the freshmen trio of Steven Wronkoski (6.1, 2.7), Kasey Shepherd (3.6) and Josh Soto (3.8) 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 (Feb. 4) and included games through Feb. 3. Individually, Shawn Long ranked third nationally in double-doubles (14), 11th in rebounds (10.5) and 60th in blocks (2.0) while Elfrid Payton was 27th in steals (2.3) and 48th in assists (5.2).
MARLIN TO COACH 600TH GAME ON SUNDAY: Third-year Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin will be on the sideline as a head coach for the 600th time during his coaching career when the Cajuns face La.-Monroe on Sunday (Feb. 10). It is only fitting that the game be against ULM, a school that Marlin earned a master's degree in health and physical education from 1983. A 33-year coaching veteran, Marlin has served as a head coach for 20 seasons since taking over as head coach at Pensacola JC for the 1990-91 campaign. Marlin is 386-213 in those 20 seasons, going 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State. He is 38-47 in his third year at Louisiana.
LONG IS DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: A 23-point, 13-rebound effort against North Texas on Jan. 31 gave redshirt freshman forward Shawn Long his 14th double-double in 23 games, good for third nationally. Bucknell's Mike Muscala leads the nation with 16 double-doubles with Towson's Jerrelle Benimon ranked second with 15. Long is tied for third with Notre Dame's Jack Cooley. Long had his streak of six straight double-doubles snapped at Troy on Saturday, giving him eight double-doubles in 13 league games this season.
A TRIPLE-TWENTY: When Elfrid Payton (22 points), Alan-Michael Thompson (22) and Shawn Long (21) each surpassed the 20-point mark against FIU on Jan. 24, it marked the first time since 2005-06 season that the Cajuns had three players with 20 or more points in a game. That came when Michael Southall (21), Dwayne Mitchell (21) and Ed Turner (20) each surpassed that mark in an 89-77 win over McNeese State on Dec. 22, 2005, 224 games ago.
. . . AND ALMOST TWO IN A ROW: You had to go back 224 games to find the last time three Cajuns each scored 20 points in a game, but the Cajuns almost made it two games in a row when Elfrid Payton (24 points), Shawn Long (23) and Bryant Mbamalu (18) helped the Ragin' Cajuns total 105 points against North Texas on Jan. 31. Mbamalu may well have reached the 20-point mark but was subbed out with 3:37 left and Louisiana comfortably ahead, 92-66.
LONG ENJOYS SWATTING SHOTS: With 47 blocked shots in 24 games this year, Shawn Long ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in blocks. His block total ranks him eighth on the Louisiana single season chart, one short of seventh place Reginald Poole, who blocked 48 shots in 1996-97, and four shy of sixth place Graylin Warner (51 in 1982-83). Long's 2.0 blocks per game is fifth-best in school history.
A 20-POINT BARRAGE: One by-product of Louisiana leading the Sun Belt this year in scoring with an average of 70.5 points per game is an increased number of 20 point games by Cajuns individuals. In 32 games last year, six different Cajuns players combined to record nine 20-point performances with Josh Brown (3) being the only player with more than one 20-point game. In 24 games this year, Louisiana players have twenty 20-point efforts. Shawn Long leads the way with nine while Elfrid Payton (6), Bryant Mbamalu (4) and Alan-Michael Thompson (1) have also surpassed the mark.
. . . AND A 105-POINT BARRAGE: The 105 points by the Cajuns against North Texas on Jan. 31 was the most points by a Sun Belt team this year. It marked the second time that Louisiana surpassed the 100-point mark in three seasons under Bob Marlin (102 vs. Dillard on Dec. 12, 2011). It was the most points by the Cajuns since UL scored 110 at Western Kentucky on January 29, 2004.
LONG RANGE SCORING: Bob Marlin said during the preseason that the three-point shot would be more prominent in the offense this year and that forecast has been accurate. With 18 three-pointers in the two games last week, Louisiana now ranks third in the league averaging 6.96 treys per game. FIU leads with 7.09 treys per game with Troy second at 7.00. The Cajuns made 74 treys in the first 12 games (6.2/game) with no double-figure games but have found their shooting touch of late, averaging 7.8 three-pointers (93 total) over the last 12 contests with four double-figure games. Louisiana has made 167 treys in 24 games this year and is quickly approaching the 172 three-pointers it made in 32 games last season.
FINALLY SOME THURSDAY SUCCESS: The 105-74 win over North Texas on Thursday (Jan. 31) was the first win by the Ragin' Cajuns in seven Thursday night games this year.
THOMPSON ENJOYS A LONG-RANGE EVENING: Alan-Michael Thompson stepped up to provide the Cajuns with an outside shooting presence against FIU on Jan. 24, setting career highs for three-point field goals made (6) and attempted (16). The 16 three-point attempts was the second-highest single game total in school history, two shy of the school record of 18 set by Brad Boyd vs. Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 2002. The six treys is the most by a Cajun since Boyd had seven at Birmingham-Southern on Dec. 8, 2002. The effort allowed Thompson to equal the most three-point field goals made and attempted in the Sun Belt this season.
THE SCORING TRIO: The Cajun trio of freshman Shawn Long (16.0 ppg), sophomore Elfrid Payton (15.2) and junior Bryant Mbamalu (14.3) have led the Louisiana offense, combining to score 61 percent of the points this season (1,034 of 1,693). Together, they have reached double figures 57 of the possible 68 times this year, including 17 games of 20-points or more. They combined to score a season-best 65 points vs. North Texas on Jan. 31 and previously scored 62 points at Florida Atlantic (Jan. 3), 60 at North Texas on Dec. 1 and 59 vs. South Alabama (Jan. 10). The trio has totaled 50 points or more six times this year.
. . . THE TRIO FROM A SUN BELT PERSPECTIVE: A look at the most recent Sun Belt statistics shows that the trio of Shawn Long (16.0 ppg), Elfrid Payton (15.2) and Bryant Mbamalu (14.3) rank third, sixth and 10th, respectively in league scoring. FIU and Florida Atlantic are the only other teams that have two players in the top 10 in scoring, but neither have a third player ranked in the top 25. In Sun Belt games only, Mbamalu (17.0), Payton (16.7) and Long (15.7) rank fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively.
. . . WITH MBAMALU OUT, CAJUNS FIND THIRD SCORER: Senior Alan-Michael Thompson helped to offset the loss of Bryant Mbamalu against FIU on Jan. 24 by scoring a career-high 22 points. He teamed with Elfrid Payton (22 points) and Shawn Long (21) to score 65 of Louisiana's 75 points, the highest total of the year.
A SATURDAY OFF: After playing FIU on Jan. 24, the Cajuns took Saturday (Jan. 26) off last week, their first off-Saturday since late November. After going through the month of November without playing any games on a Saturday, the Cajuns had played games on eight straight Saturdays since Dec. 1, with five of those contests coming on the road. Another light week is ahead as UL will take next Thursday (Feb. 7) and Saturday (Feb. 9) off next week, playing their lone game on Sunday (Feb. 10) at home against UL-Monroe. The game was originally slated for Saturday, but had to be moved because of scheduling conflicts with the Cajundome and its Mardi Gras schedule.
MBAMALU NEARS 700-POINT MARK: With 34 points in two games last week, junior guard Bryant Mbamalu raised his career-scoring total to 680 points, leaving him 20 points shy of the 700-point mark. Mbamalu has played in 80 games at Louisiana, starting 61, and totaling 1,958 minutes played.
. . . AND PAYTON IS RIGHT BEHIND HIM: An 11-point performance against Troy on Saturday has moved Elfrid Payton within six points of reaching the 600-point mark. Payton has played in 56 games during his two seasons, starting 35, scoring 594 points in 1,569 minutes of action.
. . . AND PAYTON GOES ALL 40: Elfrid Payton has taken on an increased leadership role on the team this year, leading the team and ranking second in the Sun Belt averaging 35.1 minutes per game. Payton added another first against FIU on Jan. 24, playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his collegiate career. Payton, the only Cajun to start every game this year, leads the team with 807 minutes played.
TOUGH DECISIONS: One of the best examples of the youth of the Cajuns this season is that Louisiana has not fared well in close games, going 2-9 in games decided by six points or less, including a pair of overtime losses. The lone wins came at UNT on Dec. 1 (80-76) and when they outlasted Arkansas State, 61-56, at home. For the year, the Cajuns are 0-1 in two-point games, 0-2 in three-point games, 1-0 in four-point games, 1-5 in five-point games and 0-1 in six-point decisions.
LONG MAINTAINS FRESHMAN REBOUNDING LEAD: With 11 or more rebounds in seven straight games, Shawn Long has taken over the mantra as the top freshman rebounder in the country this year. Long has grabbed 252 rebounds in 24 games (10.5 rpg) to rank ahead of Kentucky's Nerlens Noel (9.4).
. . . AND LONG CONTINUES TO RANK AMONG THE TOP FRESHMEN: A closer look at the recent NCAA stats shows that besides being the top freshman rebounder in the country this year, Shawn Long also ranks as ninth among freshmen in scoring (16.0) and eighth in blocked shots (2.0).
CAJUNS GET A LITTLE HELP: The Ragin' Cajuns received some good news on the injury front last week when Bryant Mbamalu and Donovan Williams both returned to the lineup. Mbamalu, who missed four games with a thumb injury, entered the North Texas game early in the first half and went on to score 18 points in 28 minutes. He came back to lead Louisiana with 16 points at Troy on Saturday. Williams, who played in two games before suffering a knee injury that required surgery, returned to practice after missing 18 games and played the final two minutes at Troy, scoring one point.
A GREAT WIN: The win over Arkansas State on Jan. 12 is made a little more significant considering that the Cajuns had just nine players dressed in the game, with sophomore Elfrid Payton being the only player to see action who played last season. The victory allowed Louisiana to avenge a 87-70 loss to the Red Wolves in Jonesboro on Dec. 27.
. . . AND THE FRESHMEN CAME THROUGH: The freshman class turned in its most impressive performance against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 as the five Cajuns freshmen combined to score 43 of the 61 points and grab 28 of the 36 rebounds. The performance marked the third time this year that the freshmen class has scored 40 points or more. The group previously tallied a season-high 47 points in a 91-79 win over Duquesne and 41 points in a 76-66 victory over Southern-New Orleans.
SHEPHERD ENJOYS ROLE CHANGE: Freshman Kasey Shepherd celebrated his first career start against Arkansas State on Jan. 12 by setting his career highs for points (13), rebounds (7) and minutes played (37). He came back to score nine points with five rebounds in his second start at WKU on Jan. 17. In his three starts, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting .429 from three-point (6-14). For the season, Shepherd is averaging 3.6 points in 11.7 minutes a game.
PAYTON NEARS STEALS TOP 10: Sophomore Elfrid Payton recorded four steals against North Texas on Thursday, giving him 54 steals in 24 games this year to lead the Sun Belt and rank 27th nationally averaging 2.3 steals a game. He needs five more steals to pass four players who are tied for ninth with 59 steals each and break into the Louisiana single season top 10. Payton, who had 37 steals in 32 games last year, 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.
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. He returned to the lineup after missing the Arkansas State game on Jan. 12 with an ankle sprain and scored eight points against both WKU and Middle Tennessee and a career-high 22 vs. FIU on Jan. 24. Over his last 10 games, Thompson is averaging 10.0 points, scoring in double figures five times.
. . . AND THOMPSON HAS BOUNCED BACK: After opening the year by shooting just .216 from three-point in his first 12 games, Alan-Michael Thompson has bounced back to go 22-for-52 (.423)from three-point over his last eight games to improve to .341 (30-88) for the year. He ranks 13th in the Sun Belt in three-point percentage and 14th in three-point field goals made.
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 109-for-152 (.717) from the line in the final 5:00 minutes and overtime. Alan-Michael Thompson (13-14), Shawn Long (17-22) and Steven Wronkoski (12-17) lead the team while Bryant Mbamalu, a career .771 shooter (37-48), is 16-for-19 this year (.842). That is a considerable improvement from the .617 (121-196) that the Cajuns shot during the 2011-12 season.
LONG TRIES TO EQUAL FRESHMAN SCORING FEAT: With a 16.0 scoring average through 24 games and an 0.8 point per game lead ahead of second-leading scorer Elfrid Payton (15.2 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 second in the Sun Belt in rebounding (10.5), third in scoring (16.0) and fourth in blocks (2.0), 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).
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING: The exhibition win over Loyola-New Orleans marked the Cajuns debut for forward Shawn Long. Long transferred to Louisiana last December after spending the fall semester at Mississippi State. The 6-9 native of Morgan City, La. practiced with the Cajuns during the final three months of the year but was not eligible to play. During the summer, he was granted a waiver of transfer rule that would have made him ineligible until early December, allowing him to play immediately. Eager to make up for the lost season, Long scored 11 of UL's first 18 points against Loyola, finishing the night with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, going seven-for-11 from the field with a pair of blocks.
. . . AND LONG SCORES THE BASKETBALL: With at least eight games left to play this season, Shawn Long's nine 20-point games remains on a pace to record the most 20-plus point performances by a Cajun since former Sun Belt Player of the Year Tyren Johnson accomplished it 12 times in 2009-10.
WRONKOSKI PROVES MARLIN RIGHT: Bob Marlin said many times during the fall that when he took over as head coach two years ago, one of the first recruits he looked at was Steven Wronkoski, deciding that the current UL freshman's spirited play would be perfect in a Cajun uniform. Wronkoski has yet to prove Marlin wrong, averaging 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds this year. He posted back-to-back career highs of 12 points vs. SUNO on Nov. 21 and, in his first career start, 16 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 23. His Sun Belt debut was equally as strong as he scored all 13 of his points in the second half against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29. His current career scoring high is 17 points, set at McNeese State on Dec. 8.
NEXT UP: Louisiana has a split week ahead, traveling to South Alabama on Thursday (Feb. 14) for a 7:05 contest before returning home to host Florida Atlantic on Saturday (Feb. 16) at 7:15 p.m.
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