MBB Game 9 Preview: at Pepperdine

MALIBU, Calif. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team plays its final game on the road prior to opening Sun Belt Conference play next month when it faces West Coast Conference opponent Pepperdine on Friday at Firestone Fieldhouse.

Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. CST. The game will be streamed live on TheW.tv and can also be heard in the Lafayette area on Hot 107.9-FM and ESPN 1420-AM.

Louisiana (3-5) looks to earn its first win on the road this season as it faces Pepperdine (6-4) for the first time ever at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Ragin' Cajuns opened their two-game trip to California with an 89-80 loss at No. 22 UCLA on Tuesday despite the 57th career double-double from Shawn Long (26 points, 16 rebounds).

Long, the NCAA active leader in double-doubles and rebounds (1,133), leads Louisiana in scoring (19.3), rebounds (12.1) and blocked shots (1.6) with Kasey Shepherd (12.4) and Jay Wright (11.3) following in the scoring column.

Louisiana enters the game against the Waves, leading the Sun Belt Conference and ranking fifth nationally in scoring (88.8) while leading the SBC in field goal percentage (.473).

GAME 9: Louisiana (3-5, 0-1 SBC) at Pepperdine (6-4, 0-0 WCC)
December 18, 2015 | 9:00 p.m. CST | Malibu, Calif. | Firestone Fieldhouse (3,104)
TV/Web: TheW.tv
Talent: Al Epstein
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM / ESPN 1420 AM
Talent: Steve Peloquin (pbp)

Series History: Louisiana leads, 2-1
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 1-0
In Malibu: First meeting
In Ogden, Utah: Louisiana leads, 1-0
In San Juan, Puerto Rico: Pepperdine leads, 1-0

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 439-248 (23rd season), Record at UL: 91-82 (6th season)

PEPPERDINE
Head Coach: Marty Wilson (Pepperdine, 1989)
Career Record: 64-81 (6th season), School Record: 61-71 (5th season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana closes out its trip to California with a first-ever meeting against Pepperdine in Malibu.

• The Ragin' Cajuns are fifth in the country in scoring offense (88.8 points per game).

• Senior Shawn Long is eighth nationally in rebounds averaging 12.1 per game.

THE SERIES
• Tonight's meeting will be the fourth between the schools on the hardwood and the first-ever in Malibu. Louisiana holds a 2-1 lead in the series that dates back to 1967-68 season when the teams met in the Golden Spike Classic in Odgen, Utah.

• The Ragin' Cajuns claimed the only meeting played on campus between the schools, a 119-90 victory at Blackham Coliseum in Bobby Paschal's first season in Lafayette. Pepperdine earned a 99-53 victory in the last meeting between the teams on Dec. 21, 1999 in the San Juan Shootout.

THE OPPONENT
• Pepperdine looks for its first five-game win streak since December of 2004. The Waves have earned wins at home against Montana and Long Beach State while picking up wins at Cal State Northridge and Ball State. Lamond Murray, Jr. (14.8) and Stacy Davis (14.2) are the top scorers for Pepperdine, which is 6-0 when scoring 69 or more points in 2015-16.

UP NEXT
• The Ragin' Cajuns will head back to Lafayette on Saturday and will host former Sun Belt Conference rival New Orleans on Monday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Cajundome. The game against UNO will be the last before the Christmas break for the Ragin' Cajuns, who will face Spring Hill (Ala.) College on Dec. 30 in an exhibition game.

QUICK HITS
• Shawn Long is the NCAA Division I active leader in both double-doubles (57) and rebounds (1,133). He ranks second among active NCAA Division I players in FG (698) and rebound average (10.4), third in field goal attempts (1,400), fourth in points (1,854) and seventh in blocked shots (225).

• Long is one of two players in the Sun Belt Conference (Kevin Hervey, UTA) averaging a double-double on the season.

• The Ragin' Cajuns were outrebounded for the first time this season in Tuesday's game at No. 22 UCLA as the Bruins held a 38-33 advantage. Louisiana's +8.0 rebounding margin currently leads the Sun Belt Conference and is tied with Virginia for 36th among Division I schools.

Series History: Louisiana leads, 2-1
Date – Opponent - W/L, Score, Location
12/21/67 – PEPPERDINE – W, 94-72, Ogden, Utah
12/8/78 – PEPPERDINE – W, 119-90, Lafayette
12/21/99 – PEPPERDINE – L, 99-53, San Juan, P.R.

Series Notes
• Tonight's game will be the first between the schools in Malibu. Pepperdine will travel to the Cajundome to face the Ragin' Cajuns in the 2016-17 season.

• The teams last played at the San Juan Shootout with Pepperdine earning a 99-53 victory over the Ragin' Cajuns on Dec. 21, 1999.

• The Ragin' Cajuns are 6-3 against current members of the West Coast Conference with Pepperdine their most common opponent. Louisiana has swept games against Pacific (2-0), have split with Loyola Marymount (1-1) and dropped a meeting against Pacific (0-1).

• Louisiana has faced five of the 10 members in the WCC, with no recorded games against BYU, Gonzaga, Portland, San Diego and St. Mary's.

Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Kasey Shepherd

Jay Wright

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