WBB Game 30 Preview: vs. Troy (SBC Tournament)

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team will open play in the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Wednesday when it faces third-seeded Troy in a 7:30 p.m. game at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena.

The game will be televised on ESPN3 and can be heard in the Lafayette area on ESPN 1420 AM.

Louisiana (18-11), the No. 6 seed in the field, is making its 23rd appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and is looking for its first win since an 80-74 double overtime victory over North Texas in 2013. The Ragin' Cajuns will face Troy (20-9) for the second time in postseason play with the Trojans claiming a 68-65 in the first round of the 2009 SBC Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark.

The winner of Wednesday's contest will face the winner of the Arkansas State-Appalachian State game on Friday at 2 p.m. The winner of the eight-team tournament will earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Basketball Championships.

Game 30 • No. 6 Louisiana (18-11) vs. No. 3 Troy (20-9)
Wednesday, March 11 • 7:30 p.m. • New Orleans, La. • Lakefront Arena (10,000)
TV: ESPN3 • Radio: ESPN 1420 AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP
Live Stats/Video: RaginCajuns.com/ • Twitter: @RaginCajunsWBB
Series History: Troy leads, 9-7 • Last Meeting: Troy 68, UL 63 (2/14/15)

The Coaches
Louisiana
Head Coach: Garry Brodhead • Alma Mater: Louisiana, 1980
Record at UL: 42-48, 3rd season • Career Record: Same

Troy
Head Coach: Chandra Rigby • Alma Mater: Southeastern Louisiana, 1990
Record at Troy: 39-51, 3rd season • Career Record: Same

Louisiana By The Numbers
5 - Louisiana is ranked fifth in the nation in turnover margin, forcing 7.0 more per game than recording.
10 - Louisiana's 10 wins in Sun Belt Conference play are the most in a season since posting a 14-4 record in 2006-07.
11 - Louisiana's 11 wins at home in 2014-15 are the third-most in school history.
19 - Junior guard Kia Wilridge is ranked 19th in the steals in the latest NCAA rankings, averaging 2.97 per game.
30 - Louisiana is ranked 30th nationally in steals per game, averaging 10.6 per contest.
42 - Head coach Garry Brodhead's 42 wins at UL are the third-most in school history.
119 - Thursday's game will mark the 119th career appearance for Robbie Brown, tied with D'Mya Clay and Nicole Morris for the second-most in school history.

Cajuns In The SBC Championships
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will make their 23rd appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championships on Wednesday when it faces third-seeded Troy in the quarterfinals at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena.
• Louisiana is 5-22 all-time in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with its last win - an 80-74 double overtime victory against North Texas - coming in the 2013 tournament in Hot Springs, Ark.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have appeared in the championship game twice, falling to Middle Tennessee in both 2005 (Denton, Texas) and 2007 (Lafayette).
• Below is Louisiana's history in the Sun Belt Conference Championships:

Year	Opponent	Location	Round	Result
1993	Western Kentucky	Ruston	First	L, 96-37
1994	Arkansas State	Bowling Green	First	L, 78-35
1995	Western Kentucky	Ruston	First	L, 88-41
1996	Louisiana Tech	Jonesboro	First	L, 89-37
1997	Western Kentucky	Bowling Green	First	L, 103-36
1998	New Orleans	Ruston	First	L, 66-63
1999	FIU	Jonesboro	First	L, 73-42
2000	Western Kentucky	Bowling Green	Quarters	L, 80-70
2001	Middle Tennessee	Mobile	First	L, 78-59
2002	Middle Tennessee	New Orleans	First	L, 90-59
2003	FIU	Bowling Green	First	L, 77-41
2004	Western Kentucky	Bowling Green	Quarters	L, 85-68
2005	FIU	Denton	Quarters	W, 61-60
	Arkansas State	Denton	Semi	W, 61-49
	Middle Tennessee	Denton	Championship	L, 67-52
2006	Middle Tennessee	Murfreesboro	Quarters	L, 84-58
2007	FIU	Lafayette	Quarters	W, 67-49
	Arkansas State	Lafayette	Semi	W, 62-59
	Middle Tennessee	Lafayette	Championship	L, 77-67
2008	South Alabama	Mobile	First	L, 49-40
2009	Troy	Troy	First	L, 68-65
2010	South Alabama	Hot Springs, Ark.	First	L, 82-76
2011	South Alabama	Hot Springs, Ark.	First	L, 58-53
2012	FIU	Hot Springs, Ark.	First	L, 74-53
2013	North Texas	Hot Springs, Ark.	First	W, 80-74 (2 ot)
	Western Kentucky	Hot Springs, Ark.	Quarters	L, 61-57
2014	Western Kentucky	New Orleans	Quarters	L, 67-61

Cajuns Vs. Opponents In SBC Tournament

vs. Arkansas State	2-1
vs. FIU	2-3
vs. Louisiana Tech	0-1
vs. Middle Tennessee	0-5
vs. New Orleans	0-1
vs. North Texas	1-0
vs. South Alabama	0-2
vs. Troy	0-1
vs. Western Kentucky	0-7

Series History
• Troy leads the all-time series against Louisiana, 9-7, and has won five of the last seven matchups between the schools.
• The Trojans swept the regular-season series, earning a 60-55 win in Lafayette on Jan. 5, and a 68-63 decision in Troy on Feb. 14.
• The regular-season sweep was the first for Troy since the 2008-09 season.
• Tonight's game will be the second postseason matchup between the schools with No. 4-seeded Troy earning a 68-65 victory over the 13th-seeded Ragin' Cajuns in the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark.

Up Next
• A win by the Ragin' Cajuns would move them into the semifinals on Friday at 2 p.m., against the winner of the Arkansas State-Appalachian State game.

Veal, Wilridge Named To All-Sun Belt Team
• After helping the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team to its best season since 2006-07, Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge were each honored as the duo was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference Basketball Team in a release on Tuesday by the league office.
• Both players were named to the third team, marking the first time since 2005 a pair of Ragin' Cajuns were named to the postseason team.
• Veal, a 5-foot-6 junior from Opelousas, averaged 13.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals for Louisiana (18-11). She had four 20-point games on the season, highlighted by a season-high 24-point effort in a home win over Texas State. Veal, who ranked ninth in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring, sixth in steals and seventh in assists, added 22 and 20 points in SBC wins over Georgia Southern and 20 points at Troy.
• Wilridge, a 5-foot-5 guard from Crowley, averaged 12.3 points for the Ragin' Cajuns, a team-high 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a Sun Belt Conference-leading (and 19th nationally) 3.0 steals per game. Wilridge ranked 13th in the league in scoring, 13th in assists and was 10th in the league in minutes played per game (31.7).
• Spearheading a defense that ranked fifth in the country in turnover margin (+7.0) and third in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring defense (59.2), Wilridge recorded a career-high eight steals (the most by a Sun Belt player in 2014-15) in a win against Sam Houston State. She added 18 points and seven assists in Louisiana's first-ever win against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 22 and added 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals against nationally-ranked Mississippi State.

At Home In The Dome
• Louisiana completed its 2014-15 home schedule with an 11-5 mark, the third-most home wins in school history.
• The Ragin' Cajuns went a perfect 13-0 in the 2004-05 season and finished 12-1 in 2006-07.

10x3 For Cajuns In Sun Belt Play
• Louisiana's 10 wins in Sun Belt Conference play mark the third time since joining the league that the Ragin' Cajuns recorded double-digit wins in league play.
• The Ragin' Cajuns earned 14 victories in the 2006-07 season and 10 in 2004-05.

Cajuns Reach 100 Sun Belt Wins
• With a 64-41 victory over Texas State at the Cajundome on Feb. 19, Louisiana reached the 100-win mark in Sun Belt Conference victories.
• Since joining the league in the 1991-92 season, the Ragin' Cajuns have posted a 101-281 record.
• Louisiana's 10 wins in 2014-15 marks the third time the Ragin' Cajuns have reached double digits (10, 2004-05; 14, 2006-07).

Stifling Defense
• As a team, the Cajuns defense has caused many problems for opponents this season, limiting teams to 59.2 points per game for 65th in the nation.
• The Cajuns have forced opponents to 20-plus turnovers on 18 different occasions as teams are forcing 21.6 turnovers per game this season. In 27 of 29 games, a team has committed at least 15 turnovers with Louisiana Tech (14) and UT Arlington (10) being the only exceptions.
• Louisiana ranks fifth nationally in turnover margin with teams recording 7.0 more turnovers per game than the Cajuns
• Louisiana is 30th in the country in steals per game, averaging 10.6 on the season.
• Junior guard Kia Wilridge's tenacious defense this season has her ranked among the best in the country.
• Wilridge has totaled 83 steals on the season for an average of 3.0 per game for first in the Sun Belt Conference and 19th in the country.

Louisiana Among Sun Belt Schools
• Defense is what has stood out this season for the Cajuns, and their numbers have placed them near the top in the Sun Belt in several categories.
• Among Sun Belt schools, Louisiana ranks first in turnover margin (+7.0), second in steals (10.6) and opponent turnovers per game (21.6), and third in scoring defense (59.2).
• In league play, the Cajuns lead the conference in turnover margin (+7.5), and are second in both opponent turnovers per game (21.6) and steals per game (10.6). The Cajuns have held teams to 60.9 points per game to rank third behind UALR (47.8) and UT Arlington (55.2).

Guards in the Sun Belt Rankings
• Guards Jaylyn Gordon, Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge are making several appearances in the SBC top-10 individual rankings.
• Gordon comes in third in three-pointers per game (2.3), seventh in free-throw percentage (78.4%), seventh in minutes played (33.0), eighth in steals (1.9), 10th in scoring (13.7 ppg), and 14th in 3-point field goal percentage (.284).
• Veal ranks sixth with 2.2 steals per game but is fourth overall in SBC play with 2.5 per game. She is seventh in the SBC with 3.3 assists per game and eighth with a 1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Wilridge appears three times in the SBC rankings, coming in first in steals (3.0 spg), 13th in assists (2.4 apg) and 13th in scoring (12.3 ppg).

Cajuns Climbing the Record Books
• As the season progresses, several Cajuns are ranked in or nearing the top 10 in the career record books:
• With an appearance today, Robbie Brown will tie D'Mya Clay (2007-11) and Nicole Morris (2008-12) for second in career games played with 119.
• With five steals at Arkansas State, Kia Wilridge increased her career total to 179 and moved within three of tying Shaunda Johnson-Bedel (182, 1986-91) for fourth-place on the school's all-time list.
• Wilridge is ranked ninth in school history with 219 assists.
• Keke Veal's 170 steals is tied with Mary Douglas (1982-84) for seventh place for seventh-place in school history.
• Jaylyn Gordon is the final Cajun that ranked in the career top 10 list as her 100 made 3-pointers are the ninth-best total in school history. She is 10 shy of tying Charlotte Green (110, 1999-03) for eighth place on the school's all-time list.

Cajuns In The Season Record Books
• Jaylyn Gordon's 63 made 3-pointers in 2014-15 are tied with Alyson Habetz (current Alabama associate softball coach) for ninth in school history. Gordon's next 3-pointer will tie her with Kim Perrot (1987-88) and Bernette Tolston (2004-05) for seventh-place.
• Gordon's single-season 78.4 average from the free throw line is the fifth-highest total in school history.
• Kia Wilridge's 86 steals in 2014-15 are the eighth-best total in a single-season. Her five steals against Arkansas State moved her past Kim Perrot (85, 1986-87) and her next steal will tie her with Perrot (87, 1987-88) for seventh-place.
• Wilridge's 3.0 steals per game average is tied with Kim Perrot (1987-88) and Lisa Merritt (1982-83) for ninth-place on the single-season list.

Brodhead Could Join Elite Company
• With a win in Louisiana's regular-season finale or in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, head coach Garry Brodhead would join a pair of former Ragin' Cajuns coaches for the best record in his first three years.
• Currently with 42 victories, Brodhead would join Ross Cook (43 wins, 1983-86) and J. Kelley Hall (43 wins, 2002-05) in equaling the most wins in a three-year period in school history.

Working Overtime Under Brodhead
• Under Gary Brodhead, the Ragin' Cajuns have thrived in games that have gone past the traditional 40 minutes, including games that reach a sixth period.
• Under Brodhead, Louisiana has posted a 7-4 record in overtime games, including a 3-0 mark in games that have gone to double OT.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have gone 3-1 in overtime games this season - including double overtime wins at Texas State (1/31) and ULM (2/12).
• Before Brodhead's arrival, the Ragin' Cajuns were 0-4 all-time in games that reached double overtime.

Louisiana's Upset Bid Falls Short
• Louisiana held a 34-22 advantage over No. 20 Mississippi State with less than five minutes to play in the first half, but a 10-0 run by the Bulldogs to end the period carried momentum over to the other side as MSU pulled out a 66-51 victory Dec. 17 at the Cajundome.
• Keke Veal led the Cajuns with 17 points while Jaylyn Gordon added 13, shooting 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Kia Wilridge finished with 10 points and a team-high seven boards and four steals.
• Louisiana held one of the nation's top offenses to 23 points below its season average as Mississippi State came into the contest averaging 89.2 points per game to rank fifth in the nation.
• The Cajuns also forced the Bulldogs into 24 turnovers, the fourth-straight game a Louisiana opponent has committed at least 20 turnovers.
• Cold shooting haunted the Cajuns a majority of the game, finishing with a season-low 27.7 percentage from the floor including an 18.8 percent clip in the second half.

Cajuns Match Best Start in Program History
• After their win over Southern-New Orleans, the Cajuns matched their best start in program history at 6-0.
• In 1983, the Cajuns started off the season 6-0 under first-year head coach Ross Cook, eventually recording the program's first 20-win season with a 22-6 record.

Cajuns Record Historic Win Over LaTech
• In 39 meetings, the Ragin' Cajuns had always come up short in knocking off Louisiana Tech, one of the nation's most decorated women's college basketball programs.
• However, the 40th meeting on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 was one exception.
• The Cajuns led from the beginning as they claimed a 58-55 victory over the Lady Techsters to snap their 39-game losing streak to Louisiana Tech.
• Kia Wilridge led all scorers with 18 points and a team-high five assists while Jaylyn Gordon added 15 points, shooting 3-of-6 from long range, and six boards to help Louisiana to a historic win.
• The Cajuns dominated the paint, outscoring the Lady Techsters 30-16 down low. Louisiana Tech earned nearly half of its points from the outside, shooting 8-of-25 from behind the arc.

Nine-Game Start
• With an 8-1 non-conference record this season, the Cajuns matched their best nine-game start in program history.
• After dropping their season opener to SMU in the 2005-06 season, the Cajuns reeled off eight-straight wins under former head coach J. Kelley Hall to also start the season 8-1.

WBB Game 30 Preview: vs. Troy (SBC Tournament)

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WBB Game 30 Preview: vs. Troy (SBC Tournament)

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