Game 23 Preview: Little Rock

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday (Feb. 13) when it faces Sun Belt Conference rival Little Rock in a battle between the league's top two teams.

Tipoff is set for 4:15 p.m. and will follow the women's game between Louisiana and Little Rock at 2 p.m. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on Hot 107.9-FM and on the internet at RaginCajuns.com.

Fans can purchase two tickets to the doubleheader for $10 by visiting the Cajundome Box Office on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Cajundome Box Office at 800-745-3000 or visiting RaginCajuns.com.

All youths wearing a basketball jersey will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult and part of Saturday's "Youth Hoops Day."

Louisiana (14-8, 10-3 SBC) extended its winning streak to nine games after a come-from-behind 83-73 win over Arkansas State on Thursday. Shawn Long recorded his 17th double-double of the season and the 69th of his career after scoring 17 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the win. Kasey Shepherd came off the bench to add 16 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Ragin' Cajuns with Johnathan Stove chipping in with 15 points.

Long leads Louisiana in scoring (19.2), rebounds (13.0) and blocked shots (1.9) with Shepherd next in the scoring column at 11.3 points per game. Jay Wright (9.5), Stove (8.2), Bryce Washington (7.8) and Hayward Register (6.8) are next in scoring for the Ragin' Cajuns, who lead the league in scoring (82.1).

Little Rock (21-3, 11-2 SBC), under first-year coach Chris Beard, had its six-game win streak snapped on Thursday after falling at ULM, 86-82. The Trojans, who lead the nation in scoring defense (58.4) and are fifth in field goal defense (.376), opened the season with 10 straight wins and earned a 77-57 win over the Ragin' Cajuns in the previous meeting between the schools on Jan. 7 in Little Rock.

Marcus Johnson, Jr., (12.9) and Josh Hagins (12.7) lead Little Rock in scoring with Lis Shoshi (5.4) leading the Trojans in rebounds.

GAME 23: Louisiana (14-8, 10-3 Sun Belt) vs. Little Rock (21-3, 11-2 Sun Belt)
February 13, 2016 | 4:15 p.m. | Lafayette, La. | Cajundome (11,550)
TV/Web: None
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM | Talent: Jay Walker (PBP)
Video: RaginCajuns.com
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @Cajunbasketball; @ULRaginCajuns
Series: UL leads, 25-18 | In Lafayette: UL leads, 15-5 | In Little Rock: LR leads, 13-8

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 450-249 (23rd season), Record at UL: 102-85 (6th season)

LITTLE ROCK
Head Coach: Chris Beard (Texas, 1995)
Career Record: 162-48 (7th season), Record at Little Rock: 21-3 (1st season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana's nine-game winning streak is currently the fifth-longest nationally behind Stony Brook (17), UNC-Wilmington (10), Stephen F. Austin (10) and Yale (10).

• The Ragin' Cajuns 11 wins in the Cajundome are the most to start the season since the facility opened in 1985.

• Shawn Long enters today's game with 2,123 points in his career and is six points shy of passing Marvin Winkler (1966-70) for fourth-place on the Ragin' Cajuns all-time scoring list.

• Long is five free throw attempts from passing Elfrid Payton (2011-14) for fourth-place on school's all-time list.

THE SERIES
• Louisiana leads the all-time series against Little Rock, 25-18, and has won six of the last 10 meetings. The Ragin' Cajuns are 15-5 against the Trojans in games played in Lafayette and have won the last three meetings in the Cajundome since 2012.

• The series against Little Rock dates back to the 1977-78 season with both teams playing every season since the 1991-92 campaign.

THE OPPONENT
• Under first-year coach Chris Beard, Little Rock leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing 58.4 points per game. The Trojans are second nationally in winning percentage (87.5 percent) and are fifth in field goal defense (37.6). The Trojans are ranked No. 2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana heads back out on the road for the next four games beginning Thursday (Feb. 18) at UT Arlington. The Ragin' Cajuns will then visit Texas State (Feb. 20) before facing Troy (Feb. 25) and South Alabama (Feb. 27).

QUICK HITS
• Shawn Long is the NCAA Division I active leader in both double-doubles (69) and rebounds (1,321). He ranks third among active NCAA Division I players rebound average (10.7), is third in both field goals made (793) and field goal attempts (1,587), fourth in points (2,123) and seventh in blocked shots (254).

• Kasey Shepherd's career 84.8 percent rate at the free throw line is 24th among active NCAA players.

• Louisiana is ranked 19th in scoring offense (82.1) and is 18th overall in rebound margin (+8.3).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Hayward Register

Kasey Shepherd

Johnathan Stove

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

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