Cajuns Host Little Rock in Pivotal Conference Matchup

Game 23 - Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (16-6, 9-4 SBC) vs. Little Rock Trojans (11-11, 9-4 SBC)
Series History: Little Rock leads 17-9
Saturday, February 13, 2016 • 2 p.m. • Cajundome – Lafayette, La.
Live Stats l Live Video l Radio: Hot 107.9 (Jay Walker)
Twitter Updates: @ULRaginCajuns • @RaginCajunWBB
Louisiana Women's Basketball Home Page l Little Rock Women's Basketball Home Page | Louisiana Game Notes

LAFAYETTE – The Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team (16-6, 9-4 SBC) completes a brief two-game home stint against the Little Rock Trojans this Saturday, Feb. 13 for a 2 p.m. tip-off at the Cajundome.

Louisiana won the season's first meeting with Little Rock back on Jan. 7 by a 65-58 final. The Cajuns' offensive trio of seniors Keke Veal (30) and Kia Wilridge (11) and junior Jaylyn Gordon (15) combined for 56 of the Cajuns' 65 points. The 30 points for Veal were a career high.

The Cajuns have gone five straight games with single-digit assists, contrary to a stretch of five out of six games from Jan. 7-23 where they registered double-digit helpers in each contest.

Louisiana is 9-2 at home this season.

Saturday's Promotions
The women's game is Cancer Awareness Day. In honor of Kim Perrot, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will collect items at both the women's and men's games to benefit "Kim's Place" at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Kim's Place is a lounge for teens and young adults (https://www.mdanderson.org/patients-family/diagnosis-treatment/care-centers-clinics/childrens-cancer-hospital/our-facilities.html). Requested items include board games, card games, video games, books and movies.

Shooting shirts worn by players prior to both games will be auctioned off during the game. All proceeds will benefit the Andrea Brodhead Foundation. The Ragin' Cajuns women's players will wear pink jerseys for the game and fans are also encouraged to wear pink in support of the fight against cancer. The Acadiana All Stars will present a check to the Andrea Brodhead Foundation.

Fans of both the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's basketball program will be able to take advantage of special ticket rates and promotions for Saturday's Sun Belt Conference doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. against Little Rock.

Fans can purchase two tickets to the doubleheader for $10 by visiting the Cajundome Box Office until 4 p.m. on Friday, or beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Cajundome Box Office at 800-745-3000 or visiting RaginCajuns.com.

Saturday is also McDonald's Family Fun Pack Day. Fans can purchase four tickets and four extra value meals for $20.

Saturday's contest, which features four of the top teams in the Sun Belt Conference standings, is also scheduled as "Youth Hoops Day" where all kids wearing a basketball jersey will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.

Setting the Scene: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (16-6, 9-4 SBC) wrap up a brief two-game home stint against Little Rock this Saturday afternoon. The Cajuns look to complete the season sweep over the Trojans after winning the season's first game, 65-58 back on Jan. 7.

Little Rock enters the game on a hot streak, having won its past six games, the most recent a 53-37 victory at ULM this past Thursday.

The Trojans senior foward Shanity James leads Little Rock in scoring, producing 14.7 points per game. She is also pulling down an average of 7.1 rebounds a contest. Senior guard Alexius Dawn leads Little Rock with 39 steals.

Cajuns senior guard Keke Veal scored a team-high 25 points in the loss against Arkansas State and paces UL's offense with an average of 15.6 points per game this season. Senior guard Kia Wilridge has handed out 53 assists, second most among Cajuns in 2015-16.

Coach Brodhead at the Helm: Louisiana head coach Garry Brodhead is in his fourth season at the helm of the Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball program, finishing with 23 wins last season, the most in a single season since 2006-07 (25). Brodhead guided the team to 15 victories at home in 2014-15, a program record. He passed Ross Cook (57) to move into sole possession of second place on the program's all-time wins list with his 58th victory on January 14. Brodhead trails only J. Kelley Hall (86) for the most wins by a coach in Ragin' Cajuns history.

Steal Numbers: The Cajuns recorded a season-low one steal in the loss against Arkansas State this past Thursday. Over the previous three games, the Cajuns had rounded up 24 total steals. They have 186 steals this season.

Hitting Shots: Over the past four games, the Cajuns offense has registered a 40% shooting percentage or higher. They shot 48.1% (26-of-54) against Arkansas State on Thursday and 45.8% (22-of-48) against ULM back on Feb. 2.

Okde Three-Point Watch: Cajuns redshirt junior guard Sylvana Okde has made 152 three-point shots in her career, seven shy of tying Bernette Tolston for fourth all-time in UL history (159).

Fields Career Game: Sophomore forward Simone Fields scored a career-high 19 points against ULM back on Feb. 2. Fields is the only other Cajun besides Keke Veal, Kia Wilridge and Jaylyn Gordon to lead Louisiana in scoring in a game this season (accomplished twice - vs. SUNO on Nov. 19). She also tied her career high in rebounds with 10 against the Warhawks in that game.

Defensive Numbers: Through 22 games, the Cajuns are holding opponents to 55.6 points per contest and are second in defense in conference games, holding opponents to 56.2 points per contest.

Three-Point Drought: In the last two games, the Cajuns offense has made just four three-pointers in 26 attempts (15.3%). In the three previous games from Jan. 21-28, the Cajuns made 14 three-pointers.

Off to Fast Starts: In the first quarter this season, the Cajuns have outscored their opponents, 354-269. It is their largest point differential margin (plus-85) in any quarter this season.

Double-Double Numbers: Sophomore forward Simone Fields recorded a double-double against ULM back on Feb. 2, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. It was just the second double-double for a Cajuns player this season. Senior Kia Wilridge had the first such game on Dec. 15 against UC Santa Barbara with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

What's Next? The Cajuns begin a four-game road trip next Thursday, Feb. 18 at UT Arlington for an 11:30 a.m. tip-off.

Cajuns Host Little Rock in Pivotal Conference Matchup

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Players Mentioned

Simone Fields

Jaylyn Gordon

Sylvana Okde

Keke Veal

Kia Wilridge

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