MBB Game 25 Preview: at Texas State

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team will wrap up a two-game trip through the state of Texas on Saturday when it faces Sun Belt Conference rival Texas State at Strahan Coliseum.

Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. and will follow the women's game between Louisiana and Texas State at 2 p.m. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on both Hot 107.9 and ESPN 1420-AM.

Louisiana (14-10, 10-5 Sun Belt) looks to rebound from an 84-83 overtime loss at UT Arlington on Thursday, despite a season-high tying 28 points and 18 rebounds from Shawn Long. Kasey Shepherd added 16 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Jay Wright (13) and Johnathan Stove (12) scoring in double figures.

Long is averaging 19.3 points to lead Louisiana and is third nationally in rebounds (13.1). The senior recorded his 19th double-double of the season – fifth-best in the nation – and his 71st of his career after going 10-for-16 from the floor against the Mavs.

Shepherd is next in scoring for the Cajuns, averaging 11.4 points per game, with Wright (9.3), Stove (8.8) and Bryce Washington (7.6) next in the scoring column. As a team, Louisiana is averaging 81.4 points per game, tops in the Sun Belt Conference, while ranking second in the league in rebound margin (+7.8).

Texas State (10-13, 4-10 Sun Belt) dropped a 76-57 decision to ULM on Thursday as the Bobcats trailed 39-20 at halftime after going 7-for-21 (33.3 percent) from the floor. Cameron Naylor posted a double-double for Texas State with 16 points and 10 rebounds with Emani Gant adding 14 points.

Gant paces Texas State with 12.9 points and 7.4 rebounds with Kavin Gilder-Tilbury (12.2 ppg.) and Ethan Montalvo (10.7 ppg.) next in scoring. The Bobcats average 65.4 points per game overall and 62.8 points in Sun Belt play.

Louisiana leads the all-time series against Texas State, 7-0, and picked up an 80-54 victory over the Bobcats in Lafayette on Jan. 28.

GAME 25: Louisiana (14-10, 10-5 Sun Belt) at Texas State (10-13, 4-10 Sun Belt)
February 20, 2016 | 4:30 p.m. | San Marcos, Texas | Strahan Coliseum (7,200)
TV/Web: None
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM / ESPN 1420 AM | Talent: Jay Walker (PBP)
Video: RaginCajuns.com
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @Cajunbasketball
Series: UL leads, 7-0 | In Lafayette: UL leads, 4-0 | In San Marcos: UL leads, 2-0

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 450-252 (23rd season), Record at UL: 102-87 (6th season)

TEXAS STATE
Head Coach: Danny Kaspar (North Texas, 1978)
Career Record: 497-246 (25th season), Record at Texas State: 32-53 (3rd season)

STORY LINES
- Saturday's game will feature the 29th meeting between Louisiana's Bob Marlin and Texas State's Danny Kaspar as head coaches with Marlin's teams (Sam Houston State/Louisiana) holding a 21-7 advantage.

- Shawn Long has recorded eight games this season with at least 20+ points and 15+ rebounds. His 315 rebounds on the season are the eighth-best total in a single-season in Ragin' Cajuns history.

- Louisiana's 26-rebound advantage (44-18) in its previous meeting against Texas State marked a season-high for the Ragin' Cajuns.

THE SERIES
Louisiana has claimed all seven meetings in the series, including all six contests since Texas State joined the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin' Cajuns are 2-0 all-time in games played at Strahan Coliseum, beginning with a 67-66 victory in 2013 on Xavian Rimmer's 3-pointer in the closing seconds and a 72-63 win in last year's contest.

THE OPPONENT
Texas State has dropped eight of its last 10 games after starting Sun Belt Conference play at 2-2. The Bobcats are led by the frontcourt tandem of Emani Gant and Kavin Gilder-Tilbury, who average 12.9 and 12.2 points respectively. Gant hauls down a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game with Ojai Black dishing out a team-high 3.1 assists.

UP NEXT
Louisiana will continue its final road trip of the regular-season next week when it visits Troy (Feb. 25) and South Alabama (Feb. 27).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Xavian Rimmer

Kasey Shepherd

Johnathan Stove

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

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