Ragin' Cajuns Visit Troy Trojans on Thursday

Game 26 - Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (18-7, 11-5 SBC) at Troy Trojans (13-12, 8-8 SBC)
Series History: Series tied 9-9
Thursday, February 25, 2016 • 5:15 p.m. • Trojan Arena – Troy, Alabama
Live Stats l Live Video l Radio: TalkRadio 960AM (Jay Walker)
Twitter Updates: @ULRaginCajuns • @RaginCajunWBB
Louisiana Women's Basketball Home Page l Troy Women's Basketball Home Page | L ouisiana Game Notes

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (18-7, 11-5 SBC) conclude their four-game road swing this week in Alabama when they play at Troy and South Alabama.

With the two wins last week at UT Arlington and Texas State, the Cajuns clinched a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and would be the third seed if the season ended today. They are currently one game behind Little Rock for second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings.

The Cajuns won the season's first meeting with the Trojans, 56-53 back on Jan. 23 at the Cajundome. Louisiana trailed by as many as 15 points in the second quarter to come back and take the victory.

Senior guard Keke Veal, the reigning Louisiana Sports Writers Association Player of the Week, picked up eight steals in two games last week and currently owns 241 for her career. She is 20 away from tying Lisa Merritt for second-most in Cajuns history.

Senior guard Kia Wilridge currently has 1,164 career points, 28 shy of tying Alyson Habetz for sixth all-time on the Cajuns scoring list.

Setting the Scene: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (18-7, 11-5 SBC) play their final two regular season road games of the 2015-16 season this week in Alabama where Troy and South Alabama await. The Cajuns are 7-4 on the road and swept last week's road slate at UT Arlington and Texas State. Louisiana sits one game behind Little Rock for second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings.
The Troy Trojans come into Thursday night's game with a 13-12 record and an 8-8 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. They have been winners in three of their last four games and are 8-3 at home in 2015-16. Senior guard Ashley Beverly Kelley, who recently recorded her fourth game this season of 30 points or more last Saturday at Appalachian State, leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring with an average of 20.4 points per contest. She also leads Troy in assists (94) and steals (63).
The Cajuns have won four of their past five road games and have held their last two opponents to under 50 points. Louisiana had seven players that entered the scoring column in the 59-47 win at Texas State last Saturday. Senior guard Keke Veal is currently tied for fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring with an average of 15.9 points per game.

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. With 65 career wins, Brodhead trails only J. Kelley Hall (86) for the most wins by a coach in Ragin' Cajuns history.

Road Success: The Ragin' Cajuns are one of four Sun Belt Conference schools with a winning record on the road this season (6-4). Arkansas State (11-3), UT Arlington (8-5) and Little Rock (7-6) and UT Arlington (8-5) are the others.

Cajuns Defense Remains Strong: The Cajuns have maintained one of the best scoring defenses throughout this season and continue to carry that strength into this week. Louisiana is first in defensive scoring in the conference, holding opponents to 54.8 points per game.

Okde Three-Point Watch: Cajuns redshirt junior guard Sylvana Okde has made 153 three-point shots in her career, six shy of tying Bernette Tolston for fourth all-time in UL history (159).

Fields Double-Doubles: Sophomore forward Simone Fields recorded her second double-double game of the season last Saturday at Texas State, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The 10 rebounds tied her career high.

Road Trip Steals: In the first two games of the four-game road swing, the Cajuns have come up with 22 steals. They are 10-1 in games this season with double-digit steals.

Getting To The Line: For the first time since Jan. 9, the Cajuns failed to attempt at least 10 free throws in a game in the win at Texas State last Saturday. Louisiana attempted 31 free throws last Thursday at UT Arlington in comparison to the nine against Texas State.

Taking Care Of The Ball: Entering Thursday night's game, the Cajuns are eighth in turnover margin (plus-6.2) nationally. They have committed 347 turnovers, but have forced 502 miscues. Theri 347 turnovers are the 25th-fewest in the NCAA.

Top 25 Defense: Through 25 games, the Cajuns are currently ranked 23rd in the NCAA in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 54.8 points per contest.

What's Next? The Cajuns wrap up their 2015-16 regular season road slate with a 2 p.m. tip-off at South Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 27.

Ragin' Cajuns Visit Troy Trojans on Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Simone Fields

Sylvana Okde

Keke Veal

Kia Wilridge

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics