MBB Game 21 Preview: at Appalachian State

BOONE, N.C. – After an emotional overtime win over ULM on Tuesday, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team returns to action on Thursday when it visits Appalachian State in a Sun Belt Conference contest at the Holmes Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST. The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on Hot 107.9-FM, ESPN 1420-AM and RaginCajuns.com.

Louisiana (12-8, 8-3 SBC) earned its seventh consecutive win of the season after rallying from an 11-point deficit in the second half to record a 72-65 victory over the in-state Warhawks.

Shawn Long recorded his 15th double-double of the season for Louisiana and the 67th of his career after scoring a season-high 28 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Johnathan Stove added 13 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Hayward Register chipping in with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Long, the SBC's second-leading scorer (19.4), is third nationally in rebounds (13.0) while leading the league in blocked shots (38). Kasey Shepherd averages 11.3 points with Jay Wright fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in assists (3.9).

Appalachian State (6-15, 4-6 SBC) is paced by Frank Eaves, the SBC's leading scorer averaging 20.3 points per game. Griffin Kinney leads the Mountaineers in rebounding (4.8) with Chris Burgess pacing the team with 2.3 assists.

Louisiana leads the all-time series, 5-0, and is 2-0 against the Mountaineers in Boone. The Ragin' Cajuns picked up an 80-64 win over App State in last year's contest in Boone as five players scored in double figures. The teams met on Jan. 2 at the Cajundome with Louisiana picking up a 79-58 victory. Shepherd led the Ragin' Cajuns with 19 points with Long posting a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

GAME 21: Louisiana (12-8, 8-3 Sun Belt) at Appalachian State (6-15, 4-6 Sun Belt)
February 4, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. | Boone, N.C. | Holmes Center (8,500)
TV/Web: None
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM | Talent: Steve Peloquin (PBP)
Video: RaginCajuns.com
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @Cajunbasketball
Series: UL leads, 5-0 | In Lafayette: UL leads, 3-0 | In Boone: UL leads, 2-0

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 448-251 (23rd season), Record at UL: 100-85 (6th season)

APPALACHIAN STATE
Head Coach: Jim Fox (SUNY Geneseo, 1995)
Career Record: 18-32 (2nd season), Record at App State: Same

STORY LINES
• Louisiana has won its last 13 games at the Cajundome dating back to an 84-69 loss to UT Arlington on Feb. 7, 2015.

• Steven Wronkoski (Hammond, La.) will play in the 123rd game of his career, passing Todd Hill (1990-93), Graylin Warner (1980-84) and Brett Smith (1997-01) as the Ragin' Cajuns all-time leader.

• Shawn Long (Morgan City, La.) will start in his 118th game of his career, moving him past Graylin Warner (1980-84) and into first-place for the most in school history.

• Louisiana's seven-game win streak is its longest since reeling off 11 straight wins in 2010-11, Bob Marlin's first year as Cajuns head coach.

THE SERIES
• Louisiana leads the all-time series against Appalachian State, 5-0, with the Ragin' Cajuns earning a 79-58 win at the Cajundome on Jan. 2. The Ragin' Cajuns are 2-0 against the Mountaineers in Boone, which included an 80-64 victory.

THE OPPONENT
• Appalachian State enters tonight's game with a 6-15 overall record and 4-6 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. The Mountaineers fell in their last game, 73-60, at South Alabama and dropped a bizarre 101-100 contest to Georgia Southern on Jan. 25. Frank Eaves, the SBC's leading scorer, averages 20.3 points per game with Griffin Kinney (4.8 rebounds.) Chris Burgess (2.3 assists) leading in their respective categories.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana will head home for a pair of games beginning on Thursday, Feb. 11, when it plays host to Arkansas State in a 7:15 p.m. contest. The Ragin' Cajuns will then close out the brief homestand on Sat., Feb. 13 against league-leader Little Rock in a 4:15 p.m. tipoff.

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana's 9-0 record at the Cajundome equals the best nine-game start since the 2002-03 team won its first 10 games and finished with a 10-1 record.

• During the Ragin' Cajuns seven-game winning streak, they have outscored their opponents by an average of 17.6 points per game.

• During head coach Bob Marlin's tenure as head coach, Louisiana is 38-18 in combined games played in the months of February and March, including a 22-7 record during the last three seasons.

MBB Game 21 Preview: at Appalachian State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Shawn Long

Hayward Register

Kasey Shepherd

Johnathan Stove

Jay Wright

Steven Wronkoski

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics