Cajuns and Stetson Meet in WBI Quarterfinals Saturday

Game 33 – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (22-10) vs. Stetson Hatters (20-11)
Series History: Stetson leads 1-0
Postseason History: First Meeting
Saturday, March 19, 2016 • 7 p.m. • E.K. Long Gymnasium – Lafayette, La.
Live Stats l Live Video l Radio: Ian Auzenne (ESPN1420)
Twitter Updates: @ULRaginCajuns • @RaginCajunWBB
Louisiana Women's Basketball Home Page l Stetson Women's Basketball Home Page | L ouisiana Game Notes

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (22-10) and Stetson meet in the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) this Saturday, March 19. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at E.K. Long Gymnasium.

Saturday night, the first 1,000 students get a free ticket with a valid student ID courtesy of Buffalo Wild Wings and Coca Cola.

The Cajuns have won nine straight games at E.K. Long Gymnasium, their last loss coming back on Jan. 30, 2013 against North Texas.

Louisiana is three wins from tying the program's single-season record, set in 2006-07 when they finished 25-9. They can reach the 25-win plateau should they win the WBI Tournament.

Senior guard Keke Veal, the WBI Tournament MVP last season, averaged 21.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and led the Cajuns in assists (12) in the four games vs. UT Pan American, McNeese State, Oral Roberts and Siena. She scored a team-high 26 points to go with three rebounds and added team-highs in assists (5) blocks (2) and steals (5) vs. Northwestern State on Wednesday.

With her five steals, Veal moved into sole possession of second place on the Cajuns' all-time list with 263, passing Lisa Merritt.

Fourth-year head coach Garry Brodhead passed Ross Cook for sole possession of second place for most wins in program history with 58 in the Cajuns' 56-39 win at Georgia Southern on Jan. 14. Brodhead is currently at 69 career wins and trails only J. Kelley Hall (86 wins) on the Cajuns all-time coaching ledger.

With a 22-10 record, the Cajuns have 20-win seasons in back-to-back years for the first time in program history.

Setting the Scene: The No. 1 seeded Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (22-10) meet the Stetson Hatters (20-11), who are ranked fourth in their side of the bracket in the WBI quarterfinals. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. this Saturday, March 19 at E.K. Long Gymnasium.

Stetson is 20-11 this season after defeating McNeese State, 89-54 this past Thursday in the WBI first round. Brianti Saunders led six Hatters in double figures with 20 points. Sarah Sagerer scored, 17 points, DeAsia Beal tallied 14, and McKenna Beach, Myka Johnson-Matthews, and Aisha Turner chipped in 10 points apiece. Saunders is averaging a team-high 18.1 points per game this seasonwhile Breana Bey is pulling down an average of 7.3 rebounds per contest.

The Cajuns offense is sparked by seniors Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge. The duo combined for 38 points in the first round win against Northwestern State last Wednesday. Sophomore Simone Fields scored 18 points to go with three rebounds in the Cajuns last game against the Lady Demons.

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

Efficient Shooting: In the Cajuns 69-54 win against Northwestern State in the WBI first round, the Cajuns shot a sizzling 57.8% (25-of-45) from the floor, a season-high. It was the fourth time this season UL shot at least 50% from the floor. It was the highest shooting percentage in a game since Dec. 29 against Alcorn State earlier this season.

Veal, Wilridge Named All-Sun Belt: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns seniors Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge were both named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team last Tuesday. It is the second all-conference honor for both players in their four-year careers. Veal, a native of Opelousas, La., was a first-team All-SBC selection while Wilridge, a Crowley, La., native, was named to the second team. Both were named to the All-Sun Belt Conference third team following the 2014-15 season.

E.K. Long Gymnasium Numbers: The Cajuns won their lone game at E.K. Long Gymnasium earlier this season. They defeated Southern-New Orleans, 81-28 back on November 19. Simone Fields (15), Keke Veal (13) and Kia Wilridge (11) each registered double-digit points in the victory.

On The Brink Of History: Including this season, the Cajuns have five 20-win seasons (1983-84, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2014-15, 2015-16). The Cajuns are three wins from tying the program's single-season record, set in 2006-07 when they finished 25-9.

2016 Postseason Numbers: In three game this postseason, the Cajuns have three players averaging double-digit points. Senior Keke Veal is averaging 19.3 points per game followed by sophomore Simone Fields at 15.3 points. Senior Kia Wilridge comes in as the third leading scorer at 11.0 points per contest.

Okde Three-Point Watch: Redshirt junior guard Sylvana Okde has made 158 three-point shots in her career, one shy of tying Bernette Tolston for fourth all-time in UL history (159). She knocked down a season-high three treys against UT Arlington in the Sun Belt Tournament's first round win in New Orleans.

Wilridge Assists Watch: Senior guard Kia Wilridge enters the WBI with 325 career assists. She is 54 helpers shy of tying Ashley Branche for fourth all-time in UL history (384). She tied her career high with nine assists at Troy back on Feb. 25.

Veal Climbing Steals Column: Senior guard Keke Veal comes into the WBI with 263 career steals. She passed Lisa Merritt to move into sole possession of second place on the Cajuns' all-time list. Veal trails only Kim Perrott (421) for most steals by a Cajun in program history.

What's Next? If the Cajuns win, they will advance to the WBI semifinals against the winner of the Youngstown State-UMBC WBI quarterfinal matchup on either March 23 or 24.

Cajuns and Stetson Meet in WBI Quarterfinals Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Simone Fields

Sylvana Okde

Keke Veal

Kia Wilridge

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