Cajuns Face UT Arlington in SBC Tournament First Round

Game 30 (Sun Belt Conference Tournament First Round) – No. 3 Seed Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (20-9, 13-7 SBC) vs. No. 6 Seed UT Arlington Mavericks (15-15, 10-10 SBC)
Series History: Louisiana leads 12-5
Postseason History: First Meeting
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 • 7:30 p.m. • Lakefront Arena – New Orleans, La.
Live Video (ESPN3) l Radio: ESPN1420AM (Jay Walker)
Twitter Updates: @ULRaginCajuns • @RaginCajunWBB
Louisiana Women's Basketball Home Page l UT Arlington's Women's Basketball Home Page | Louisiana Game Notes

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (20-9, 13-7 SBC), the Sun Belt Conference Tournament's No. 3 seed, will face off with the sixth-seeded UT Arlington Mavericks this Wednesday, March 9 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Tip-off for the first round game is set for 7:30 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN3.

The Cajuns swept the season series with UT Arlington this seson, winning 63-52 on Jan. 30 in Lafayette and 59-42 in Arlington on Feb. 18.

In the last game with the Mavericks, the Cajuns had three players score in double-figures in a 59-42 victory. Sophomore Simone Fields led with 19 points, senior Keke Veal added 17 points and senior Kia Wilridge chipped in 11 points.

Senior Kia Wilridge moved into sole possession of sixth place on the Cajuns' all-time scoring list with 1,204 career points.

Senior forward Adrienne Prejean scored a career-high 13 points in the 65-60 win over Georgia State this past Thursday. She also added a season-high eight rebounds.

With the win over Georgia Southern last Saturday in the regular season finale, the Cajuns posted 20-win seasons in back-to-back years for the first time in program history. The Cajuns reached double-digit wins at home in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns.

Setting the Scene: The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (20-9, 13-7 SBC) enter the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 seeded UT Arlington. Tip-off for the first round game is set for Wednesday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Should the Cajuns go on to defeat UT Arlington, they would face the winner of the No. 2 Little Rock and No. 7 Texas State matchup on Friday, March 11 at 2 p.m.

Under fourth-year head coach Garry Brodhead, the Cajuns are 2-3 in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Last season, they fell to Arkansas State, 63-61 in the semifinal round last season at Lakefront Arena.

The Cajuns' first round opponent, UT Arlington, finished the regular season with a 15-15 record and a 10-10 mark in conference play. Rebekah VanDijk is the team's leading scorers at 12.2 points per contest and is first in blocks with 51. Amara Wainwright shot 42.3% (60-of-142) from three-point range during the regular season.

The Cajuns swept the 2015-16 regular season series with UT Arlington and lead the all-time series, 12-5.

For Louisiana, the team has been paced by senior guards Keke Veal and Kia Wilridge. During the regular season, Veal averaged a team-high 17.0 points per game to go with an average of 3.6 rebounds. She added a team-high 65 assists, 71 assists and five blocked shots. WIlridge poured in 11.5 points per game to go with a team-leading 5.2 boards a game. She dished out 87 assists (first on team) and made 46 steals.

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

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 five wins from tying the program's single-season record, set in 2006-07 when they finished 25-9.

Cajuns Defense: The Cajuns have maintained one of the best scoring defenses throughout this season. Louisiana is ranked 37th in the nation in scoring defense, holding the opposition to 56.5 points per game.

Okde Three-Point Watch: Redshirt junior guard Sylvana Okde has made 155 three-point shots in her career, four shy of tying Bernette Tolston for fourth all-time in UL history (159).

Wilridge Assists Watch: Senior guard Kia Wilridge enters the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with 316 career assists. She is 63 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 Sun Belt Conference Tournament with 252 career steals and is 10 away from passing Lisa Merritt and moving into sole possession of second place on the Cajuns' all-time list.

Cajuns Dominating the Boards: In four of the past five games, the Cajuns outrebounded their opponent. They are 3-2 in those games. In two of their past three games, they are plus-five in the rebounding category (41-36 over South Alabama, 35-30 over Georgia Southern).

Veal on an Offensive Tear: Senior guard Keke Veal is closing out her collegiate career on fire offensively. In her last six games, she is averaging a team-best 23.2 points per contest to go with an average of 5.2 rebounds. Veal is shooting 41.4% from the floor and 42.3% (11-of-26) from three-point range in her last six contests. She leads the Cajuns with 19 steals and is second with 15 assists in that six-game span.

What's Next? If the Cajuns win, they will move on to face the winner of the No. 2 Little Rock and No. 7 Texas State matchup on Friday, March 11 at 2 p.m.

Cajuns Face UT Arlington in SBC Tournament First Round

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Players Mentioned

Simone Fields

Sylvana Okde

Adrienne Prejean

Keke Veal

Kia Wilridge

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