MBB Game 27 Preview: at ULM

MONROE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, facing Sun Belt Conference rival ULM in a 2 p.m. contest at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

The game can be heard in the Lafayette area on KHXT 107.9-FM, along with access to the internet via the Radio Pup app. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN3.

Louisiana (15-11, 5-8 SBC) snapped a four-game losing streak last Monday with a convincing 87-61 decision over South Alabama. Bryce Washington recorded his 19th double-double of the season for Louisiana, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds while Jay Wright scored eight points and became the 44th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark.

Frank Bartley added 10 points while reserve post player Larenz Stalcup scored eight points, grabbed a season-high nine rebounds and blocked a season-best four shots for the Ragin' Cajuns.

Bartley (15.8 ppg.) and Wright (15.0 ppg.) are the top two scorers for Louisiana with Washington averaging 14.1 points and freshman Justin Miller 10.8. Washington, the fifth-leading rebounder in the country, averages 11.5 rebounds per game.

GAME 26: Louisiana (15-11, 5-8 SBC) vs. ULM (7-19, 1-12 SBC)
Date / Time: February 18, 2017 / 2 p.m.
Site: Monroe, La.
Arena: Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000)

Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM
Talent: Ryan Baniewicz (pxp)

TV: ESPN3
Talent: Drew Fellios (pxp), Bob Donewald (color), Whitney Haworth (sideline)

Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB

Series History: Louisiana leads, 51-23
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 32-4
In Monroe: Louisiana leads, 18-17
At Neutral Sites: ULM leads, 2-1
Current streak: Louisiana +2

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 470-269 (24th season), Record at Louisiana: 122-103 (7th season)

ULM
Head Coach: Keith Richard (ULM, 1982)
Career Record: 225-255 (16th season), Record at ULM: 75-137 (7th season)

STORY LINES
• Jay Wright is currently eighth in school history with 351 assists. The senior has scored 1,002 points and is the 44th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career.

• Louisiana is 47-28 overall in games played during the months of February and March under head coach Bob Marlin.

• The Ragin' Cajuns rank 14th nationally (as of Feb. 14) in offensive rebounds per game (13.62), 17th in free throw attempts (655), 21st in scoring offense (82.0), 24th in rebound margin (+6.3) and 38th in free throws made (449).

• Louisiana is 4-5 this season in games decided by six points or less. In 2015-16, the Ragin' Cajuns were 0-6 in close games and are 38-41 overall under Bob Marlin.

QUICK HITS
• Bryce Washington has recorded 19 of his 22 career double-doubles this season. His career .576 percentage from the floor is currently the fourth-best in school history behind Roy Ebron (.579, 1970-73) and ahead of Bobby Cutrer (.569, 1964-66).

• Washington is tied for second in the nation with Seton Hall's Angel Delgado in double-doubles (19), trailing Purdue's Caleb Swanigan (21). The junior is fifth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (4.08), fourth in total rebounds (300) and fifth in rebounds per game (11.5).

• Louisiana's 31 points off the bench on Monday against South Alabama eclipsed the combined total of 23 recorded in the previous four games (all losses).

• Louisiana looks for its first win in Monroe since a 71-63 victory over ULM on March 2, 2013.

• A win by the Ragin' Cajuns would be their sixth true road win of the season, surpassing its total (5) set in 2015-16. Louisiana is 5-7 away from Lafayette this season after posting a 6-12 (5-11 away; 1-1 neutral) record last year.

SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS
• Travis Munnings leads ULM in both scoring (12.6) and rebounds (8.1) with steady point guard Nick Coppola averaging 4.4 assists and leading the Sun Belt Conference in both assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9) and minutes played (37.2).
• ULM is 2-7 overall in games decided by six points or less this season. After starting out 2-1 with wins over Stephen F. Austin and Jacksonville State, the Warharks have dropped their last six contests in a two-possession game.
• The Warhawks are 33-9 over their last two and half seasons inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana continues its final roadtrip of the regular-season beginning next Saturday (Feb. 25) when it faces Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. The Ragin' Cajuns will then wrap up the road schedule on Feb. 27 at Appalachian State before hosting Texas State (March 2) and UTA (March 4) to conclude the regular-season.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Frank Bartley

Justin Miller

Larenz Stalcup

Bryce Washington

Jay Wright

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics