Cajuns eager to enter conference play
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — Louisiana will hit the road on Friday, flying west for Saturday’s Sun Belt Conference opener at Denver, and coach Jessie Evans said on Wednesday he liked the look of his 5-4 team heading into league action.
“I thought we’d have a couple more wins by now, but we’re making progress,” said Evans, whose squad got over the .500 mark with last Saturday’s 81-67 spanking of Houston in the Cajundome. “We had a good tournament in Arizona, and that has prepared us well.”
The Cajuns defeated Valparaiso 95-71 in the first round of the Fiesta Bowl Classic before dropping a 72-69 decision to host Arizona on a night when UL was doomed by cold shooting from the perimeter in its bid for an upset.
When they came back from the desert, the Cajuns rolled over the Cougars.
“The team is coming together,” Evans said. “They’ve been a good team to work with, as all of my teams have been. They have responded well to what we’ve asked them to do in practice, and that has carried over to our games.
“Each time we’ve had an opportunity to be successful, we’ve made a run. We’ve got to get better rebounding. We know that. And we need to not allow penetration on the dribble.”
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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com
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Importantly, the Cajuns are shooting a solid 45 percent from the field and nearly 70 percent (69.6) at the free throw line, and six team members are averaging double figures in scoring.
“We have gained patience with our shooting,” Evans said. “We have three seniors (Brad Boyd, Laurie Bridges and Sun Belt Player of the Week Antoine Landry), and for the most part your seniors will be poised.
“I think it’s good to point out that we have made almost as many free throws (126) as our opponents have attempted (128).”
Landry leads the Cajuns in scoring at 14.4 points per game, ably supported by Boyd (13.6), Bridges (12.2), newcomer Dwayne Mitchell (11.3), Cedric Williams (10.8) and Brian Hamilton (10.3). Landry (28-of-62) and Boyd (30-of-93) are the top gunners from beyond the 3-point arc, while Bridges is best at the free throw line at 86.1 percent.
Saturday’s SBC opener offers the Cajuns a chance to avenge their first loss in nine previous meetings against Denver, which knocked UL out of last year’s conference tournament. It’s also an opportunity to jump-start a campaign to win a third straight Sun Belt West Division title.
“This is a big game for us, especially since it’s against Denver,” center Chris Cameron said. “They knocked us out of the tournament last year. They’re a good team that’s playing better than they were last year (Denver is 8-4), so we need to get off to a good start.”
The Cajuns return home for a three-game homestand after the Denver trip, hosting league members South Alabama on Jan. 15, New Orleans (Jan. 17) and New Mexico State (Jan. 22).
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