Lady Cajuns Crush Prarie View A&M
<blockquote><p align=justify><i>Anna Petrakova records the first triple-double in program’s history.</i>
LOUISIANA La. — Anna Petrakova plans to move to the next level when she finishes playing for Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns, but she was already a level or two above Prairie View A&M on Monday.
The 6-foot-3 senior tallied the first triple-double in UL women’s basketball history with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocked shots — all in 23 minutes — as the Cajuns raced to a record-setting 85-24 victory.
It was a block party all around for the Cajuns, who set a new school record with 17 team rejections.
The margin of victory was the largest since a 94-point 127-33 win over Southern-New Orleans in 1982.
And coach J. Kelley Hall’s squad equalled the school record for rebounds with 74, a mark first set in 1979 against Fort Polk.
So, after a night like that, what was Petrakova’s first reaction?
“I’m still not making any shots,” she said after a 7-of-13 evening from the floor.
The Cajuns had to hunt for negatives on a night when they held the Panthers to 12 points in each half and a combined 15 percent shooting.
New Iberia’s Onna Charles had 14 points and nine rebounds, while fellow freshman Sonora Edwards added 12 points and nine boards and senior Tiffany Washington chipped in five blocks.
But the evening was a showcase for Petrakova.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/sports/html/3D58BF8A-4F7F-47B6-AAE6-CFA0F0E9B767.shtml">The rest of the story</a>
Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com <!--
“I didn’t know at the end of the first half,” she said. “I knew I had a couple of blocks. I wasn’t aware that I was close to having 10.”
Petrakova executed two blocks on the last PV possession she faced to assure the triple-double, then heard her new mark announced to the crowd at Earl K. Long Gym.
“I was wondering when I would get a rest in the second half,” she said. “But Coach kept me in. They knew what was going on.”
“Anna was really focused defensively,” said Hall, whose team improved to 7-1 with the win. “She had an outstanding defensive game.
“She didn’t know what we were trying to do when we kept her in, but I wanted her to get the triple. We would have looked pretty stupid if we’d gotten her hurt, so I got her out of there as soon as I could.”
The Panthers were victimized as much as anything by UL’s narrow 57-56 home win over Nicholls State on Saturday, an outcome that prompted a Sunday practice session.
“Defensively, we had to improve our overall defensive effort,” Petrakova said. “There were other, minor things we worked on, but mostly it was effort. That was the issue more than anything.”
Between Savannah State and Nicholls, the Cajuns had a week of exams. That didn’t help their focus last weekend.
“We had exams, and we beat Savannah State by 50,” Petrakova said. “We knew we shouldn’t get our heads up in the clouds after that, but it’s hard to get everyone on the same page. It was hard to get everyone as focused as when you play a team like Stanford.”
That shouldn’t be a problem this week, as the Cajuns travel to play the Arkansas Razorbacks in Little Rock this Thursday night.
“We kept our defensive intensity in both halves,” Hall said. “It didn’t matter what the score was. The big thing was our rebounding. We’re going to need that with Arkansas and Nebraska coming up on the schedule.
“Our goal is to be the No. 1 rebounding team in the Sun Belt Conference. If we do that, we have a chance to win every game.”
Not every game will be like Monday night, but Hall’s Cajuns are on target to reach their own higher level.
-->
