The Book: 2002-2003 Basketball (Ragin'Cajuns)

LOUISIANA 36 Charlotte 18 at the half<hr>

Boyd is on fire. Defense is the key.

Louisiana leads by 26 with 49-23 with 14:00 left in the game.

Southall's inside Defense is awesome today

I am more than happy with winning 2 of 3 this weekend

<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In a span of 48 hours, UL's men's basketball squad went from one of its most disappointing performances of the season to one of its best.

The Ragin' Cajuns shocked Charlotte Sunday in the final game of the 49ers' own Pepsi Classic tournament, handing the hosts their worst loss ever in their Halton Arena home.

UL jumped to 8-0 and 23-4 leads in the first half, led by as many as 33 points in the final 10 minutes and finished with a convincing 68-47 victory that sent the Cajuns (7-4) into Thursday's Sun Belt Conference opener on a major roll.

"We came out really focused," said Cajun head coach Jessie Evans. "When you get off to a start like that, the home team many times will start tightening up, and we didn't give them anything cheap inside."

The Cajuns, who host New Mexico State Thursday at the Cajundome, held the 49ers (5-5) to a school-record-low 26.2 percent from the field on 17 of 65 shots. Charlotte made only seven of its 36 shots in the first half as UL Lafayette posted a 36-18 lead.

Then, the Cajuns scored 10 unanswered points to start the second half, including back-to-back three-point baskets by Brad Boyd, to take a 46-18 lead. The advantage reached as much as 59-26 with nine minutes left on back-to-back inside baskets by Cedric Williams.

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Boyd didn't score after those two early treys in the second half, but still finished with 20 points including 6-of-13 shooting from three-point range to lead four double-figure scorers.

Michael Southall finished with 14 points and Williams and Laurie Bridges added 10 each for the Cajuns, who had dropped a 75-56 decision to Colorado on Friday before bouncing back in an 88-77 victory over Loyola-Chicago Saturday in the round-robin event.

Colorado went unbeaten in the six-game tournament, winning 76-72 over Loyola in Sunday's opening game.

Tory Reed and Vincent Grier scored 11 to lead the 49ers, who came into the game with a 66-14 record at the seven-year Halton Arena. They lost their second straight home game after losing to Colorado 76-74 Saturday, and the previous worst loss for Charlotte in the arena was a 19-point 85-66 setback against Cincinnati last year.

"After watching them against Colorado," Evans said, "we knew we had to defend and defend with a purpose. They weren't scoring at all off our initial defense ... they got a lot off offensive rebounds."

The 49ers did get 24 offensive boards in taking a 46-32 rebound advantage, but that was the only place they finished ahead of an inspired Cajun team that was playing without senior Anthony Johnson with an injured ankle.

Williams, making his first-ever start, hit 5-of-7 shots and had six boards, while point guard Kenneth Lawrence had a second straight strong game with nine points, eight assists and no turnovers. Southall had a game-high nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

"It all starts with KJ," Evans said. "Anytime he has his head in the game, we have a chance to be good, and I'm proud of the way he played tonight. Southall played with a lot of energy, and when he does that teams don't get easy baskets or good looks."
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Great win that we really needed headed into conference play. 7-4 record, not bad either. Looks like the team has found some focus, hope they keep it.

<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertisers-Dan McDonald

LAFAYETTE - The score probably sent a shudder through much of the Sun Belt Conference.

When teams in the Sun Belt saw that Louisiana handed Charlotte its worst home loss since moving into its on-campus facility on Sunday, a lot of them stood up and took notice.

"It's sure nicer to go into the conference with a couple of wins," said Ragin' Cajun head coach Jessie Evans.

The Cajuns took wins in its last two outings in the Pepsi Classic in Charlotte on Saturday and Sunday over Loyola-Chicago and the host 49ers, but it was Sunday's 68-47 win that was the shocker. The Cajuns led by as many as 33 points in the final nine minutes.

Now they'll turn their attention toward league play and a whopper of a conference opener Thursday night when last year's co-champions of the West Division meet at the Cajundome. New Mexico State (8-2) enters the 7:05 p.m. contest with the league's best non-conference record.

And, the question is: Which Cajun team will arrive when the squad plays its first home game in two weeks?

Will it be the one that beat now-eighth-ranked Mississippi State on the road in the season opener, pounded their three home opponents by a total of 119 points, and whipped Charlotte on its home floor?

Or will it be the team that struggled in early losses at McNeese State and Birmingham Southern, and then was embarrassed by Colorado 75-56 on Friday in the Pepsi Classic opener?

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By contrast, New Mexico State topped Colorado 75-71 at home back in November, and had won six in a row before a one-point road loss at 25th-ranked Texas Tech on Dec. 21. The Aggies' only other loss was to No. 21 (coaches poll) Tulsa in the season-opening South Padre Island Classic.

"There's a group of us at the top echelon in the conference, and they're right there at the top of that group," Evans said of the Aggies. "They're very solid with a lot of experienced players, and all you have to do is look at what they did to Colorado and it's enough said about how good they are."

But if the Cajuns (7-4) play as they did on Sunday, especially defensively, they will create problems for anyone in the Sun Belt. Charlotte hit only 26 percent from the field, a school record for lowest percentage, and was only seven-of-36 in the first half.

The biggest reason for that was sophomore center Michael Southall, who shook off a poor performance against Colorado with his best all-around effort of the season against the 49ers. He had 14 points and a game-high nine boards, but also had two assists and blocked three shots while affecting many more Charlotte attempts.

More importantly, he also avoided foul trouble.

"He played with a lot of energy," Evans said. "We try to channel the ball defensively and some of that goes in his direction by design, because if he's playing well you're not going to get anything inside."

Evans also said that keeping the momentum from that Sunday win will be important on Thursday.

"You're never as bad as your last loss and never as good as your last win," he said. "We didn't play perfect and there's room for improvement, but if we continue to improve as much as we have to now we're going to be tough to handle."

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The Original Mid-Major Top 25 Poll

TOP 10
01 Creighton, 10-0
02 Butler, 10-0
03 Gonzaga, 8-4
04 Utah State, 9-2
05 Pennsylvania, 3-2
06 Southern Illinois, 5-3
07 Kent State, 7-1
08 New Mexico State, 8-2
09 Murray State, 6-2
10 Davidson, 6-2

others of note
18 Western Kentucky, 6-5
19 Louisiana, 7-4

received votes
New Orleans, 7-3
Arkansas-Little Rock, 8-5

Forget the Fiesta.
Don't take a siesta.

Instead come out to the Cajun Dome and witness Louisiana's first conference "testa"

<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertisers-Dan McDonald

LAFAYETTE - Is it too early to refer to a Sun Belt Conference game as a key point in the league's basketball race?

Is Jan. 2 too soon to have a front-runner emerge, especially since none of the 11 teams in the league have opened conference wars?

Maybe not.

When last we left LOUISIANA and New Mexico State, the teams were battling for the Sun Belt's West Division honors in last year's regular-season finale at the Cajundome. That night, the Cajuns made enough free throws at the end to hold on for a 69-67 win over the Aggies, giving Louisiana a share of the West title and the No. 1 West seed in the league tournament.

Both teams lost to Western Kentucky in the league meet, NMSU in the last seconds 73-72 in the semifinals and the Cajuns by 76-70 in the finals.

Now, with WKU struggling with injuries heading into conference play, the two teams picked atop this year's West race may be the two top teams in the league.

And it's almost fitting that the Cajuns (7-4) and the Aggies (8-2) meet tonight in an energy-charged league opener, two days prior to most of the Sun Belt teams tipping off conference play on Saturday.

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Louisiana head coach Jessie Evans isn't concerned that the Aggies are first up on the 15-game league slate.

"It's not hard at all to get ready for them," Evans said. "They're solid with quality player that have been around for a while. Besides, there will be no days off in conference play this year anyway."

It's for sure no day off for the Cajuns, who ran the home table with a 7-0 league mark in the 'Dome last year. In fact, the Cajuns have won a record 14 straight in the Cajundome including last year's win over the Aggies.

New Mexico State, though, has not been a stranger to road success this year. The Aggies have played three true road games and five away from home counting a season-opening tournament, and their only loss on a hostile court was an 85-84 decision at 25th-ranked Texas Tech in their last road outing.

In fact, both of NMSU's losses this year have come to ranked teams, with a 71-61 loss to No. 21 (USA Today) Tulsa coming in the South Padre Island Classic.

The Aggies are also coming off a 66-51 win over Texas-Arlington at home on Dec. 23 in their last outing, a win that gave legendary coach Lou Henson his 750th career win.

"We didn't play very well in that game," said Henson (750-379), the fourth winningest active Division I coach and the ninth-winningest coach ever. "We didn't have a lot of bounce and we shot terribly. James Moore was the only one who played well offensively."

He was enough. The 6-8 junior forward, the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year two seasons ago and inexplicably left off last year's all-league team, hit 11 of 15 shots and finished with 24 points while also spearheading a defense that held an opponent under 60 points for the fourth time this year.

Moore had to sit out NMSU's first six games to reclaim eligibility, but since then has averaged 20.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and hit 68 percent of his shots.

"They haven't missed a beat since he came back," said Evans. "They've got several guys playing very well right now."

But when it comes to playing well, count the home team in that number if the Cajuns' last outing is any indication. Louisiana took two of three games in the Pepsi Classic in Charlotte over the past weekend, and destroyed host Charlotte 68-47 in Sunday's finale. The Cajuns led that game by an astonishing 56-23 with nine minutes left.

"We didn't play perfect and there's still lots of room for improvement," Evans said after that game. "But I've said all along this is a special team that can do special things."

Junior guard Brad Boyd leads the Cajuns with a 19.5 scoring mark and may have to carry even more of a load with senior swingman Anthony Johnson a question mark from an ankle sprain suffered against Loyola in the Pepsi meet. Johnson, who needs only seven points to become the 34th Cajun to score 1,000 career points, is at 15.3 this year and has been the squad's top scorer each of the last two seasons.

Sophomore center Michael Southall (13.6, 6.5 rebounds) had 14 points and nine boards in the Charlotte win and also anchored a defense that allowed the 49ers to hit only seven of 36 shots in the first half on the way to a school-record-low 26.2 shooting percentage.

The key in Louisiana's two Pepsi wins, though, may have been senior point guard Kenneth Lawrence. He had only six points but had seven assists, a team-high eight rebounds and only two turnovers against Loyola, and followed that with a nine-point, eight-assist, zero-turnover effort against Charlotte.

"When he's in control and running the team like that," Evans said of Lawrence, "we can be tough to beat."

LAGNIAPPE: Tonight's game starts a tough run for the Aggies, who open league play with four straight road games ... The Cajuns haven't played at home since a Dec. 18 81-55 win over Bethune-Cookman. Louisiana is 58-13 (81.7 percent) in the 'Dome under Evans ... Last year's Cajun-Aggie game drew 7,743 fans, a season high ... The Cajuns lead the all-time series 4-2 and leads 3-1 since the teams linked up in the Sun Belt, after winning both of last year's meetings ... A win tonight would give Evans his 100th career victory. He is 99-66 since taking over the UL Lafayette program prior to the 1997-98 season ... Twin brothers Jason and James Fontenot rank second and third on the Aggie squad in three-point shooting ... The Cajuns haven't lost their league opener since 1994 and have won seven straight conference lid-lifters.
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Do you think we will have a good crowd tonight?

"Fiesta, siesta, testa"

Hey Turb the Fiesta is tommorrow tonight is Orange.

On fanstop.com:

http://www.fanstop.com/fanclub/ncaaf...nBelt&id=35001

Sun Belt Basketball Game of the Week: New Mexico State at Louisiana's Ragin Cajuns

Elliot Venable
1/3/2003

Sun Belt Game of the Week: New Mexico State at Louisiana’s Ragin Cajuns, 7 P.M.
At the Cajundome

The Matchup: In the SBC opener for both teams, this could prove to be a pivotal matchup on who will hold the top spot in the SBC West. It’s crazy to think that the first SBC conference game can determine the frontrunner, but with Western Kentucky struggling without Chris Marcus, these two teams are the top runners for the SBC crown. Last year NMSU and UL played for the SBC championship at UL with UL prevailing 69-67. This year’s matchup could prove to be a very close one.

About the Aggies: The Aggies are led be legendary Coach Lou Henson. Henson is best known at his stint with Illinois. But he is ninth all-time in wins and the fourth in wins by active coaches. But the Aggies don’t have just their coach to brag about. NMSU is led by James Moore (20.3 points and 5.8 rebounds), a 6-foot-8 forward, 6-10 NMSU center Chris Jackson (6.8 points and 7.3 rebounds), and 6-4 guard Brandon Mason (14.2 ppg.) Their three top scorers have been effective in many games this season. NMSU nearly knocked off Texas Tech in Lubbock, losing by a point. But they have beaten Colorado, and have played tough against teams all season. NMSU will have to neutralize the inside game of UL and contain the backcourt of UL also.

About The Cajuns: The question about the Cajuns is more like what team will show up. Louisiana has beaten nationally ranked Mississippi State and manhandled Charlotte on their home courts. When they play at their best, they can compete with anyone. But, they have also been beaten by Colorado and Mcneese State. When they are not playing their best, they are usually in trouble. It’s all about what team will show up. UL has all of the talent they need to make a run into the NCAA tourney, and possibly go pretty deep, but unless they are consistent, don’t expect that to happen. The Cajuns are led by their big three. Guard Brad Boyd (19.5 ppg), guard Anthony Johnson ( 15.8 ppg) and highly touted center Michael Southall (13.6ppg, 6.5 rpg). The Cajuns might be missing one of the big three, with Johnson nursing an ankle sprain suffered this past Saturday. There is plenty of talent on the court for the Cajuns. The key will be how the Cajuns will play against the NMSU big men. Southall will have to play well. Boyd will have to play to his potential. Last week Boyd ranked first among Division I three-point shooters. The Inside game will be key tonight with power going against power.

Bottom Line: One key stat to watch: rebounds. The Cajuns have been inconsistent rebounding and are not too good in offensive rebounds. The Aggies are +.9 in rebounds while the Cajuns are -0.7. This could be a key factor. This could come down to who the better defensive team will be. The Cajuns most likely will be without Anthony Johnson. His point production will be picked up. If the Cajuns neutralize the big men of NMSU, they will be prevail. Being at home will not hurt. Another fact that flies under the radar for the Aggies is their backcourt. They have to twin guards that can shoot the three and Brandon Mason is effective. Watch out for these three. Homecourt advantage and an inside game that will prevail will give the Cajuns the win in a good game at the Cajundome:


NMSU 65
Louisiana 68


Email Elliot at: vinnie1235@hotmail.com

Thanks for the info.

It is almost game time.

<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertisers-Dan McDonald

LAFAYETTE - Louisiana's mens basketball team wasn't responding well to the start of Sun Belt Conference play in the opening minutes Thursday night.

And Laurie Bridges knew it.

His Ragin' Cajuns were down by nine points less than nine minutes into the league opener against New Mexico State at the Cajundome.

"It's conference play," Bridges said. "We knew we had to get it going."

Bridges proceeded to score nine straight points for the Cajuns, had 13 points in the last 11 minutes of the first half and generally bedeviled the visiting Aggies in an 81-74 victory that gave the hosts the early leg up in the Sun Belt race.

Bridges had a career-high 21 points, hitting 8-of-14 shots, and added eight rebounds in 39 minutes, and he also did a defensive job on NMSU guard Brandon Mason. A double-figure scorer in six of his last seven games, Mason hit only 3-of-13 from the floor and finished with seven points.
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"The thing that amazes me about Laurie," said Cajun head coach Jessie Evans, "is that he's in such good condition, he can guard a good perimeter player and still be effective on the offensive end. He's doing it on both ends of the floor for us right now."

"We had nobody to stop Bridges," said long-time Aggie coach Lou Henson, who claimed his 750th career victory in NMSU's last outing. "Without (Anthony) Johnson there, maybe our guys thought it wasn't going to be as tough."

Johnson, the Cajuns' senior swingman who is seven short of 1,000 career points, missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle, but Bridges more than took up the scoring slack.

Actually, several of the Cajuns took up the slack, with all five starters scoring in double figures to hold off the two-man charge of Aggie forward James Moore and guard Jason Fontenet.

Mason had 22 points, including eight straight to start the second half, while Fontenet had 20. The two also combined to hit 18-of-27 shots, but the rest of the Aggie team only managed 32 points.

Fontenet scored 10 points in a period of 2:35 in the first half, the last of those coming on a driving jumper 11:08 before halftime that gave the Aggies (8-3, 0-1) a 21-12 lead. Bridges hit a three-pointer on the next possession, and added a free throw, a jumper and another trey in the next 90 seconds to cut the margin to 23-21.

"When my teammates get going, I get going," said Bridges, who made his third straight start. "We tend to get an early lead and let it slip away."

This time he led the rally, and the Cajuns (8-4, 1-0) never trailed again after Chris Cameron's two free throws 7:51 before halftime made it 27-25.

Michael Southall had all eight of his first-half points in the final 7:16 and finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots, and frontcourt mate Cedric Williams added 12 points.

Brad Boyd (12) and Kenneth Lawrence (11) were the other twin-digit scorers, and Lawrence also had five assists and five steals - giving him 20 assists and only four turnovers in Louisiana's last three games.

"My role's not to go out and score 30," said Lawrence, who was part of a trapping defense that forced 17 NMSU turnovers in the first 28 minutes. "I try to get those other guys going. We count on those guys inside, and they came through tonight."

Louisiana finished with a narrow 33-30 rebound edge, but Henson said that defensive pressure was more of a factor.

"We did a poor job of handing that," he said. "We knew they would trap us ... they've done it in the past, and I thought we'd worked on that. But they're very aggressive and they did a good job on the double teams."

The Aggies turned it over seven times in the last six and one-half minutes of the first half, and the Cajuns used that period to stretch a one-point margin to a seven-point advantage at 40-33 on Bridges' jumper. After that, the only time NMSU got inside five points was on Allen Haynes' three-pointer with 8:48 left that made it 55-51.

"We didn't force a lot of turnovers in the second half," Evans said, "but we did a better job on the glass. Toward the end, I thought we had to back off, buckle down and defend the basket, and not give up any cheap baskets."

The Cajuns hit eight straight free throws in the final 1:24 to preserve the margin, and needed most of them after the Aggies had wiped out much of a 12-point lead with 3:39 left with a 7-0 run.

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy," Evans said, "and we know that it will be a war when we go to Las Cruces."




Louisiana 81, New Mexico State 74

NEW MEXICO STATE (8-3, 0-1)

James Moore 10-14 2-2 22, Kelsey Crooks 3-6 0-0 7, Chris Jackson 3-7 2-4 8, Jason Fontenet 8-13 2-2 20, Brandon Mason 3-13 1-1 7, Earl Calloway 1-1 0-0 2, James Fontenet 0-1 0-0 0, Will Morris 0-1 0-0 0, James Felder 0-2 0-0 0, Lamar Hill 0-0 0-0 0, Allen Haynes 3-8 0-0 8. Totals 31-66 7-9 74.

UL LAFAYETTE (8-4, 1-0)

Cedric Williams 6-9 0-0 12, Michael Southall 5-8 4-6 14, Laurie Bridges 8-14 3-4 21, Brad Boyd 4-11 2-2 12, Kenneth Lawrence 3-7 5-6 11, Chris Cameron 2-6 3-4 7, Immanuel Washington 2-3 0-0 4, Robert Davis 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 30-59 17-23 81.

Half-UL Lafayette 40, NMSU 34. Three-point goals-NMSU 5-17 (Jason Fontenet 2-4, Haynes 2-6, Crooks 1-2, James Fontenet 0-1, Morris 0-1, Mason 0-3), UL Lafayette 4-14 (Bridges 2-3, Boyd 2-7, Cameron 0-4). Fouled out-Jason Fontenet. Rebounds-NMSU 30 (Jackson 10, Felder 6, Crooks 4, Haynes 3, Moore 2, Jason Fontenet 2, Mason 2, Calloway 1), UL Lafayette 33 (Southall 10, Bridges 8, Cameron 3, Washington 3, Boyd 2, Williams 1, Lawrence 1, team 5). Assists-NMSU 14 (Jason Fontenet 6, Mason 5, Jackson 1, Calloway 1, Haynes 1), UL Lafayette 17 (Lawrence 5, Southall 4, Boyd 3, Cameron 2, Washington 2, Bridges 1). Blocks-NMSU 1 (Moore 1), UL Lafayette 7 (Southall 4, Bridges 1, Boyd 1, Cameron 1). Steals-NMSU 6 (Moore 3, Jackson 1, Mason 1, Haynes 1), UL Lafayette 10 (Lawrence 5, Southall 2, Bridges 1, Boyd 1, Washington 1). Minutes-NMSU, Jackson 35, Moore 33, Jason Fontenet 32, Mason 32, Crooks 18, Haynes 27, Calloway 9, Felder 8, James Fontenet 2, Morris 2, Hill 2. UL Lafayette, Bridges 39, Southall 36, Boyd 33, Lawrence 26, Williams 25, Washington 21, Cameron 17, Davis 3. Turnovers-NMSU 17, UL Lafayette 13. Total fouls-NMSU 17, UL Lafayette 16. Technicals-none. Officials-Rick Randall, Hal Lusk, Bobby Jacobs. Attendance-5,621.

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<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertisers-Bruce Brown

LAFAYETTE - If this is the way it's going to be, the Sun Belt Conference basketball race is going to look like a Bruce Willis movie.

You know the one - "Last Man Standing."

Louisiana survived a rugged SBC opener before 5,621 fans at the Cajundome on Thursday night, besting New Mexico State 81-74 in a battle of Western Division contenders.

"Those boys have been in the weight room since last year," said Cajun center Michael Southall, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds. "(Center) Chris Jackson is a load, and all of their guys were a lot stronger."

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It didn't help the Aggies of coach Lou Henson, who turned the ball over 14 times in the first half but calmed down with just three such miscues after the break.

"They were so much more physical than we were, it wasn't even close," Henson said. "They had more size and aggressiveness than we did."

Cajun guard Immanuel Washington might argue that point.

Inserted to slow down the first-half shooting of NMSU point guard Jason Fontenet, Washington ran smack into a screen by 6-foot-8, 230-pound Lamar Hill with 5:35 left before intermission and was flat on his back for a couple of minutes until he could wobble to the bench.

But he returned.

It was that kind of evening.

Southall took an ice pack on his right shoulder at one point, and later was felled by a cramp in his calf.

NMSU's Brandon Mason twisted an ankle and limped to the bench with 15:38 to play, but later returned to action.

"That was the most fouls (4) I've had all year," said Cajun point guard Kenneth Lawrence, who had 11 points, 5 assists and just a pair of turnovers in the intense contest.

"The stronger team is going to survive at the end. Whoever bangs the most is going to come out on top."

"I thought this was a great college basketball game," Cajun coach Jessie Evans said. "I told the guys prior to the game to strap it on and to make sure their seat belts were tightly fastened, because we're in for a war."

The Cajuns turned up the heat and the tempo after trailing 19-11 in the first half, finishing with 10 steals and forcing those 17 turnovers. Forcing the action produced a 17-of-23 night at the free throw line, to 7-of-9 for NMSU.

"They shot 23 free throws to our nine, and we had 18 turnovers," Henson said. "That really hurt us."

"It helps a lot to have a veteran team in a game like this," Lawrence said. "A young team tends to break down and think the game's over. A veteran team stays together and comes out on top."

Even if it took withstanding a series of NMSU rallies in the second half.

"Both teams are athletic, both are long," Evans said. "Both teams have good inside people and good people on the perimeter. So, you know it will be tough."

Don't expect it to lighten up anytime soon, either. The Cajuns visit Conference USA member Houston on Saturday, then return to Sun Belt action next week with road tests at South Alabama and New Orleans.

New Mexico State is a recent entry in the Cajuns' list of rivals, while the Jaguars and Privateers are long established as fierce foes.

"This (Sun Belt race) is going to be a war," Evans said. "And it's going to be a lot of fun."

As long as the survivors are whole enough to enjoy it in March.
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<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-team-nmsu-00.jpg"></td></table><br></center><blockquote><p align=justify>Michael Southall looks to pass to dashing KJ as Coach Evans looks on, while getting his 100th win as a University of Louisiana head coach.

<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-team-timeout-01.jpg"></td></table><br><blockquote><p align=justify>Cajuns call a timely timeout.

<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-team-nmsu-02.jpg"></td></table><p>

<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-bridges-laurie-freethrow-01.jpg"></td></table><p>

<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-fans-in-stands-01.jpg"></td></table><br>Fans in the stands part1.

<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-fans-in-stands-02.jpg"></td></table><br>Fans in the stands part2.

<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-team-nmsu-01.jpg"></td></table><p>

<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-alumni-band-members-02.jpg"></td></table><br><blockquote><p align=justify>Alumni Band

<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/seasons/2002-03/2003-alumni-band-members-01.jpg"></td></table><br><blockquote><p align=justify>Alumni Band member take a well deserved break.

<blockquote><p align=justify>ADVOCATE-BOBBY ARDOIN

LAFAYETTE -- The way guard Laurie Bridges sees it, everyone is a potential starter on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette basketball team.

Bridges certainly made that evident at the Cajundome Thursday night. Starting for the third time this season, Bridges scored 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds for ULL, which defeated New Mexico State 81-74 in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams.

With an injury sidelining starting forward Anthony Johnson, the Cajuns began the game with a three-guard lineup. Bridges wanted to provide a spark.


"This team is deep with players," the junior from New Orleans said. "When one of them goes out, the other can step up."

The win was No. 100 at ULL for Cajuns' coach Jessie Evans, who began coaching the Cajuns in 1997.

ULL's victory -- the eighth in 12 games this season -- also established a Cajundome record of 15 straight victories dating back to Nov. 24, 2001.

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NMSU (8-3) had won seven of the last eight games before falling to the Cajuns. New Mexico State coach Lou Henson felt his team's 18 turnovers and the Cajuns' ability to make free throws (17-of-23) were the difference.

"I thought putting (ULL) at the line and turning the ball over were the factors that really hurt us," Henson said. "We especially did a poor job of handling (ULL's) trap (defense). We knew they would trap and they were excellent they way the trapped us when we were posting up and along the baseline.

"I thought they (ULL) were the more physical team. There's no question they have that excellent athletic ability. They were really aggressive," he said.

Evans said the physical nature of the contest didn't surprise him.

"I told my team before the start of the game they needed to be ready to strap it on and make sure their seatbelts were tightly fitted, because we were going to be in for a war," Evans said.

The Cajuns had four other players in double figures to complement Bridges' game-high scoring.

Center Michael Southall had 14 points, four blocked shots and a team-high 10 rebounds, while guard Brad Boyd and forward Cedric Williams each scored 12.

Guard Kenneth Lawrence scored 11 and have five assists and as many steals.

NMSU was led by forard James Moore (22 points and center Chris Jackson (8 points, 10 rebounds).

Guard Jason Fontenet scored 20 for the Aggies and dished off six assists.

ULL shot 50.8 percent for the game. That percentage was boosted early when the Cajuns' first eight points came on drives to the NMSU basket.

The Cajuns led for most of the first five minutes, but the Aggies, led by a pair of consecutive Fontenet 3-points, took a 19-11 advantage off a 10-0 run.

Following a tongue-lashing from Evans, ULL regained the lead after that midway through the first half when Immanuel Washington scored on a layup to make it 25-23. The score came after the Cajuns' defense forced a turnover at midcourt.

Bridges was also part of that 14-4 run, scoring twice off treys and then adding three more off a layup and a free throw.

The Cajuns never trailed after that and went into the intermission ahead 40-34.
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Thank you so much for posting the Alumni Band pictures!! We had a BLAST playing last night!!!

By the way, you wouldn't happen to have anymore, would you??