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Facing a second-half crisis, UL coach Robert Lee turned to a somewhat forgotten man in David Dees.
The senior guard rose to the occasion Thursday against Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State.
Dees came off the bench and lifted the Ragin' Cajuns to a 73-63 win at the Cajundome, scoring 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half. He had seen his playing time cut recently, scoring only 15 points in the last five games.
"Every shot he took was an open shot, and coach Lee is not mad about that," UL's Randell Daigle said of Dees, who went scoreless in Saturday's win over Florida Atlantic. "He took all open shots, and he hit them all, so it helped us."
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UL (6-7 overall, 3-0 SBC) has now won five of its last six games and remain atop the West Division. The Cajuns are 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
Lee gave a lot of the credit for Thursday's win to Dees, a preseason third-team all-conference pick.
Last season he led the Cajuns in five categories - including points per game (17.4), assists (86) and minutes per game (35.6) - but had lost minutes recently because of the improved play of freshmen Chris Gradnigo and Travis Bureau.
Dees made the most of his opportunity Thursday, hitting 6-of-7 shots from the floor, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He added four rebounds and four assists in 17 minutes.
"Without a doubt David Dees stepped up for us tonight and performed really well," Lee said. "David went through a lot of adversity as far as not playing as much. But each day he would leave practice at the Cajundome and continue to work on his jump shot.
"It really paid off for him and our basketball team tonight."
Sophomore Elijah Millsap scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for the Cajuns. Daigle added 14 points and five assists as UL knocked off reigning SBC West Division champ Arkansas State (6-7, 1-2).
The Indians got plenty from senior guard Adrian Banks. The preseason first-team all-conference pick scored a game-high 20 points in his first game back since being suspended in December for firing a handgun within Jonesboro's city limits.
Ryan Wedel (15) and Yima Chia-Kur (13) both finished in double figures, but it wasn't enough to hold off UL's late charge.
"On the road you've got to do everything perfect," said ASU coach Dickey Nutt, whose Indians are 0-6 on the road this season. "Give them a lot of credit. They (UL) played well. They're a streaky team. When they get going they really get going.
"We felt like we had control of the game. There were a few possessions that really hurt us down the stretch, and they were able to capitalize on that."
ASU capitalized early, taking a double-digit lead as UL missed shots and committed silly turnovers. The Cajuns, though, closed the final seven-plus minutes of the first half with a 21-8 run to take a 36-32 halftime lead.
Daigle scored eight points during that stretch, hitting two deep 3s and a pull-up jumper. Millsap provided the first-half highlight in the spurt, dishing the ball in the post to Abray Milson, who threw down a monster dunk.
ASU fought back in the second half to retake a 48-46 lead with 14 minutes left.
That's when Dees delivered.
First, he hit a jumper and a pull-up 3 to start the streak. Later, he hammered down an alley-oop dunk. He finished by hitting two 3s and a pair of free throws.
His 15 second-half points sparked a rally that gave the Cajuns control of the game. He scored UL's last eight points.
"When that (pull-up jumper) went down it just felt like I wouldn't miss too many shots," Dees said. "The one 3 I did miss I should have made that."
The red-hot Cajuns, though, will survive. They close out their three-game homestand Saturday against New Orleans (11-3, 1-1). The Privateers are led by guard Bo McCalebb, the preseason conference player of the year.
Coming into Thursday, the senior led the Sun Belt in points per game (21.5) and steals per game (2.5).
Dees will do his best to carry Thursday's success into Saturday's game.
"Hopefully, tonight was just the tip of the iceberg for myself and my team," Dees said. "We're 3-0, but I think there are 16 conference games. We could sit here next month and be 3-7 or something.
"We just have to make sure we're focused because it's big game after big game."
After addressing the media, Dees walked away from the podium. His smile lit up the room. No longer was he the forgotten man.
(BULLET)NOTES: On Thursday the Cajuns started Randell Daigle, Elijah Millsap, Chris Gradnigo, La'Ryan Gary and Abray Milson, marking the first time all season they had used the same starting lineup in four consecutive games ... Daigle, a former Northside standout, made three 3-pointers. He's hit at least one 3 in his last 11 games and 18 in his last six ... ASU coach Dickey Nutt is the brother of Houston Nutt, who was recently hired to be Ole Miss' new football coach.
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There are going to be more important decisions made that will effect the life of David Dees. But as far as basketball is concerned, Robert Lee tied a bow around the career of his senior guard on Dec. 16, said thanks for the memories, and pointed toward a spot on UL's bench.
And, really, how many choices did Lee have?
The Cajuns were off to a 1-6 start this season and trailing by nine points at halftime of their Sun Belt Conference opener at UL-Monroe. So the decision was made - out with the old and in with the new.
Dees - the cover boy on the team's media guide, and a preseason all-conference pick - was benched in favor of freshmen Chris Gradnigo and Travis Bureau. His minutes melted from an average of more than 26 the first eight games to a total of 41 the next four combined.
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"At halftime of the Monroe game we made the decision that we can't keep going down the same road," Lee said. "That's when we said we're going with the young kids - if we lose, we'll lose with the young guys."
Remember, this is a coach coming off a 9-21 season. A coach that until that point had won just 23 of his previous 66 games.
Dees had been a lot of things to the Cajuns since transferring from Liberty University in 2005. But on that day in Monroe, job security wasn't one of them.
That was until one magical Thursday night in the Cajundome.
Managing just 11 points in four games since being benched, Dees re-emerged against Arkansas State.
Five Cajuns played more minutes, but none scored more than Dees' 17 points. And no one hit two bigger shots than his consecutive 3-pointers with under three minutes to play that broke UL free of the Indians for good and all but sealed the 73-63 victory.
"A lot of people don't like what they see sometimes," said UL's freshman point guard Randell Daigle. "But he dealt with it and he stepped up big for us tonight."
But it sure wasn't headed that way for Dees in the first half. Since Lee's desperation move toward youth, those three minutes the Dayton, Ohio, native got in the opening half were about the norm. So were his two points.
"The one thing you never can do is you can't discount production," Dees said. "We had guys get their shot (at playing time) and were producing. We were winning, so why change?
"I could give up and feel sorry for myself, or I could put the work in and know my number will be called. I put the work in."
With Gradnigo and Bureau - who finished with a combined 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting - struggling against the Indians, Dees got his chance.
The kid who scored 22 points for Liberty in an NCAA tournament game against St. Joseph's as a freshman, started simple enough with an 8-foot pull-up with 13:20 to play in the second half.
Then came a 3-pointer 30 seconds later and a monster alley-oop slam dunk with under nine minutes to go.
But the consecutive 3-pointers - the last with 2:26 on the game clock - were the clinchers. They also salvaged a measure of respect for a player that had led UL in five major categories the season before, including scoring average (17.4). Entering the Arkansas State game, Dees was the Cajuns' leader in humility.
And because he rejected the temptation to quit when a decision was made to go another direction with his minutes, the Cajuns have now won five of their last six games - the watershed for the program since the end of the 2005-06 season - and own the best record in the Sun Belt West at 3-0.
"This was a true test of his character," Lee said. "David could have packed his bags and gone back to Ohio. For him to stick through the things he's been through says a lot about him."
"It's been difficult - extremely difficult," Dees said. "I'm not accustomed to it. But as a basketball player, you know it's not always going to go your way. You have to be mentally tough enough to know it's a process - it's a long season.
"Hopefully tonight is the tip of the iceberg for myself and my team."
Bob Heist is sports editor for the Daily Advertiser. Reach him at (337) 289-6402 or bheist@theadvertiser.com
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I have to say that honestly, I didn't care if I saw David play again for the rest of the season after the youth movement had been doing so well. However, he showed last night the things that a senior can do for you when you need that leadership. Not only did he play well, he played smart and made some effort plays like offensive rebounds for put backs, smart defense and a calm on the court when it was getting a little too hurried. I was extremely impressed with his play and I hope to see a lot more of him especially if he gives the effort he did last night!
I sat there last night watching David play. I said outloud, to no one in particular, "welcome back, David Dees". What a good thing to happen to a class individual. I hope he can continue to play like he did last night. If so, the Ragin Cajuns will be hard to handle by opposing teams.Quote:
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Game Night Story Lines: With its first 3-0 conference start of the Robert Lee era under its belt, Louisiana (6-7, 3-0) will attempt just its fourth 4-0 start to the Sun Belt slate in program history when it welcomes the New Orleans Privateers (11-3, 1-1) to the CAJUNDOME Saturday...
Thursday night, Louisiana engineered yet another second-half run to pull away from Arkansas State, defeating the Indians 73-63...
Senior guard David Dees snapped a 4-for-14 slump Thursday night, scoring a team-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Likewise, sophomore Elijah Millsap tallied double figures for the first time in seven games, pouring in 16 points. Randell Daigle was Louisiana’s third player to score in double figures in Thursday’s rout, registering a career-high-tying 14 points...
Louisiana is now 5-1 this season when three or more players score in double figures...A victory Saturday night over UNO would give Louisiana its first 3-0 home start in Sun Belt play since the 2002-03 season when the Cajuns started 7-0 at home. It would also move Louisiana to .500 after 14 games...
Although Louisiana holds a slim 13-11 margin over UNO in games at the CAJUNDOME, the Cajuns have won the last 10 meetings in Lafayette. UNO has not defeated UL at the ‘DOME since Jan. 15, 1998, when the Privateers knocked off the Cajuns 88-66...
Louisiana won the first meeting between the long-time conference foes in the CAJUNDOME in 1986. But, the Privateers won the next eight meetings in Lafayette before the Cajuns won again in 1994...
Saturday’s game will be the 14th meeting between the schools in the month of January in Lafayette; Louisiana has won 7 of the 13 January meetings and has won the last five at the ‘DOME.
New Orleans Preview. New Orleans (11-3) saw its four-game winning streak snapped Wednesday as the Privateers dropped an 84-75 decision to UALR at the Human Performance Center...
UALR gards Steven Moore and Terrance Akins each had 15 points and combined for seven 3-pointers in the nine-point victory...
Mississippi transfer Brandon Patterson came off the bench to score 13 points and John Fowler added 12 as the Trojans won at UNO for the second straight season...The Trojans went 12-for-25 from 3-point range in snapping a two-game losing skid...
UNO’s Kyndall Dykes scored a game-high 23 points before being ejected with nine seconds left after receiving his second technical foul. Bo McCalebb had 17 points and seven rebounds, while James Parlow had 12 points...
Trailing 20-5 six minutes into the game, UALR used a 19-2 run during the next 10 minutes to take a 24-22 advantage. The Privateers, who started the game 8-of-9 from the field, struggled during the half’s final 14 minutes – going 1-of-15 to close the frame...
UALR used the drought to take a 33-30 halftime lead...The second half saw 12 lead changes and neither team had a lead larger than five until the final minute. UALR took the lead for good with 2:53 remaining thanks to a Patterson jumper off the glass. Akins then added a 3-pointer with 2:26 left to give the Trojans a 70-66 advantage...UNO, which had averaged 29 bench points in its last four games, only got five points from the reserves.
After the New Orleans game...Louisiana will look to continue to recent road success when it travels for a pivotal SBC road weekend. The Cajuns will first visit the UALR Trojans on Thursday, Jan. 10, before facing the defending Sun Belt Conference tournament champion North Texas Mean Green on Saturday, Jan. 11.
A Win by Louisiana...would give the Ragin’ Cajuns their fourth 4-0 start in Sun Belt Conference play in conference history. It would also be Louisiana’s first 3-0 SBC start at home since the 2002-03 season when the Cajuns won their first seven SBC home games.
A Loss by Louisiana...would drop the Cajuns to 3-1 in the SBC West Division and snap Louisiana’s three-game winning streak.
Return to Last Season Form. Senior guard David Dees snapped a 4-for-14 slump Thursday night, scoring a team-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes. It was the most minutes Dees has played since seeing 24 at ULM on Dec. 16...Dees’ six field goals against Arkansas State are a season-high and are the most since he made seven baskets at North Texas in last season’s finale on Feb. 28.
Four Score...And the Cajuns are 4-0. When Louisiana has four or more players scoring in double figures, the Ragin’ Cajuns are 4-0 this season. In Louisiana’s only other win this season, only two players scored in double digits (vs. Hawai`i on Dec. 19).
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UL coach Robert Lee knows what to expect when it comes to playing against New Orleans guard Bo McCalebb.
The senior leads the Sun Belt Conference in points per game (21.5) and steals per game this season (2.5).
"Bo McCalebb is a guy that no one can stop," said Lee, whose Cajuns (6-7 overall, 3-0 SBC) play host to UNO (11-3, 1-1) at 7:05 tonight at the Cajundome. "He's going to be good for 20 (points). So hopefully he doesn't get 30."
That scoring ability has earned McCalebb a reputation as one of the top players in conference history. He finished among the nation's top scorers as a sophomore and junior. Last season he became UNO's all-time leading scorer.
McCalebb enters tonight's game with 2,238 career points. He needs 82 points to pass former South Florida great Charlie Bradley (2,319 points) to become the conference's career scoring leader.
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He's not only productive, but also takes quality shots. He's shooting better than 52 percent from the floor this season, which is one reason UNO leads the Sun Belt in field-goal percentage (.480).
In contrast, UL ranks last in the conference in field-goal percentage (.397) and among the worst in the nation.
Facing McCalebb is the next challenge for a Cajun team that has won three straight with Thursday's 73-63 win over Arkansas State and sits in first place in the SBC West Division.
UL was picked to finish fifth in the West and opened the season 1-6, but has won five of its last six games. The Cajuns are 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1999-2000 season and have won the last 10 meetings against UNO in Lafayette.
After relying heavily on younger players over the previous two weeks, UL leaned on the play of David Dees off the bench against Arkansas State. The senior guard made 6-of-7 shots, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, for a team-high 17 points in the win. He scored 15 points in the second half - all in the final 14 minutes to lead the late rally.
Dees had been benched earlier this season in favor of freshmen Chris Gradnigo and Travis Bureau.
"You never know when your number will be called," said Dees, a preseason all-conference pick who led the team in five categories last season. "It's my obligation as a basketball player to always be ready and always continue to put that work in. That's who my parents have raised me to be.
"I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to give up."
The Cajuns also got strong contributions from starting point guard Randell Daigle. The sophomore tied a career high with 14 points and had three 3-pointers and five assists.
In his last six games the former Northside standout is averaging 11.5 points and 5.5 assists and has made 18 3s. He's averaging 3.6 assists for every one turnover (33 assists to nine turnovers) over that stretch.
Sophomore Elijah Millsap finished with 16 points against Arkansas State, marking his first double-digit effort in seven games. The reigning Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year added a game-high eight rebounds.
He leads the Cajuns in points per game (11.1) and is fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (6.8) and sixth in steals per game (1.62).
"Every night it can be somebody different," Dees said. "That's what we always say in the locker room. You never know who it's going to be."
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LAFAYETTE – After erasing a 12-point second-half deficit, Louisiana is off to one of its best Sun Belt Conference starts in program history as the Ragin’ Cajuns posted a dominating 67-57 victory over in-state rival New Orleans Saturday at the CAJUNDOME.
Saturday night’s crowd of 5,621 was the largest at the CAJUNDOME since Feb. 19, 2005, when 6,954 fans watched Louisiana defeat North Texas 80-67.
The 10-point victory marked Louisiana’s (7-7, 4-0 Sun Belt) first 4-0 start in SBC play since 1999-2000. It was also Louisiana’s first 3-0 home start in league play since the 2002-03 season.
David Dees (Dayton, Ohio) scored a team-high 14 points with five rebounds, while Randell Daigle (Lafayette, La.) chipped in 13 points, including two late three-point field goals and four critical free throws in the last minute. Courtney Wallace (New Orleans, La.) pulled down a game- and career-high-tying nine rebounds.
The most impressive stat of the night was Louisiana’s bench, which out-scored New Orleans’ (11-4, 1-2 Sun Belt) reserves 41-0.
Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year Bo McCalebb led all scorers with 26 points. James Parlow added 13 points before being ejected after receiving two technical fouls late in the game.
After UNO extended its lead to 36-23 in the early stages of the second half, Louisiana responded with a quick 6-0 run. That streak cut the Privateers’ advantage to seven, 36-29, with 16:03 left in regulation.
A pair of key baskets by Travis Bureau (Gonzales, La.) brought Louisiana to within five, 38-33, at the 13:13 mark. A lay-in later by Wallace cut the deficit to 38-35.
Three minutes later, Corey Bloom (New Orleans, La.) drained a three-pointer to bring Louisiana to within one, 42-41. Then, on UNO’s ensuing possession, McCalebb promptly buried a three to give UNO a four-point cushion. However, Bloom answered again, draining his second triple in 30 seconds.
Down by two, Willie Lago (Reserve, La.) gave Louisiana its first lead since 16:22 of the first half on a three-pointer from the top of the key. Lago’s trey gave UL a slim 47-46 lead with 8:23 left in regulation. La’Ryan Gary (Lafayette, La.) later extended the Cajuns’ cushion to 49-46 at the 7:22 mark.
New Orleans erased Louisiana’s three-point lead as the Privateers knotted the game at 53-53 with 4:02 remaining on the clock. However, Dees hit a runner in the lane, regaining a 55-53 edge at the 2:53 mark. Dees then converted three-point play for a 56-53 Cajuns’ advantage.
Clinging to a one-point lead, 56-55, Daigle delivered a pair of daggers to the Privateers, draining back-to-back triples for a 62-55 lead with 52 seconds left to play.
Then, a pair of technical fouls called on Parlow put Daigle at the free throw. The sophomore calmly drained all four freebies for a 66-57 lead.
Louisiana fell behind early in the first half, as the visiting Privateers took hold to an 8-4 lead. The Cajuns, however, did pull to within two points, 8-6, on a Wallace jumper. But, UNO padded its lead to five, 11-6, on a Shaun Reynolds triple from the right wing.
New Orleans’ lead grew to eight points, 16-8, after Louisiana was unable to connect on several scoring opportunities. In the game’s first nine minutes, Louisiana made just 3-of-16 shots (18.8 percent).
The Privateers later built a 12-point cushion, 24-12, with six minutes left to play in the first half on a James Parlow triple in transition.
Finally, nearly 16 minutes into the game, Louisiana converted its first three-pointer of the contest as Daigle drilled a trey, cutting the UNO lead to 24-17. That triple extended Daigle’s streak to 12 consecutive games with a three-pointer.
UNO eventually ran its lead back to double figures after Louisiana had cut the deficit to as few as six points, 26-20.
Parlow led all scorers with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting at the break, while McCalebb chipped in 10. Dees paced the Cajuns with eight points and four rebounds.
New Orleans held Louisiana to 29 percent from the floor on 9-of-31 shooting, while connecting on 1-of-12 from beyond the three-point arc. The Cajuns’ 23 points in the first half were the second-fewest this season (UL scored 21 at ULM on Dec. 16).
Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns return to the hardwood Thursday, Jan. 10, when they travel to Little Rock, Ark., to face the UALR Trojans. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
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Down the stretch Saturday night, UL and New Orleans got into an old-fashioned back-and-forth shootout.
And when the Sun Belt Conference contest got too close for comfort, Randell Daigle ended all doubt.
Daigle capped a furious second-half rally as the Ragin' Cajuns won a 67-57 thriller in front of a raucous crowd of 5,621 at the Cajundome.
The sophomore heated up in the final 1:48 to spark an 11-2 run that sealed the game for UL (7-7 overall, 4-0 SBC). He scored 10 of his 13 points during that stretch, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and four free throws to blow open what was a one-point game and give the Cajuns their fourth straight win.
"I was asked to take open shots, so I took an open shot," Daigle said. "I made it and came back and did it again. I had to."
Daigle's scoring spree electrified UL's largest home crowd in two years and kept the Cajuns atop the SBC West Division standings. UL is 4-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1999-2000 season and is .500 for the first time in three years.
"The atmosphere was amazing," said UL's Corey Bloom, who hit two big 3s in the second half and finished with eight points. "You felt the floor vibrating."
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UNO (11-4, 1-2) felt it, too.
The Privateers led for most of the game, but crumbled under pressure in the final minutes. After Kyndall Dykes was called for an intentional foul with 6:16 left, the Cajuns closed the game on an 18-5 run.
"That intentional foul really swung the momentum," said UNO coach Joe Pasternack, whose Privateers have lost 11 straight at UL. "They said (Dykes) was face-guarding his man, blocking him out. I didn't know that was an intentional foul."
UNO's Bo McCalebb, the preseason conference player of the year and the conference's leading scorer, expressed his disappointment after the bitter loss. He finished with a game-high 26 points on 7-of-18 shooting.
The Privateers entered the game as the conference's top shooting team, but shot 31.5 percent in the loss.
"We let our emotions get to us," said McCalebb, who went scoreless in the final 7:13. "It's pretty intense against (UL). When they made their run, their crowd got them back in it.
"In the second half they made a run and we didn't respond well."
The Cajuns relied on their bench, which out-scored UNO's non-starters 41-0. Senior David Dees scored a game-high 14 points as all seven players off the bench contributed at least two points apiece.
"They definitely didn't shock us," Pasternack said of UL, which has won six of its last seven games. "They're as talented as any team in this league."
The excitement was palpable after the emotional win for UL, which faces a two-game road trip in conference play with games next week at Arkansas-Little Rock and North Texas.
Dees smiled and waved to the crowd.
Sophomore Elijah Millsap lifted his arms over his head in victory.
Players signed autographs for eager fans nearly 30 minutes after the end of the game.
It's a good time to be a Cajun.
"I'm excited," Dees said. "To be 4-0 in this league is huge. We're going to take about half a day to enjoy this one."
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I'm excited," Dees said. "To be 4-0 in this league is huge. We're going to take about half a day to enjoy this one."
That is the right attitude, take half a day to celebrate, and then go back to work. I really like this team.