Cajuns head for Houston for non-conference battle
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertisers-Dan McDonald
HOUSTON - Jessie Evans probably would take a Sun Belt Conference win over a career milestone, but the Louisiana head coach got both on Thursday.
Now, the fifth Ragin' Cajun coach to garner 100 career victories will be in first place in the Sun Belt race for at least a week.
The Cajuns' 81-74 home win over New Mexico State on Thursday was the league's first action of the year, and marked the eighth straight season that the Cajuns have won their Sun Belt opener. Now, Evans' charges will sit back and watch the rest of the league knock heads for the next few days.
They won't exactly be relaxing, though, as the Cajuns (8-4, 1-0 Sun Belt) play a non-conference game tonight on the road at the University of Houston (2-7), kicking off a series of four straight road games. Before the current streak ends on Jan. 15 at Providence, the Cajuns will have played nine out of 10 games away from the Cajundome.
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The Cougars have the worst record of any of those nine teams and have lost four in a row after a 62-48 Jan. 1 loss at 25th-ranked Texas Tech. However, UH has two home wins at Hofheinz Pavilion this year going into the 7:30 p.m. contest.
"They've struggled some," Evans said of the Cougars, "but at Hofheinz they're a load. They're strong inside and Louis Truscott is really playing well for them.
"What you don't want to do after you start conference play is not play good competition, but we don't have to worry about that with Houston and Providence. They're as good or better than anyone in our league, so we don't have to worry about turning our effort down."
His charges will have to worry, instead, about Truscott, a 6-7 senior forward who is averaging 16.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per outing. He leads Conference USA with six double-doubles this season including four in a row, as well as leading the league and ranking fifth nationally in rebounding.
Sophomore guard Andre Owens, a transfer from Indiana, is at 14.7 points per game including 29 three-pointers and actually has more 20-point games (three) than Truscott (two). However, the rest of third-year coach Ray McCallum's Cougars are having trouble scoring, with UH averaging only 59.2 points per game and shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
The Cajuns, on the other hand, are averaging 79 per outing over their last three wins, and aim at evening up their record on visitors' courts (2-3) in their first meeting with UH since an overtime 102-101 win in the Cajundome back in 1988. UL Lafayette has never won in Hofheinz, and Houston had won four in a row in the series prior to the last meeting.
At home, it's been a different story for the Cajuns, who have now won a record 15 straight Cajundome outings after Thursday's league-opening win. Laurie Bridges paced five starters in double figures with a career-high 21 points and also had eight rebounds against the Aggies in his third start of the season.
"It doesn't matter if I'm starting or coming off the bench," said Bridges, who missed the season's first two games with academic ineligibility. "Starting doesn't necessarily guarantee that you're going to get a lot of playing time.
"I just try to get everybody going, and I'll try to do that again Saturday. We're going to play Houston just like it's a conference game."
Michael Southall added 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in Thursday's win, while Cedric Williams and Brad Boyd each had 12 and Kenneth Lawrence had 11 along with five assists and five steals. Boyd paces the squad with an 18.9 average while Southall is at 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds and Bridges is at 11.9 points.
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The pleasure was ALL OURS...
Quote:
Originally posted by cajun67
And you guys were great. Thanks for making it a real special game.
...BELIEVE me!! :D I had the BEST time I've had at a UL basketball game in a long time, especially with the large crowd and the GREAT play from the CAJUNS!!!
Louisiana hurts UH inside
<blockquote><p align=justify>Houston Chronicle -JERRY WIZIG
Rebounding dominance, point-blank scoring key Cajuns' win
Spicy as Cajun cooking, Louisiana quickly shredded any thought of a home-court advantage by the Houston Cougars to score its first victory over UH in seven tries Saturday night at Hofheinz Pavilion.
The 72-56 outcome doesn't begin to show the Sun Belt Conference team's dominance. The Cajuns outrebounded UH by a 59-37 margin and overwhelmed the Cougars 50-18 in the paint while handing them their fifth straight loss and eighth in 10 games this season.
Louisiana's 28-14 edge in offensive rebounds was another major factor for the Cajuns (9-4).
"We'd get a stop, and they'd get two or three more opportunities to score," UH coach Ray McCallum said. "We couldn't get offensive rebounds, so we couldn't fast break, and we let them get behind our defense in transition, which was a big disappointment."
Four days after shooting just 27 percent in a 62-48 loss at Texas Tech, the Cougars hit only 25.9 percent (7-of-27) in the first half before settling at 34.5 for the night. They also missed 13 of 25 free throws.
Louis Truscott led UH with 17 points, and freshman Ramon Dyer was the only other Cougar in double figures with 10. Sophomore Cedric Williams, from North Shore, had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Louisiana.
Earlier this season, the Cajuns defeated then-No. 12 Mississippi State, and they won 68-47 at Charlotte, dealing the 49ers their lowest scoring total, worst shooting (26 percent) and most one-sided loss at Halton Arena. Last season, Louisiana, formerly known as Southwestern Louisiana, finished 20-11 after losing in the first round of the NIT.
UH trailed 35-19 at halftime, and things didn't get much better for the Cougars in the second half.
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Williams and Chris Cameron scored inside for the Cajuns, and the lead grew to 57-36 with 8:20 to go. Back-to-back layins by Robert Jupiter made it 64-40 with six minutes remaining, and a 20-8 run by Louisiana pushed the margin to 68-40 as the Cougars went seven minutes between field goals.
Truscott, the nation's No. 5 rebounder, drew his second personal just 3:32 into the game and went to the bench for the next seven minutes. Jeremee McGuire and Anwar Ferguson, the other two UH frontliners, also had two fouls apiece by halftime.
"Their second-chance points killed us. We would play good defense for 35 seconds, then they would get another shot at it," said Truscott, who ended up with just five rebounds.
"We extended the floor to 94 feet with our defensive pressure and created some turnovers and got some easy baskets," Cajuns coach Jessie Evans said. "We now have two wins over Conference USA teams, and it's a source of pride to win out of conference."
McCallum agreed that his team, though reducing its turnovers to 15, still has a problem.
"Teams have pressed us," he said, "and we don't handle pressure real well."
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Williams shines in victory over Houston
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald
HOUSTON - This is what Cedric Williams has had in mind for the last two years.
After sitting out last season for Louisiana's basketball squad, the sophomore forward from Houston-Northshore High wanted to make his homecoming a good one here Saturday night.
That he did.
"I had to,' he joked. "I had about 30 family members here.'
Playing in front of much of his family tree and many hometown friends, Willliams had a career-high both scoring and rebounding and was part of a dominating effort as the Ragin' Cajuns punished Houston's Cougars 72-56.
Williams finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, getting 12 points in the second half when the Cajuns (9-4) built a lead of as many as 28 points and made it look easy. He hit 9-of-16 shots and had eight offensive rebounds -- part of a season-high 28 offensive boards the Cajuns repossessed.
"That was huge,' said Cajun head coach Jessie Evans, who took his 101st career victory. "We were able to extend the floor and get some turnovers, and when we started doing that we felt pretty comfortable.'
Part of it may have been familiarity with Hofheinz Pavilion. Not from the Cajuns - who had never won in six tries in the building - but from Williams.
"I've been playing in here since about the seventh grade,' he said. "AAU ball, and some playoff games at Northshore.'
Whatever it was, it was effective ... and contagious.
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The Cajuns outrebounded the Cougars 59-37, held the hosts to only 34.5 percent shooting and beat up the Cougar inside game with a 50-18 advantage in points in the paint.
"They've got such a balanced attack,' said Cougar head coach Ray McCallum. "We came in concerned about their perimeter shooting and they got two-for-18 on threes. We guarded the three-point line well, but you can't beat anyone giving up 50 points in the paint.'
The Cajuns themselves shot only 39.5 percent from the field, but 28 offensive rebounds makes up for a lot of shooting woes.
"We really didn't think we rebounded that well,' said freshman center Chris Cameron, who had 10 points and six boards. "But we knew that we were going to go to the offensive boards tonight.'
The Cougars (2-8) also became the Cajuns' fourth straight defensive victim. UL Lafayette's last four opponents have combined to shoot only 37 percent from the field.
"We wanted to get in the passing lanes,' Cameron said, "front the post and take away the wings. That's been a focus for us.'
"Give some credit to the defense,' Evans said, "but they (Houston) just didn't shoot it well.'
It also hurt that the Cougars' top scorer and rebounder, forward Louis Truscott, was saddled with foul trouble most of the night. He finished with 17 points, but only four of those came in the first half when the Cajuns built a 35-19 lead.
"That was frustrating,' said Truscott, who entered with 16.7 scoring and 11.8 rebounding averages. "That and all the second half points they got. We'd play good defense for 25 seconds and they'd get the rebound.'
The Cajuns, starting a four-game road swing, took the lead for good at 6-5 on Michael Southall's inside basket just over five minutes into the game. The lead was at double figures six minutes before halftime when Williams took a feed from Cameron for an easy layup that made it 25-15.
That was one of several easy buckets for the Cajuns in transition.
"They got behind our defense time and time again,' said McCallum. "We struggled there, but mostly we're not handing pressure well and not rebounding.'
Southall added 12 points and seven rebounds despite foul trouble of his own, playing only 13 minutes. But he had lots of help.
"When the big guy's out, we're not as coordinated on the floor,' Evans said, "but we were able to extend the floor and keep pressure on them.'
The Cougars, losers of five straight, never got the margin below 14 points in the second half. And, after Truscott's follow basket with 10:13 left made it 51-36, Houston went the next seven minutes without a field goal.
Immanuel Washington's free throw and an inside basket by Chris Williams, another Houston product, provided the largest lead at 70-42 with 3:34 left. UH scored the next 11 points to make the final score closer than the game itself.
"We pretty much felt we had the game under control after we got ahead in the first half,' Cedric Williams said. "Then we came out in the second half and turned the intensity up, and that was it.'
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South Alabama next challenge for hot Cajuns
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald
LAFAYETTE - South Alabama won its first two Sun Belt Conference basketball games last season, and then proceeded to lose 13 straight.
The Jaguars' only wins after December last year came over Georgia Southwestern and Bethune-Cookman.
Many USA fans may consider this year's 6-5 non-conference record a runaway success, but new coach John Pelphrey knows that it's league play that will make or break his squad.
And the Jags aren't exactly easing into the Sun Belt slate. USA (6-6, 0-1) fell to a much-improved New Orleans team by nine points, 70-61, on the road in its league opener Saturday, and will open its league home slate against the conference's other hot team when UL Lafayette visits Mobile on Thursday.
"We're going to find out where we're at in a hurry, and we may not like it," Pelphrey said. "You've got to play everybody anyway, but this is a great challenge. We played well at UNO, but they played better and deserved to win."
A win at New Orleans wasn't expected, but defending the home court is expected in the Sun Belt. That's what the Jaguars didn't do last year, and haven't done in the last two seasons when the Ragin' Cajuns have visited the Mitchell Center.
"We've been fortunate to win over there," said Cajun coach Jessie Evans, whose team will take a four-game win streak into its Thursday 7:05 p.m. league road opener. "We're looking forward to the test."
Evans' Cajuns will see a different South Alabama team this year, with the patient attack of previous squads replaced by a team averaging almost 80 points per game. Last season, the USA squad never scored more than 76 points in a regulation game.
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"They've always been a good defensive team," Evans said, "but now they're playing freer and with less of a conscience shooting the ball."
Pelphrey, who took over the USA program after six years as an assistant at Florida, doesn't make a big deal of an attack that's scoring 14 more points on the average than last season - or that his team is only one win short of matching last year's victory total.
"We haven't judged anything on what's happened in the past," he said. "Overnight success doesn't happen overnight.
"Whether you play well in terms of scoring and rebounding, it's important to bring it every night and be ready to play. We've got to play with mental toughness and focus. We don't base anything on scoring."
It doesn't hurt that juco transfer Chris Young is averaging 18.1 points and has hit 54 three-pointers this year, though.
Returnees Demetrice Williams (14.7) and Henry Williams (12.9) are the other main cogs in that attack.
Defensively, the Jaguars are forcing over 20 turnovers per game and lead the Sun Belt in turnover margin, making up for rebouding struggles. Sophomore Justin White at 6-foot-9 is the only Jag over 6-6, and he's only averaging six minutes per game.
"We've defended well and rebounded well for some periods," Pelphrey said, "but we've got to do it night in and night out. The whole thing starts with defense and rebounding for us."
"They defend better than anyone we've played," Evans said. "They're a lot like us ... they like to extend the floor and bring pressure, and they do a good job of disguising what they do defensively. They probably extend the floor more than we do, so we've got to take care of the basketball."
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Cajuns go for three straight against Jaguars
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald /
MOBILE, Ala. - Louisiana's men's basketball team has won two straight games at South Alabama's Mitchell Center.
But that was against a Jaguar team that prided itself on slow-paced, low-scoring (read: dull) games, something that probably won't happen when the Ragin' Cajuns open their Sun Belt Conference road schedule tonight at 7:05 p.m. against the USA squad.
This is definitely not your father's Jaguar squad.
USA struggled to a 7-21 record last season, including a pair of losses to the Cajuns, and lost its last 13 Sun Belt games. New coach John Pelphrey has installed a high-pressure, high-intensity attack that has already produced dividends to the tune of a 6-6 record entering tonight's rivalry renewal.
"We have enough talent on this team, if we go out and play extremely hard, we can compete and beat anybody on our schedule," said Pelphrey. "We've shown that at times, but we haven't been able to do it consistently."
That will be the biggest challenge for the Jags against a Cajun squad that has found consistency over the past two weeks. UL (9-4, 1-0) enters tonight's game on a four-game win streak, including an 81-74 home win over New Mexico State last Thursday in its league opener.
Tonight's battle will be the first of seven Sun Belt road games, though.
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"You've got to win at home," said Cajun head coach Jessie Evans, "and then find a way to win a few on the road. We've been fortunate enough to win in Mobile the last couple of times, but we can't use those two wins to our advantage any more. They don't mean anything this year."
The Jaguars already have a conference road loss, falling at surprising New Orleans 70-61 on Saturday and opening their home league slate tonight, but Pelphrey said he's not approaching this game as a must-win situation.
"You can't do that or you'll get overwhelmed," he said. "The only thing we can worry about right now is Lafayette. It's a great challenge and a win would do a lot for us, but we know we'll have to play really well because Lafayette's the kind of team that you wouldn't be surprised to see in the NCAA Tournament or even in the sweet 16."
The Cajuns took a 73-68 win last year, completing a sweep of the Jaguars, and enter tonight's play as the top-scoring team in the league with a 79.2 scoring average. In contrast to previous years, though, South Alabama is third in the league and averaging 77.9 points per outing.
That's not to say that the Jags don't defend, though. Far from it, according to Evans.
"They defend better than anybody we've played," he said. "They're going to bring pressure, and they've got athletes that can extend the defense and cause you problems."
USA leads the league in steals (10.75/game) and is forcing a conference-high 20.5 turnovers per game, but the Jaguars also have two of the league's top 10 scorers in guards Chris Young (18.1, 3rd) and Demetrice Williams (14.7, 10th)
Cajun junior guard Brad Boyd (18.0) is fourth in the league in scoring, and Young and Boyd rank one-two in the league in three-point baskets.
"They do an excellent job on the perimeter offensively and defensively," said Evans. "Demetrice is even quicker this year because he's stronger, and Young has come in and given them a big boost."
It's in the interior that the Cajuns should have an advantage, with Michael Southall (13.5, 6.9), Chris Cameron (8.1, 4.5) and Cedric Williams (9.9, 4.4) all three or more inches taller than USA's biggest regular. Williams had career highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds in a hometown return Saturday during UL Lafayette's 72-56 win at Houston.
Southall, meanwhile, had scored double figures in four straight games, not surprisingly all Cajun wins.
"When we do make mistakes, it's because of our size," said Pelphrey. "That usually leads to easy baskets or fouls."
MOBILE, Ala. - Senior forward Anthony Johnson is still a questionable performer for UL Lafayette's basketball battle at South Alabama tonight.
Johnson, who ranks eighth in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring with 15.8 points per game and is 10th in rebounding, has missed the Ragin' Cajuns' last three games with an ankle sprain suffered in the first half against Loyola-Chicago. X-rays at the time were negative.
Johnson had been expected to return to play this week, but aggravated a hamstring on that same leg during a Monday practice.
"I'm taking it one day at a time," said Johnson. "It feels good right now, but not 100 percent ... it's really tight. I'm starving to get back out there. This is my last year and I've missed three games already."
Cajun head coach Jessie Evans said that Johnson's status won't be determined until just prior to the 7:05 p.m. tipoff.
"We're reluctant to bring him back too quickly," he said. "He probably tried something in practice that he shouldn't have attempted at that point, but players are going to play and explosive players are going to explode."
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UL to take on South Alabama tonight
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advocate-BOBBY ARDOIN
LAFAYETTE -- The University of Louisiana men's basketball team has played only four of its 13 games this season at the Cajundome.
UL coach Jessie Evans said visitng so many different arenas will help the Cajuns during the Sun Belt Conference portion of the schedule.
The Cajuns (9-4, 1-0) are in the middle of another extended road trip at 7:05 p.m. today in Mobile, Ala., when ULL meets South Alabama in a SBC game set for The Mitchell Center.
The USA game is the second of a road swing which includes a 7 p.m. Saturday game at The University of New Orleans and a Wednesday night nonconference contest at Providence.
The Cajuns were 5-4 after participating in two holiday season tournaments in addition to playing at Mississippi State, McNeese State, Birmingham Southern and Houston.
"I think our schedule is going to be an advantage for us when we go on the road to play our conference games," Evans said.
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"Once again we're the visiting team. We've played at some tough places and won at a couple of them like Mississippi State and at the Harlton Coliseum against (North Carolina) Charlotte.
"In this game (USA) I think it's safe to say, you can throw everything out the window when it comes to talking about advantages."
The Jaguars (6-6, 0-1) are under first-year head coach John Pelphrey, a former University of Kentucky standout and college assistant under Billy Donovan at Marshall University and the University of Florida.
USA lost to UNO 70-61 at Lakefront Arena on Saturday night.
Evans said the Jaguars have changed their offensive personality under Pelphrey, who took over the program in March from Bob Weltlich.
"I think what has happened with (USA) is (Pelphrey) has breathed some new life into them offensively.
"Defensively they really get down the floor and they are more up-tempo and quicker to take shots.
"They have less of a conscience offensively now on the perimeter than they did with Bob, who emphasized defense and shot selection.
"Looking at tapes of them, I think that they have adapted to the new style real well," Evans said.
The Jaguars had 13 straight conference losses under Weltlich and now one under Pelphrey, whose expressed displeasure at the way his team rebounded and played defense against UNO.
Chris Young a junior college transfer, is the leading USA scorer (18.1 points per game), while seniors Demetrice Williams (14.7 ppg) and Henry Williams (12.9) are next.
Evans also likes the ability of Jaguars forward Marques Ivy (7.2 ppg) and forward Malerick Bedden (11.3 ppg).
Demetrice Williams, a 6-2 guard, is also the Jaguars top rebounder (4.6 rebounds per game).
South Alabama averages only 30.7 rebounds per game and the UNO contest marked the third straight game in which the Jaguars have pulled fewer than 30 missed shots off the boards.
The Cajuns are outrebounding their opponents 37-35 this season.
Evans said the USA game with mark the return of forward Anthony Johnson (15.8 ppg), who was sidelined the last few games because of an ankle sprain.
Johnson has not fully recovered from the injury.
"He (Johnson) tweaked the ankle again during practice on Monday, but he's still about 90 percent right now," Evans said.
ULL will start guard Brad Boyd (18.0 ppg), who has taken 147 of his total 191 shots this season from 3-point range.
Other expected starers incude center Michael Southall (13.5 ppg, 6.9 repo), guard Laurie Bridges (11.1 ppg) forward Cedric Williams (9.9 ppg) and guard Kenneth Lawrence.
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I have a feel on this years basketball team
I can go into detail if you don't get mmy drift but here is my take on the team so far this year.
If you pull a piece of the puzzle (lose a player) out, it is no big deal the Cajuns win.
If you try to put the same piece back in, the Cajuns struggle and lose.
Second half surge lifts Jags over Cajuns
<blockquote><p align=justify>Dan McDonald
Posted on January 10, 2003
MOBILE, Ala. - Sun Belt Conference basketball games often come down to one shot.
Not normally, though, are those shots bank-in three-pointers.
South Alabama's Chris Young was the beneficiary of that friendly carom, and it was his trey with 1:06 left that turned the tide in favor of the host Jaguars and snapped the longest losing streak in the league.
UL Lafayette's favored Ragin' Cajuns never recovered in that closing minute, and USA held on for a 93-89 victory that gave the Jaguars their first conference victory in over a calendar year.
"I heard him call the bank,' said USA first-year head coach John Pelphrey, "so it counts.'
The Jaguars (7-6, 1-1) inbounded the ball in front of their own bench with 1:12 left and with eight seconds on the shot clock. Young took a pass from Henry Williams and lofted a prayer over two Cajun defenders that kissed off the glass and hit home to turn an 81-80 lead into a four-point advantage.
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"Coach wants me to make plays, and that's what I tried to do,' said Young, who hit three treys and had 14 points by halftime. "But I've never made one of those.'
The stunned Cajuns (9-5, 1-1) turned the ball over on their next possession on an attempted pass into the post, and USA hit nine free throws in the final 52 seconds to take their first league win and take their first win over the Cajuns in the Mitchell Center in three seasons.
"That was demoralizing,' said Cajun head coach Jessie Evans. "If he doesn't hit that, it's a one-point game, we've got the ball and we're going right into (Michael) Southall.'
Southall and Anthony Johnson, neither of which started the game, each had 13 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to hold off a USA team that rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit.
The Cajuns, losing their first league game in their first road attempt, used a 12-0 run midway through the first half to build the 48-39 intermission lead. However, USA scored the second half's first eight points, and then used a 10-1 run four minutes later to take the lead for good. Malerick Bedden's driving dunk at the 12:32 mark gave USA a 57-55 lead, and the Jags never trailed again.
Bedden was a surprise hero, getting 16 of his 20 points in the second half. He had 15 points in the first 15 minutes of the final half.
"He chased down balls and offensive rebounded,' Pelphrey said of Bedden, who also had a game-high 11 boards. "He has to do things like that, and tonight he wasn't going to be denied.'
Young and Bedden were joined by senior Demetrice Williams at the 20-point mark, the first triple-20 performance by the Jaguars this season on the way to a tie for the most points ever scored in the Mitchell Center.
In fact, all five USA starters scored in double figures.
"Offensively, we were fine,' Evans said. "Defensively, we didn't get the job done. We gave up too many points in the first half even though we were ahead, and in the second half they got some confidence and sustained it the rest of the way.'
Johnson, seeing his first action since Dec. 28 because of an injured ankle, made a statement on his first basket with a driving dunk that came in the 12-0 first-half run. He hit a three-pointer three minutes later that made it 37-29 and also made him the 34th 1,000-point career scorer in UL Lafayette history.
Southall and Johnson both entered the game at the 15:44 mark of the first half, with Southall not starting for disciplinary reasons. Both finished 8-for-11 from the field and each had eight rebounds.
USA led by as many as six points three times in the final eight minutes, but the Cajuns hung close and were still within 81-80 on a short jumper by Johnson at 2:04 and Southall's free throw at 1:39. UL Lafayette then had a strong defensive trip downcourt and forced the fateful inbounds pass near the one-minute mark.
"We got it down to eight on the clock and put pressure on,' Evans said, "but they got a prayer answered and we knew it was going to be tough after that. It was that kind of night.'
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Cajuns face key Sun Belt battle at New Orleans
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald
NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana basketball coach Jessie Evans knows his team could have claimed a hard-to-get Sun Belt Conference road victory on Thursday night.
The Ragin' Cajuns get another chance tonight, but it won't be any easier.
In fact, when the Cajuns travel down I-10 to take on the Privateers of New Orleans, they'll be facing the hottest team in the league.
UNO (9-4, 2-0) posted a 65-55 home win over New Mexico State on Thursday, putting the Privateers atop the Sun Belt's West Division, and the Cajuns will be trying to keep pace when the clubs renew their rivalry at 7 p.m. at Lakefront Arena.
The Cajuns (9-5, 1-1) dropped a 93-89 decision to South Alabama on Thursday after leading by nine points at halftime.
"We let one get away tonight," Evans said after the host Jaguars (7-6, 1-1) shot almost 57 percent from the field in the second half and committed only six turnovers the entire game. "It was always a one or two possession game, and I always thought we were going to make a play."
The Cajuns never regained the lead in the final 12 minutes, though, and now face the prospects of falling near the bottom of the early-season West race unless they can claim their first conference road victory.
That's a daunting task. The Privateers beat South Alabama 70-61 last Saturday, and tonight's game will be UNO's third straight conference game at home. The Privateers currently hold a 12-game home winning streak after Thursday's win over the Aggies, one in which UNO clamped down defensively.
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NMSU shot only 40 percent from the field and less than that in the second half when UNO outscored their visitors 20-5 in the first 11 minutes after halftime.
"Any time you hold a team like them to 40 percent, your whole team has done a good job defensively," said UNO head coach Monte Towe. "We're trying to get after people, and our kids are buying into the idea of guarding people."
Defense is one area that Evans wasn't thrilled with on Thursday. South Alabama tied the Mitchell Center record for team scoring with its 93 points.
"We gave up too many points," he said. "Offensively, we were fine. Defensively, we didn't get the job done."
Anthony Johnson and Michael Southall both came off the bench for 21 points and eight rebounds, and both also shot 8-for-11 from the floor. However, USA battled even (20-20) on the boards with the taller Cajuns in the second half and forced 15 turnovers in the game.
The Jaguars scored 22 points off Cajun turnovers in the game, while UL Lafayette got a season-low seven points off USA turnovers.
The Cajuns are getting scoring from several sources, with Johnson (16.3) and Southall (14.2) joining guards Brad Boyd (17.3) and Laurie Bridges (11.2) as twin-digit scorers and Cedric Williams (9.6) and Chris Cameron (8.2) also contributing regularly.
Johnson, who had missed the Cajuns' previous four games with an ankle injury, also went over the 1,000-point mark in his career and enters the game in 34th place (1,014) on the career scoring list.
UNO, on the other hand, is getting most of its scoring from two sources, but they're pretty solid sources.
Forward Hector Romero, the Sun Belt's Player of the Year last season, leads the Sun Belt in scoring at 21.4 per game and continued a string of 41 straight double-figure performances Thursday with a three-pointer with 17 seconds left that gave him 12.
Teammate and newcomer Johnell Smith led UNO with 15 in that win and is averaging 16.0 per contest, and was also part of a defensive effort that held NMSU's top three scorers to a combined 18 points.
"We know we're going to another tough place to play," said Evans, whose squad dropped a last-second 63-61 decision at Lakefront last year. "South Alabama's a tough place to go in and win, but so is UNO."
Sun Belt Conference Standings
East
Conference AllGames
W L Pct. W L Pct.
Middle Tennessee 2 0 1.000 6 8 .429
W. Kentucky 1 1 .500 8 6 .571
Ark.-Little Rock 0 1 .000 9 6 .600
Arkansas St. 0 1 .000 6 7 .462
Fla. International 0 2 .000 6 9 .400
West
New Orleans 2 0 1.000 9 4 .692
Denver 1 0 1.000 9 6 .600
North Texas 1 0 1.000 6 7 .462
UL Lafayette 1 1 .500 9 5 .643
South Alabama 1 1 .500 7 6 .538
New Mexico St. 0 2 .000 8 4 .667
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Johnson leads Cajuns to key Sun Belt win over Privateers
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Bruce Brown
NEW ORLEANS - Sometimes, a team has to pull together when things get challenging.
Louisiana's short-handed Ragin' Cajuns did just that Saturday night at Lakefront Arena, using 24 clutch points from Anthony Johnson to earn a 78-71 Sun Belt Conference victory over the UNO Privateers.
The Cajuns played without leading scorer Brad Boyd, who was seriously injured in an automobile accident on I-49 Friday night and remained in Lafayette.
They played without center Michael Southall for the last 4:46 of the contest when he was called for his fifth foul.
But they played with determination before a crowd of 3,283 that was clad largely in red in support of their effort.
"It was an important road win, because they were in first place and we're trying to get back to first after losing to South Alabama on Thursday," Johnson said. "It was very important to win this one on the road."
Johnson made sure that happened, hitting 15-of-18 free throws including 11 in crunch time after the Privateers had closed to within 60-54.
"I felt comfortable with the ball in my hands down the stretch," Johnson said. "I'm a senior, and I wanted to step up and make big plays like tonight."
The Cajuns, who improved to 10-5 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt, got a call from Boyd just before taking the court. Only then did they discover that a vehicle he was riding in on the way to Opelousas had flipped as the driver tried to avoid a car coming the wrong way on the Interstate.
"He's pretty badly shaken up," coach Jessie Evans said. "They took X-rays, and I don't think he has any internal injuries. When he called, he sounded like he was hurting. But he wanted us to know he was thinking about us.
"Our locker room was quiet before the game. It's not usually quiet."
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One reason the Cajuns were able to drop UNO to 9-5 and 2-1 was their control of 2002 SBC Player of the Year Hector Romero, who got off just nine shots and finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
"We wanted to try and box Hector out," said freshman Cedric Williams, who had 13 points and eight rebounds. "We didn't want to go for his head fakes. He uses the up fake a lot of the time and gets guys up in the air.
"I guess we did a good job."
"Twelve and six is good for a normal player, but not for Hector Romero," Evans said. "We got him in foul trouble early, and their offense wasn't quite as effective without him.
"We did not want to allow their top guns to beat us. We wanted to make the other players step up."
Unsung Billy McDade almost did that, nailing four straight 3-point bombs to bring the Privateers from 46-32 behind to just 52-44.
"McDade got some good looks, and his shots were like line drives," said Evans, who improved to 10-3 against UNO as UL Lafayette's coach.
The Cajuns ran to a quick 17-9 lead and used a 10-0 spurt at the end of the half to grab a 32-20 advantage at intermission. Actually, it should have been 35-20, but Johnson's running 3-pointer at the buzzer was waved off.
Laurie Bridges (10 points) nailed a trey to start the second half, but the Cajuns got off just four shots in the first eight minutes of the period as UNO crept to within 40-32.
Typically, Johnson broke the drought when he followed up a breakaway miss by Robert Jupiter with a slam dunk.
The last double-digit Cajun lead was at 57-46, before UNO began to chip away. Romero's basket underneath pulled his team within 70-66 with 31.5 seconds left, and a 3-pointer from Kyle Buggs had the Privateers down by 72-69.
The Cajuns' Chris Cameron made a free throw, answered by a Buggs drive for a 73-71 count, but Johnson made the last five points of the night.
"My time is short as a senior," said Johnson, who returned to action at South Alabama after missing three games with a leg injury. "I was anxious to get back on the floor."
Johnson suffered foot and calf injuries in the rugged game, but kept returning to action to help pull the Cajuns through.
"Without Brad, Coach just told us to play hard," Johnson said. "When UNO was making their run, we just got together and talked during timeouts and on the court," Williams said. "We wanted to calm down and stay focused."
Sometimes that's easier said than done, but the Cajuns were up to the task.
UL Lafayette 78, New Orleans 71
UL LAFAYETTE (10-5, 2-1)
Chris Cameron 3-9 1-2 7, Khadim Kandji 0-2 0-0 0, Kenneth Lawrence 1-5 2-4 4, Immanuel Washington 3-3 0-0 6, Laurie Bridges 3-8 2-3 10, Robert Jupiter 1-5 2-2 5, Anthony Johnson 4-6 15-18 24, Cedric Williams 5-7 3-5 13, Michael Southall 2-3 5-7 9. Totals 22-48 30-41 78.
NEW ORLEANS (9-5, 2-1)
Kentrell Martin 2-3 2-4 6, Hector Romero 5-9 2-2 12, Nerijus Lisauskas 0-1 0-0 0, A.J. Meredity 0-3 2-2 2, Johnell Smith 5-14 4-6 15, Billy McDade 4-11 1-2 13, Victor Brown 6-12 3-6 15, Ben Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Jason Mann 0-1 1-2 1, Kyle Buggs 3-7 0-0 7. Totals 25-61 15-24 71.
Half-UL Lafayette 32, UNO 20. Three-point goals-UL Lafayette 4-14 (Bridges 2-4, Johnson 1-3, Jupiter 1-4, Cameron 0-1, Lawrence 0-2), UNO 6-23 (McDade 4-9, Smith 1-3, Buggs 1-5, Romero 0-3, Meredith 0-3). Fouled out-Southall, Martin, Romero, Smith. Rebounds-UL Lafayette 43 (Williams 8, Cameron 7, Johnson 7, Southall 6, Kandji 5, Lawrence 3, Washington 2, Bridges 2, Jupiter 1, team 2), UNO 29 (Brown 7, Romero 6, Meredith 5, Smith 4, Lisauskas 2, McDade 2, Mann 1, team 2). Assists-UL Lafayette 10 (Lawrence 4, Johnson 2, Williams 2, Washington 1, Jupiter 1), UNO 17 (Meredith 5, Romero 3, Smith 3, Martin 2, Buggs 2, McDade 1, Brown 1). Blocks-UL Lafayette 3 (Johnson 2, Kandji 1), UNO 5 (Martin 2, Romero 1, Smith 1, Brown 1). Steals-UL Lafayette 11 (Lawrence 2, Washington 2, Johnson 2, Southall 2, Kandji 1, Bridges 1, Jupiter 1), UNO 12 (Smith 6, Meredith 2, McDade 2, Martin 1, Romero 1). Minutes-UL Lafayette, Lawrence 31, Bridges 29, Williams 26, Washington 24, Johnson 23, Cameron 22, Southall 22, Jupiter 13, Kandji 10; UNO, Meredith 35, Smith 34, Romero 28, Brown 26, Martin 20, McDade 20, Buggs 19, Lisauskas 8, Mann 7, Wilson 3. Turnovers-UL Lafayette 21, UNO 16. Total fouls-UL Lafayette 24, UNO 28. Technicals-Romero. Officials-David Stevens, Sean Casady, James Breeding. Attendance-3,283.
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UL overcomes injuries to beat UNO, 78-71
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advocate-LES EAST
NEW ORLEANS -- The University of Louisiana overcame the loss of leading scorer Brad Boyd and won a war of attrition, 78-71, over the University of New Orleans on Saturday night in Lakefront Arena.
Boyd stayed home in Lafayette after being injured in a car accident between Lafayette and his home in Opelousas on Friday night.
Boyd's teammates learned the details of his accident when he phoned the locker room moments before tip-off to wish his teammates luck.
"The X-rays showed nothing internally, but Brad sounded like he was hurting," Ragin' Cajuns coach Jessie Evans said. "When he called it got very quiet in our locker room, which is unusual.
"Everyone wanted to listen to what Brad had to say. We won this game for Brad."
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Senior guard Anthony Johnson helped make up for the absence of Boyd's 17-point average by scoring a game-high 24 points, making 15-of-18 foul shots, including seven in the final 29 seconds.
"I'm a senior and I'm confident as a leader," Johnson said. "It was very important to get a win on the road."
UL (10-5 and 2-1 in the Sun Belt Conference) bounced back from a 93-89 loss at South Alabama on Thursday. The Cajuns play at Providence in a non-conference game Wednesday.
UNO, which had won 12 straight at home, is 9-5 and 2-1 going its Sun Belt game at Western Kentucky on Thursday.
Johnson left the game three times for injuries to his foot, knee and calf but finished.
Center Michael Southall, the Cajuns' third-leading scorer, missed several minutes in the first half after being hit in the head. He had nine points and six rebounds before fouling out.
Three Privateers fouled out in a game in which 52 fouls were called. UL-Lafayette made 30-of-41 foul shots, UNO 15-of-24.
"I've never heard of 52 fouls in a game," said forward Hector Romero, the Privateers' leading scorer who fouled out after scoring just 12 points, nine below his average, and taking just nine shots.
Victor Brown scored a season-high 15 points to match Johnell Smith as UNO's leading scorers. Billy McDade had 13, including four 3-pointers that fueled a second-half comeback.
"Defensively we did a fine job," Evans said. "We talked about not allowing their top guns beat us, making others beat us."
Cedric Williams had 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds for UL-Lafayette. Laurie Bridges scored 10.
"It was hard to play real hard defensively because they were calling everything," Williams said. "They told us before the game they were going to call it tight."
UL-Lafayette finished the first half with a 10-0 run and the first basket of the second was Bridges' 3-pointer that gave the Cajuns a 35-20 lead.
UNO coach Monte Towe left the arena without speaking to reporters.
"It was a war and that's the way it's going to be when we play New Orleans," Evans said.
"It's always been that way. I was pleased with the composure our guys showed."
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Johnson takes up slack for Cajun hoop squad in win over UNO
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Bruce Brown
LAFAYETTE - If there is someone Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns would rather see than Anthony Johnson with his hands on the ball when it counted most, the list would be a short one.
The senior forward had missed three games with an ankle sprain before returning to action for a pair of crucial Sun Belt Conference road games last week at South Alabama and New Orleans, and quickly showed fans what they had been missing.
In last Thursday's 93-89 loss at USA, Johnson pumped in 21 points in just 28 minutes off the bench. That enabled him to become the 34th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Then, when the Cajuns met UNO on Saturday without injured leading scorer Brad Boyd, Johnson again showed why he is so valuable when he is on his game by scoring 24 points including 15-of-18 free throws.
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That was enough to hand the pesky Privateers their first loss at home, 78-71, and improve the Cajuns to 10-5 overal and 2-1 in the Sun Belt.
Johnson hit 8-of-11 from the floor at USA and 4-of-6 against UNO, as well as pulling down eight and seven rebounds in the two contests.
"We know he is capable of making the spectacular play," coach Jessie Evans said of Johnson. "What we've been working with Anthony on is making the fundamental play, the easy play. Then the spectacular plays will take care of themselves.
"We want him to be a sound basketball player. It was good to see him step up at the free throw line (11 of Johnson's 15 charity hits came after UNO closed to within 60-54 of the visitors).
"And, against their press, we usually like to send him long, out of the play. But he was the one who suggested that he fake long and come back to the ball. That's what you like to see in your seniors."
The New Orleans press helped get the Privateers back in the game (along with unexpected 3-point marksmanship from freshman Billy McDade), but the Cajuns held together for the key road victory.
"I was pleased with the composure the guys had," Evans said. "In a panic situation, they have the option of having a turnover or calling timeout. We allow them to grow up and get leadership on the floor."
It wasn't all perfect, of course. The Cajuns suffered 16 turnovers - some forced, others by mistakes - but the overall result was a delight to the numerous red-clad Cajun backers among the crowd of 3,283 at Lakefront Arena.
"Our fans have been so good to us," freshman Cedric Willliams said. "They helped us a lot."
"I felt good seeing all that red in the stands," said Evans, whose team travels to face Big East member Providence on Wednesday. "We always have a good crowd here."
In a rugged game like Saturday's, in which Cajun center Michael Southall fouled out with 4:46 to play and the Privateers lost three to disqualifications including 2002 SBC Player of the Year Hector Romero, any edge was appreciated.
"It's a war," Evans said. "It's always that way when we play UNO. We needed everybody, but we use them all the time in practice. We know they can play."
It was Johnson, who survived a couple of hard fouls to keep playing, who lifted the Cajuns over the top.
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Boyd may not suit up until Saturday
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald
<b>Accident slows down Cajuns'' point man.</b>
LAFAYETTE - Louisiana head basket- ball coach Jessie Evans isn't sure he wants Brad Boyd to make today's trip with his Ragin' Cajun teammates.
It's not that he doesn't want the junior's 17.3 points per game or his 60 three-pointers this season on the court Wednesday night when the Cajuns take on Big East Conference member Providence in an intersectional game. But he wants to make sure that Boyd's healthy for the Sun Belt Conference battles to follow.
Boyd was injured in an automobile accident late Friday night and did not make the trip to New Orleans Saturday, when the Cajuns took a 78-71 league win. In fact, he hasn't made many trips out of his dormitory bed since early Saturday when he returned there after a stop by the emergency room following his accident.
"He still hasn't moved very much," said roommate Laurie Bridges on Monday. "When the alarm went off today, he asked me to turn it off for him."
Boyd did make it to the Cajuns' practice session Monday afternoon, but was limited and Evans was looking more at a return for Saturday's home conference battle with Florida International.
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"My suggestion would be for him to stay here and not travel," he said, "and work on being ready for Saturday. He was so sore he couldn't raise his arms over his head Sunday morning. He's getting better and sounded a lot better today."
Boyd and a companion flipped over Friday evening on Interstate 49, avoiding another automobile driving down the wrong way on the divided highway.
X-rays and other examinations showed no major or internal injuries, but the bruising and soreness were still present Monday. And, the physical brand of basketball prevalent among Big East teams may provide more of a deterrent to his participation Wednesday.
But Evans said he'll leave the final decision up to the medical staff, and to Boyd.
"If they (doctors and trainers) release him and he feels like he's ready to go, then there's a chance," Evans said. "But he'll be the one to make that decision."
The Cajuns are making a habit of overcoming absences by some of their key players this year. UL Lafayette beat nationally-ranked Mississippi State in the season opener without Bridges, Michael Southall and Cedric Williams available due to academic problems.
Senior swingman Anthony Johnson missed three straight games with an ankle injury suffered in the Pepsi Classic in Charlotte, and the Cajuns won all three.
Johnson helped make up for Boyd's absence on Saturday, coming off the bench to score 24 points in 23 minutes.
"As long as we have six or seven guys available," Evans said, "I'm fine with that. We'd like to be at full strength every time, but there's no one guy on our team that we can't play without.The Cajuns are making a habit of overcoming absences by some of their key players this year. UL Lafayette beat nationally-ranked Mississippi State in the season opener without Bridges, Michael Southall and Cedric Williams unavailable due to academic problems.
Senior swingman Anthony Johnson missed three straight games with an ankle injury suffered in the Pepsi Classic in Charlotte, and the Cajuns won all three.
Johnson helped make up for Boyd´s absence on Saturday, coming off the bench to score 24 points in 23 minutes.
As long as we have six or seven guys available, Evans said, I´m fine with that. We´d like to be at full strength every time, but there´s no one guy on our team that we can´t play without.""
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Providence Friars hold off Cajuns
<blockquote><p align=justify>
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Louisiana's basketball squad shot better and rebounded better than Providence's Friars here Wednesday night, but didn't do either one well enough to overcome an error-prone performance.
The Ragin' Cajuns committed 18 turnovers - 10 more than the Big East Conference Friars - and Providence made that possession difference count in taking a 67-58 victory at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
The Friars (9-5) trailed the Cajuns 34-33 at halftime, but outscored the visitors 13-2 in the first four and one-half minutes of the second half to take the lead for good in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
Louisiana (10-6) shot 43.1 percent (22-51) from the field compared to the Friars' 41.0 mark (25-61) and held a 35-32 rebound advantage, but ball possession became the telling factor as the Cajuns wrapped up a four-game road swing by losing for only the second time this season after leading at halftime.
"We just can't turn the ball over like that," coach Jessie Evans said. "We're turning it over for no apparent reason.
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"We had clawed our way back into the game in the last few minutes and had it at a two-possession game, but turnovers just killed us."
The Cajuns trailed by as many as 10 points early in the second half when Sheiku Kabba's three-pointer gave the Friars a 46-36 lead, but responded with seven straight points to cut the margin to 46-43 on Anthony Johnson's steal and layup.
It was still a three-point game at 56-54 with just over six minutes left after a Johnson tipin, but the Cajuns went scoreless for the next five minutes and suffered four turnovers in the final 7:15.
Donnie McGrath's three-pointer at the 5:50 mark started a 7-0 Providence run and locked up the Friars' fifth straight home win.
"We didn't make big plays when we had to make them," said Evans, whose squad was playing without the services of injured leading scorer Brad Boyd. "We missed having Brad's leadership and his getting us into the offense, and also knocking down shots."
The Cajuns only hit 33 percent from the floor in the second half after a red-hot first 20 minutes in which the visitors led by as many as seven points.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Laurie Bridges and Kenneth Lawrence gave UL Lafayette a 12-6 lead with 13:37 left in the half, and baskets by Antoine Landry and Robert Jupiter overcame a four-point Friar lead and gave the Cajuns the one-point halftime lead.
Ryan Gomes, the game's leading scorer with 21 points, and Tuukka Kotti each had two baskets in the 13-2 Friar run early in the second half. Finland native Kotti had 13 points and Latvia product Maris Laksa had 12 as the other Providence twin-digit scorers.
Anthony Johnson had 11 of his 14 points in the second half to lead the Cajuns, coming off the bench after being a question mark to play due to a hyperextended knee. Bridges and Michael Southall each had 12 points and Lawrence had 10.
Southall also had nine rebounds, six in the first half when the Cajuns held a 17-10 advantage, but Providence was more than even on the boards in the second half and had 11 offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes.
"We thought we'd have an inside advantage," Evans said. "They were dropping two or three guys down on Mike, and that's when we have to reverse it and knock down shots."
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UL vs FIU Cajun home cooking
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald
LAFAYETTE - It's the big round building off Congress Street with the white roof.
Members of the UL basketball team may need even more detailed directions to find the Cajundome Saturday night.
The Ragin' Cajuns, fresh off a 67-58 loss at budding Big East Conference power Providence on Wednesday, return to Sun Belt Conference play at 7:05 p.m. Saturday against a depleted Florida International team.
When they do, it'll be the first home appearance since Jan. 2, and the second in a full 31 days.
"It'll be good to get home," said Cajun head coach Jessie Evans after Wednesday's game. "It seems like we've been on the road the whole season."
Actually, UL (10-6, 2-1 Sun Belt) has been on the road in all but one game since a Dec. 18 win over Bethune-Cookman. The only Cajundome appearance since then was the Jan. 2 81-74 win over New Mexico State in the conference opener.
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For those counting, it's nine out of 10 games on the road over the last month, with a 6-4 record to show for that streak. Now, the Cajuns have seven home games and only five road games the rest of the way, all of them league games.
Louisiana also plays its next two at home, beginning with Saturday's contest against FIU (6-10, 0-3) in which the Cajuns will face a team in turmoil.
The Golden Panthers opened their season with four straight wins including a road win at Princeton, but since then have lost nine out of 11 including three straight conference home games.
FIU also underwent its second player purge of the season, with regulars Taurance Johnson - a preseason second-team all-league pick - and Al Harris being dismissed from the squad by head coach Donnie Marsh. Harris was averaging 10.2 points and 5.5 boards per contest.
Evans, though, is more concerned about his own team, one that has committed 55 turnovers in its last three games and one that could easily have gone 3-0 in that streak instead of 1-2 had that number been smaller.
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