Shorthanded Cajuns endure physical showdown
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald
LAFAYETTE - Louisiana's backcourt was already beaten up and short-handed enough. That group didn't need for Saturday's Sun Belt Conference basketball contest against Florida International to deteriorate into a war.
The Ragin' Cajuns found themselves in one of their most physical battles of the season on Saturday, and the 64-51 win was more one of survival than anything else.
"We didn't expect it to be that physical," said junior guard Antoine Landry, who was forced into a lead role with the absence of backcourt mates Brad Boyd and Kenneth Lawrence. "They caught us off guard early."
The visiting Panthers, also feeling short-handed pains after head coach Donnie Marsh dismissed two players from his squad this week, didn't back down after falling behind by as many as 14 points at halftime.
In fact, FIU turned up the physical play, scoring the first 11 points of the second half to make it a three-point game.
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"We came out with some energy, some fire and some passion," Marsh said. "We got it to three, but they hit some big baskets when they needed to."
Getting those baskets, especially those from the perimeter, was a big question for the Cajuns. Boyd, the team's best shooter, was in street clothes on the bench recovering from an automobile accident one week ago, and Lawrence was with family in California after the tragic death of his one-year-old daughter in a house fire.
Landry, though, hit a pair of three-point baskets in the first six minutes and field-generaled the squad to the 34-20 halftime lead.
"We knew without Brad and KJ that we were going to have to step up outside," he said. "I knew if I hit a couple of shots, that would get the team going."
Robert Jupiter did the rest of the outside damage, hitting five three-point shots including three in the second half when FIU staged its rally.
During much of that half, the Cajuns played without a true point guard, with junior Immanuel Washington coming closest to filling that role.
"When coach put me in," he said, "he just said that somebody had to take over and give some leadership. We all kind of took care of the ball as a team. We've been working on that since we started practice in the fall, all of us working on ball handling in case this happened."
He and several other Cajuns also provided a physical presence, one evident in the many struggles for loose balls and a high contact level on shot attempts. Senior swingman Anthony Johnson wound up on the floor several times after releasing shots.
"That's the way we have to play right now," said Marsh. "We have to be blue-collar, get in there and battle, and we're going to have to do it the rest of the year. We're going to have to play a different style. Teams might as well throw tapes away to this point, because we won't look anything like that the rest of the way."
Washington, for one, relished the physicality.
"This was a lot like we played in junior college," he said. "I love playing that way."
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With backcourt out, Cajuns subdue FIU
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Bruce Brown
LAFAYETTE - Brad Boyd was in street gear, still sore from a serious auto accident he endured last weekend.
Kenneth Lawrence was in California, tragically called home by the death of his infant daughter.
Despite an absence of backcourt starters, though, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns withstood yet another challenge in this unusual campaign Saturday night when they dispatched Sun Belt Conference foe Florida International 64-51 before 6,010 fans at the Cajundome.
The Cajuns won their 16th straight game in the 'Dome, improving to 11-6 overall and 3-1 in the Sun Belt, while FIU fell to 6-11, 0-4.
"Without Brad, I felt I had to step up and make shots, and without KJ (Lawrence) I had to handle the ball more," said senior guard Robert Jupiter, who nailed 5-of-8 3-point baskets for a team-high 17 points.
"Everybody on this team can play more than one position."
"Without our starting backcourt, we were missing 22-23 points and a great deal of leadership," coach Jessie Evans said. "Plus, those two do 85-90 percent of our ball handling, so we knew it would be tough tonight."
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It was a physical battle, especially when the Panthers closed to within three points early in the second half. Two players were dismissed from the team earlier in the week by coach Donnie Marsh, and FIU was 0-for-15 from 3-point range Saturday night.
"Obviously," Marsh said, "a lot of credit goes to UL. They imposed their will on us in the first half. We didn't compete, and you can't spot a talented team that many points."
The Cajuns ended the first half with a 9-2 run for a 34-20 lead at intermission, before an 11-point surge started the second half for the visitors and drew them within 34-31.
"We came out with energy, fire and passion," Marsh said of the surge. "We got it down to three, but one of their guys kept coming up with big shots."
"Jupe is a senior, and when we'd huddle up he would tell us to keep our heads," said sophomore center Michael Southall, who had 13 points (hitting 6-of-6 shots) and 8 rebounds.
"We know we can go out and play. If we keep our heads and play our game, we're tough to beat."
"In the first half," Evans said, "our defense came out and played really well to hold them to 20 points. But we knew they were not shooting well. I don't know if I've ever seen a team go 0-for-15 from 3-point range.
"They hit a couple of shots and we had a couple of turnovers early in the second half, but we were able to sustain our lead."
Surprisingly, a Cajun team lately troubled by turnovers had just 13 against the Panthers.
"I didn't even mention that Brad and KJ weren't there," Evans said. "It's like football; somebody's got to step up. Psychologically, I'm sure they were thinking about it.
"What hapens is, they become more fundamental in how they handle the press - they hit the middle, look opposite and go from there."
Southall could have had a higher point total, but preferred to involve others in the attack.
"I've learned, especially from the Providence game, that it's a team game," Southall said. "I needed to know how to get my teammates involved. I tried to kick it out for wide-open shots.
"The new guys feel more comfortable at home, so I tried to distribute the ball as much as possible."
Boyd and Lawrence will return only when ready. On Saturday, others shared the load.
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Louisiana vs Middle Tennessee
<CENTER><TABLE border=5 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width=357><tr align=center><TD width=100><Font Color=#DC143C><b>LOUISIANA</b></Font Color=#DC143C><TD width=150><Font Color=#DC143C><b>Cajun Dome</b></Font Color=#DC143C><TD width=100>MTSU</TD><TABLE><CENTER><TABLE border=5 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 height=0 width=345 Bgcolor= black><td><TABLE border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 height=0 width=345 ><TR><TD rowspan="5" align=center><center><center> </td><td colspan="5"><center><font color = "BC8F8F"size="0"> </TD><td ROWSPAN="5" ALIGN=center WIDTH="0"><center> </TD></TR><TR align=middle><td ROWSPAN="3" width=65 ><TABLE border=4 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 height=0 width=65><td Bgcolor="696969"><font color = "DCDCDC"size="7"><center>71</center></TD></table><td width=0> </TD><td width=170><center> </TD><td width=5></TD><td ROWSPAN="3" width=65 ><TABLE border=4 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 height=0 width=65><td Bgcolor="696969"><font color = "DCDCDC"size="7"><center>65</center></TD></table><tr><TD width=0><center> </TD><TD><TABLE border=3 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 height=0 width=0><td width=245 Bgcolor="8B0000"><SPAN CLASS=winbanner><font color=#DCDCDC size="+2"><marquee scrollamount=7><i>Michael Southall came to play</marquee></font></SPAN></TD></TABLE><td width=5><center> </TD><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD width=190><center> </TD><TD width=0></TD></tr><td colspan="5"><center><font color = "BC8F8F"size="0"> </TD></center></table></td></table></center></center>
A picture of the games top 3 performers
<center><table border=6><td><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/people/southall-michael-vs mtsu-2003.jpg"></td></table><p>Southall, Gunn, and the ref.
Re: Southall Came to Play??
Quote:
ORIGINAL POST BY RaginCajun08
I just think the way he played on paper looks better than he played on the court.
:confused:
I think you are in serious need of a trip to Lens Crafters. The Big Cheese played a whale of a game! I guess you missed his mid court steal,and slam dunk that brought the dome down, or the stolen pass about 11 feet in the air, or that he fouled out their big men, or that they were hanging onto his arms when he tried to go up for a shot or the 5 blocked shots that were at give me range. Did you not see MT collapse three on him, giving everybody else easy shots. NO, NO he is horrible can't get those chargers. YES,YES!!!! He could make more free throws, but my friend that has nothing to do with effort, if it did there would be many,many more people hitting 70 plus percentage.
Louisiana vs. North Texas
Two programs with almost opposite records. Cajuns should have no problem
Cajuns must take act on the road
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser-Dan McDonald
LAFAYETTE — Louisiana's men's basketball squad, thanks in great part to what head coach Jessie Evans calls his team’s ability to close out games, now holds the eighth-longest home-court winning streak in the country.
The Cajuns rallied back — twice — for a 71-65 win over Middle Tennessee at home on Saturday, giving UL its 17th straight Cajundome victory. Evans said that performance and three straight Sun Belt wins have come at an important time.
“We’re facing one of our more critical weeks of the season,” he said. “We’re going on the road to play two very capable basketball teams. We’re going to find out where we’re at.”
The Cajuns (12-6, 4-1) will travel to meet North Texas (6-12, 1-5) on Thursday and will go from there to face surprising Denver (12-8, 4-2).
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/sports/html/759FEB5E-E49B-45BE-970F-8E15DE5E6C1C.shtml">The rest of the story</a><!--
UNT has lost nine of its last 11 games, playing the last 10 without second-leading scorer Leonard Hopkins. The Mean Green also enters Thursday’s game on a five-game loss streak, all league games and four of them by eight points or less.
“They’ve struggled some,” Evans said, “but they play us extremely well. The last time we played they put a knot upside our head.”
That knot was a 78-59 UNT win at The Super Pit in Denton last year when the Cajuns shot an abysmal 29.7 percent from the field and watched a two-point halftime lead vanish in a hurry.
North Texas led much of the way in Saturda’s 76-71 road loss to South Alabama. UNT outscored its hosts by 18 points from the field, but USA shot 48 free throws.
“They’ve been in a lot of these games,” Evans said, “and just haven’t gotten it done at the end.”
That hasn’t been a problem for the Cajuns, who are now 11-0 this year when tied or leading with 10 minutes left.
“That comes from some things we do in practice,” said 6-10 senior center Khadim Kandji, who has started the last four games. “We play a defensive game at the end of practice every day, and it’s very competitive. Coach tells us late in games that it’s just like defensive game now.”
“We’ve got a little character,” Evans said, “and we’ve been able to close out some games. But if we don’t shoot free throws better, it could be a big problem on the road.”
The Cajuns were only 11-of-24 from the line against Middle Tennessee and were 6-of-18 at one point before making five of six in the final 36 seconds. UL Lafayette also struggled coming out of the locker room Saturday, with the Blue Raiders scoring 13 straight points.
That’s a trend that has occurred a lot more than Evans would have liked, but it’s a trend for which Kandji has a simple solution.
“We just need to come out of the locker room earlier,” he said Monday, “get more warmup so we can be more ready for the second half. We’re going to talk about that today at practice.”
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UL puts first-place on line at UNT
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser
DENTON, Texas — They’ve won four of their last six games on hostile courts, and a banked-in road three-pointer is the only thing between UL's men’s basketball team and a perfect Sun Belt Conference record.
But Ragin’ Cajun head coach Jessie Evans knows all that doesn’t matter a lot tonight when his squad opens a pivotal league swing at a place that hasn’t been particularly kind to the Cajuns.
UL (12-6, 4-1) puts first place in the league’s West Division on the line against North Texas (6-12, 1-5) in the first half of a weekend road trip. Tonight’s 7:05 contest will be followed by a Saturday 5 p.m. battle at surprising Denver — at 4-2 the Cajuns’ closest rivals in the West.
“This may be our most critical week of the season,” Evans said. “We’re playing two teams that have both played very well. North Texas has been in every game they’ve played.”
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/sports/html/A73CC4CC-F459-43E8-8D7B-34D1890DD120.shtml">The rest of the story</a><!--
The Mean Green is on a five-game losing streak, but all but one were single-digit margins including a 76-71 loss at South Alabama last Saturday.
UL Lafayette knows that feeling, falling 93-89 at USA back on Jan. 9 when Sun Belt leading three-point shooter Chris Young (4.28 per game) banked in a desperation trey in the closing seconds.
UNT has also lost its last three home games – by a combined eight points – in Sun Belt play. In fact, the last time the Eagles won a league game at the Super Pit was last year when they rolled past the Cajuns 78-59.
That 19-point loss is still fresh in their minds, especially since UL Lafayette’s other three conference losses last season came by a combined eight points.
“They put a knot upside our heads,” Evans said, “and they return a lot of those players.”
The most prominent returnee is senior forward Chris Davis, the Sun Belt’s second-leading scorer at 18.1. However, the Cajuns won’t have to face UNT’s second-ranked scorer, with guard Leonard Hopkins (12.7) sidelined the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered against Colorado.
Since that injury, the Mean Green has been less than mean, losing 10 of 12.
“That’s really hurt them,” Evans said. “They have struggled getting it done at the end of games, and that’s hard to do without your best guard.”
North Texas will, though, throw a lot of size at the Cajuns, going 6-9, 6-8, 6-8 across the front line and the 6-foot-5 Davis outrebounding all of them (7.4). The Eagles collect more rebounds per game (38.2) than any team in the Sun Belt.
“Davis can post you up and also shoot the three,” said Evans. “But what makes them tough is that have fine athletes on the interior. They’re not bulky, but they’re very versatile and I like the way they play a free-wheeling motion offense.”
The Cajun offense, on the other hand, was averaging almost 83 points per game in league play until its past two games. UL Lafayette won those home battles, 64-51 over Florida International and 71-65 over Middle Tennessee, but won both with defense.
The Cajuns’ last four opponents are shooting a combined 40.9 percent from the floor, and UL Lafayette forced 47 turnovers in those two wins including 27 last Saturday against MT.
The Cajuns, though, still have four double-figure scorers in their regular player rotation led by guard Brad Boyd (17.3), swingman Anthony Johnson (15.8) and sophomore center Michael Southall (14.2, 7.2 rebounds). Junior guard Laurie Bridges has also come alive, scoring double figures in seven of his last 10 games and now averaging 10.5 per outing.
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Re: Louisiana vs. North Texas
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Turbine
Two programs with almost opposite records. Cajuns should have no problem.>>>>>>>
Geeze, it was an ole' fashioned a** kickin'
Z.
Ragin’ Cajuns demolish North Texas
<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertiser
DENTON, Texas — Louisiana's men’s basketball team opened Thursday’s game with a 10-0 run and never looked back in dominating North Texas’ Mean Green 89-58 in a Sun Belt Conference contest here Thursday night.
The win was the Cajuns’ third straight overall and fourth straight in SBC play, and kept UL Lafayette (13-6, 5-1) in sole possession of first place in the West Division. It also avenged a 78-59 loss to UNT last season and was the largest margin of victory in a Sun Belt game since a 112-66 win over Texas-Pan American in 1998. North Texas, meanwhile, dropped its sixth straight conference game and remained winless at home in Sun Belt play.
Six players scored in double figures for the Cajuns led by Anthony Johnson’s 18 points off the bench. Michael Southall had 15 points, Robert Jupiter 12, Brad Boyd and Laurie Bridges 11 and Cedric Williams 10. Southall also had eight rebounds and four blocks.
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After the 10-0 run, UNT never got any closer than eight points thanks to 47 percent (30-of-64) shooting and forcing 25 turnovers from the Mean Green (6-13, 1-6). The Cajuns also took a 41-36 advantage on the boards.
In addition to forcing the turnovers, the Cajuns defense forced UNT to a 20-of-59 (33.9 percent) shooting mark. The Mean Green didn’t get on the board until Justin Barnett put back a missed shot at the 16:12 mark of the first half.
Southall scored seven of those first 10 Cajun points, and Boyd had a pair of three-pointers on the way to a 13-2 lead. Free throws from Bridges and Southall made it 19-8, and only twice after that would the Mean Green get within single digits.
UL Lafayette, which travels on to Denver for a Saturday 5 p.m. second half of its Sun Belt swing, outscored North Texas 10-4 in the final two minutes of the half to take a 43-26 halftime lead.
Southall and Boyd each had 11 points by halftime, even though Southall missed the final 1:49 of the period and much of the second half when he was hit in the mouth during a battle for an offensive rebound.
The only question was whether the Cajuns would open the second half on a cold streak, as they have over the past several outings. That didn’t happen, as UL Lafayette extended its lead to 20 in the first seven minutes. Johnson’s free throw made it 57-37, and the Cajuns led by at least 20 the rest of the way.
Chris Davis, the Sun Belt’s second-leading scorer, had 21 points as the only double-figure scorer for the Mean Green. Davis, though, had seven turnovers himself.
The Cajuns, who had struggled from the free throw line in last Saturday’s 71-65 win over Middle Tennessee, hit 23-of-28 from the stripe for their best shooting mark of the year.
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Re: Re: Louisiana vs Denver
Quote:
Originally posted by NOCajun
:D WE GOT IT!!! CAJUNS win 95-80!!!!!!
Great, I did'nt get to listen to the game.
GEAUX CAJUNS!!!!!!!
Louisiana's View From The Summit:
Yes all is right in our little basketball universe. Denver, UNO, and NMSU all looking for lots of help to get back into the picture.
DENVER POST:
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,...9%257E,00.html
LAS CRUCES SUN NEWS:
http://www.lcsun-news.com/Stories/0,...152849,00.html
TIMES PICAYUNNE:
http://www.nola.com/uno/t-p/basketba...y/uno02_2.html
Almost forgot USA of course falling out of the mix as well:
Mobile Register:
http://www.al.com/usabasketball/mobi...1813229710.xml
And for all of you that remember Privateers comments about how good we could be if we only had a coach, well their coach is a living cartoon:
Times Picayunne:
http://www.nola.com/uno/t-p/basketba...7557213292.xml
