2003-04 Lady Cajun's Basketball
<center><a href="https://forumeus.com/louisiana/history/rp-basketball-w.htm"><img src="https://forumeus.com/images/buttons/button-pageback.jpg"></a><p><center><h3> </h3></center><blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. - The University of Louisiana Lady Cajuns basketball program has set its schedule of games for the upcoming 2003-04 season, released by the athletic department Thursday.
Head coach J. Kelley Hall and his staff has compiled a schedule that includes a total of 27 games with nine of them being at home including three regular-season home games at the Cajundome as part of a doubleheader with the Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team.
The slate features an interesting twist as the first 10 games are all on the road with the home opener not occurring until Saturday, Jan. 10 against Denver at Earl K. Long Gym.
UL will get to enjoy the comforts of home in the early going as exhibition matchups are slated for Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 as part of doubleheaders at the Cajundome. Both games are scheduled for 4:45 p.m.
The regular season begins on Tuesday, Nov. 25 as the Cajuns visit in-state foe Southeastern Louisiana for the first of 10 straight road games to open the season. A trip to College Park, Md., for the Maryland
Terrapin Classic Nov. 28-29 rounds out the schedule of games for the fall 2003 semester.
Following fall semester final exams break, UL will open a stretch of six road games in 12 days beginning Monday, Dec. 8 at Centenary College and concluding Saturday, Dec. 20 at Coastal Carolina for the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The Cajuns open Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 10, at Long Gym against Denver in a 2 p.m. game. The DU matchup, which will also serve as the home opener, begins a stretch eight of the first nine SBC games to be played at home which includes two, four-game homestands.
Louisiana will play three SBC games at the Cajundome. The Cajuns host South Alabama (Jan. 15), New Orleans (Jan. 17) and North Texas (Feb. 5) in 4:45 p.m. games as part of doubleheaders with the men's basketball team.
As part of reciprocal agreements, the South Alabama (Feb. 12) and New Orleans (Feb. 14) road games are also doubleheaders with the men's squad.
The Cajuns final home game takes place on Thursday, Feb. 19 against New Mexico State at 7 p.m. in Long Gym.
From there the Cajuns will finish the campaign with three straight road games beginning Saturday, Feb. 21 at North Texas followed by games at Arkansas State Feb. 26 and Arkansas-Little Rock Feb. 28.
The 2004 Aeropostale Sun Belt Conference Tournament will be held in Bowling Green, Ky., at E.A. Diddle Arena on the campus of Western Kentucky University. The league's annual postseason event will be held Saturday-Tuesday, March 6-9.
For the first time since the Sun Belt split into divisions not all 11 teams qualify for the league tourney. Eight of the 11 teams will advance to the tournament - the top two division winners and runners-up plus the next best four teams regardless of division will compete for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.</blockquote><B><I>LOUISIANA SI
LAdy Cajuns Playing shorthanded
<blockquote><p align=justify><b>Cajun women’s basketball team encounters roster, schedule problems early.</b>
LOUISIANA La. — J. Kelley Hall said Saturday that his Louisiana women’s basketball program is still one year away from truly turning a corner.
His squad might be at that corner right now, at the start of preseason drills for the 2003-04 season, if all the players he expected to have only a few months ago were on the floor Saturday morning for the first official workout.
Instead, Hall has to feel a little shell-shocked.
Two highly-regarded commitments — junior college transfers Sherita Anderson and Jacquanda Amacker — wound up pregnant. Another transfer, Ovlina Lewis of La. Tech, has been to five different doctors with a heart condition and still doesn’t know if she will be cleared to play.
Ansley Bienvenu, a transfer from UNC Asheville, is awaiting NCAA clearance and may not get that clearance until the end of the fall semester. Tiffany Washington, an ex-Franklin standout who transferred from Oklahoma State, isn’t eligible until the end of fall classes.
And Sharee Glenn, one of six letterman returnees and the team’s leading scorer in Sun Belt Conference play last year, missed Saturday’s opening drills after the death of her grandfather in the Dallas area.
“These kids have worked hard in the preseason, but we just don’t have any depth,” said Hall, who opened his second season at the Ragin’ Cajun helm in Saturday’s two two-hour workouts. “We know we’d be more athletic and have more depth if we had all those players, but there’s not a lot we can do about it at this point.”
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Hall did have 10 players able to take part in the two opening drills, only because of walk-on candidate Dominique Williams. Both post player Lewis and guard Bienvenu were forced to do nothing but watch when Hall divided the squad into five inside players and five perimeter players for many of the instructional drills.
The Cajuns have several regulars back from last year’s 9-19 squad that won its last three regular-season games, and Hall said the veterans have been looking forward to the start of fall drills.
“They know that they were doing a lot of good things at the end of last year,” he said. “The North Texas game (a 65-59 win in Denton) showed them what they were capable of doing, and I think that’s carried over a lot to this year.”
The Cajuns also won at Denver (65-61) on that season-ending road trip before falling to Florida International in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament.
Junior Anna Petrakova and Washington each had good minutes among the post players in Saturday’s early drills, as did sophomore returnee Ashley Blanche at guard. Carencro product and LSU-Eunice transfer Kayla Edwards also worked extensively at the point, and Hall was high on the squad’s only two freshmen, forward Alexandra Kotta and guard Morgan Mayon, during the drills.
“Anna has improved so much,” he said, “and she and Tiffany have really worked on their shooting and have extended their range. The two freshmen are really working out well, a lot better than we figured on this early.”
LAGNIAPPE: The Cajun women have two verbal commitments to sign later this year, those from Houston area guard Lisa McDaniel and swing player Whitney Chapman of St. John ... Amacker gave birth to a girl and Anderson a boy, and both players are expected to join the squad next year ... Hall’s wife Meredith is also expecting to give birth to their second daughter within the next few days. Meredith, a former professional player, was shooting during breaks in Saturday’s practice and was also giving instruction to individual players away from the main drills ... Washington and Bienvenu are expected to be eligible for the Dec. 8 game at Centenary. The Cajuns open exhibition play on Nov. 6 and play their first regular-season game Nov. 25 at Southeastern Louisiana.
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Lady Cajuns have road test
<blockquote><p align=justify><b>Louisiana opens with 10 straight away from home </b>
NEW ORLEANS — It’s not that Louisiana coach J. Kelley Hall dislikes playing at home, it’s just that he likes a challenge.
The LAdy Cajuns will have just that in the upcoming basketball campaign, opening with 10 games on the road before finally hosting Denver Jan. 10 to start Sun Belt Conference play.
The closest the Lady Cajuns will be to a home game until then will be a Nov. 25 trip to Hammond for the opener against Southeastern Louisiana.
“I like to play good teams on the road,” said Hall, whose Cajuns were picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt’s West Division this season.
“Then, we play seven of our first eight Sun Belt games at home. We’ll know where we’ll be after that stretch.”
Hall, whose wife Meredith is expecting their second child this week, guided the Cajuns to three straight wins wrapping up the 2003 regular season en route to an 8-19 record.
“We have four really good returning players who have really worked hard on strength and conditioning and on offensive fundamentals,” Hall said.
Juniors Anna Petrakova and Bernette Tolson, along with seniors Sheree Glenn and Tiffany Washington are those four key factors.
“We’ll lean on them and count on them to lead the team,” Hall said.Redshirt Trina Johnson and senior Nakita Scott are both 6-4 additions to the front line, while transfer Ansley Bienvenu (”probably our best shooter”) offers solid help.
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Washington practiced with the Cajuns last spring but did not play. Also on board is 21-year-old freshman Alexandra Kotta.
“Our perimeter shooting was lacking last year,” Hall said, “but this year, one through five, we should be able to shoot and put the ball on the floor.
“We have a chance to turn the corner and do good things.”
No. 1 West choice New Mexico State (16-12 last year) brings a loaded roster for first-year coach Darin Spence, including preseason Player of the Year Sinnamonn Garrett.
“Sinnamonn has worked very, very hard to be a leader on and off the court,” Spence said. “She will try and take her game up to more than just spotting up for the 3. We want to get her to the foul line and get her easy baskets.
Seniors Princess Moore and Nicole Black are other keys on a 7-senior club.
“We have a lot of experience,” Spence said. “We prepare each day to have a special season. Our expectations will always be high.”
That’s also true at South Alabama, where Rick Pietri posted a 19-11 mark in 2003.
“It will be a very interesting year for us,” Pietri said. “We lost Taneisha Russell, but we do return four starters.
“I like the balance we have, one through 11. There’s very little drop-off. Our best five is truly a mystery, and the kids know that. We had competition the other day at practice, and a team with three of the four returning starters lost.
“I think any of the teams picked one through five can win the West. Kelley Hall has done a great job at UL. I don’t think they’re ready to win the West, but they can beat any of us.
“There will be a lot of drama with the season.”
North Texas coach Tina Slinker is coming off a 12-16 finish but got a vote to win the West.
“Kim Blanton is a preseason all-conference pick, and we need her to step up,” Slinker said. “Our returners have matured and our four freshmen are stable.
“It makes a difference when your seniors have been in your program four years. It’s a lot better situation than last year.”
“We’re probably in the same position Tina was in last year,” said coach Pam Tanner of No. 4 pick Denver.
“We have a young team with a lot of energy. I like this group. They’re sponges. They want to learn, want to get better.
“The poll is pretty accurate. We have to prove we need to be in another position.”
UNO’s Joey Favaloro plans to do that after being voted No. 5.
“I’d like to thank the coaches for picking us fifth in the West,” Favaloro said. “That’s a great motivator.
“We’ve got eight seniors, the largest senior class I’ve ever had. We were undefeated at home (in SBC play) and were one game from winning the West.”
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Lady Cajun's to scrimmage today
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — J. Kelley Hall is not shy about putting Louisiana's Lady Cajun's through the ringer before they enter the Sun Belt Conference women's basketball race.
That extends to next Thursday's exhibition opener against Everyone's Internet, a skilled team sure to challenge the Ragin' Cajuns.
“We're trying to put our power game in right now,” Hall said on Friday. “Trina Johnson gives us a different presence inside than we had last year, and we have to be ready for our first exhibition game.
“Last year, I thought our two exhibition games were too easy, and I think maybe the girls thought they were better than they were after they played them.
“This year, we'll play two games that don't count against teams that will expose our weaknesses, then we'll have 12 days to work before our season opener.”
The Cajun women scrimmage at 9:30 a.m. today at Earl K. Long Gym on campus, going 5-on-5 for two 20-minute halves, for another gauge of their progress.
When they play next Thursday, they will face a WNBA-based squad that was 13-1 on tour last year including a victory at Connecticut.
“Our players have worked extremely hard on their conditioning and on improving their strength,” Hall said.
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“We've got to get our offense in. We didn't have enough weapons last year, and averaged just 53 points a game. Our defensive goal was holding teams to 65 points, and we actually averaged 62.3. We just couldn't score.
“Our defense will be behind, and you'll see that on Thursday, but I've always been able to teach defense. We're not rebounding as well as I had hoped, but that will come with time. Our (increased) size will help us down the road.”
The Cajun women were 8-19 last year in Hall's first season, 4-11 in the Sun Belt, and he's eager for that to improve.
“The team seems to be hungry,” Hall said. “They soak up everything you say. ‘’
That was harder to do for the seniors we had last year. It took them until about February before they knew what we wanted.”
The Cajuns play The Jackson Babes on Nov. 13 in a second exhibition, then begin the campaign Nov. 25 at Southeastern Louisiana.
That's one of 10 straight road dates to open the season, proving once again that Hall believes in challenging his squad.
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Lady Cajuns seek more improvement
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — It speaks volumes about a school’s women’s basketball program when an 8-19 record represents improvement, but that was the case last season at Louisiana.
Second-year Cajun coach J. Kelley Hall wasn’t satisfied with that minor step.
Hall expects his team to show marked improvement this season, which begins today with a 4:45 p.m. exhibition at the Cajundome against Everyone’s Internet.
“I want a .500 season,” Hall said. “That’s something that hasn’t happened here since 1987 — 16 years ago. We also want to make the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
“We’ve got more size and we have better shooters this year. We have four new kids added to four who played a lot last year.”
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The lone returning starter is senior guard Sharee Glenn, who averaged 9.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 2002-2003.
Sophomore Ashley Blanche is at point guard, with junior Anna Petrakova on the front line and junior Bernette Tolson bringing her shooting touch to the mix again.
“Anna has improved by leaps and bounds,” Hall said. “She had 25 points and 17 rebounds in our scrimmage last Saturday.
“Ashley, who’s probably the quickest point guard in the conference, had 13 assists Saturday. It would have taken her four games to do that last year. She understands her role better now.
“Bernette hit big 3-pointers at North Texas and Denver in the last two games of last season. She’s proven she can play those type of games.”
Other keys include 6-foot-1 senior transfer Tiffany Washington, who will be eligible for the Dec. 8 Centenary game, 5-foot-10 freshman Alexandra Kotta, freshman guard Morgan Mayon and 6-foot-4 sophomore Trina Johnson, who redshirted last year.
“Alexandra is probably our most athletic player,” Hall said. “She had 16 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday. And Trina brings a power game.”
The WNBA-based Everyone’s Internet squad boasts talent like UCLA’s Aisha Cook and La. Tech’s Kenya Bibbs, and is sure to be a test.
“They will exploit any weaknesses you’ve got,” Hall said.
Once the season begins, the Cajuns open with 10 straight road games.
“I inherited some of those games,” Hall said. “I want to play good teams. I had to do it to get some home games next year. Next year’s schedule is complete, and I think we’ve got 14 home, and 15 away.
“But at times we played well on the road last year.”
This year’s search for better play begins at home today.
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Poor shooting proves costly for the Lady Cajuns
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — There was progress, just not enough of it yet, as Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajun women dropped a 63-54 exhibition opener to Everyone’s Internet Thursday at the Cajundome.
Coach J. Kelley Hall’s squad was once again done in by poor shooting, making just 31 percent from the floor (20-of-64) against a team laced with WNBA personnel.
Junior forward Anna Petrakova played 40 minutes, scored 14 points, cleared 12 rebounds and had 5 assists, but she suffered a cold-shooting 5-of-18 from the floor.
Also unable to find the range was guard Bernette Tolston, hitting 1-of-11, all from 3-point range.
“Scoring is a problem for us,” Hall said. “They used a zone for maybe 37 of the 40 minutes, and we haven’t put our base zone offense in yet.
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“Bernie went 1-for-11, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do that. And Anna hit 5-of-18. That’s the difference. Anna can play a lot better. She didn’t shoot well, but she’s really our only forward and had to go 40 minutes.
“We don’t get Tiffany Washington until Dec. 8 and Anna got tired. At one point in the second half, she was the only starter out there. I was interested in seeing four new ones on the floor.”
One encouraging factor was Carencro’s Kayla Edwards, who hit 3-of-4 3-pointers in a reserve role.
“She gave us a spark in the second half,” Hall said. “She hit 3-of-4 treys in 13 minutes, and the other one almost went in. She’s a walk-on who’s worked hard in practice, and I wanted to give her a chance.
“Our bench gave us a lift. We didn’t have that last year.”
The Cajuns rallied from 15-19 down to a 22-22 tie in the first half before a pair of Alicia Thompson baskets helped EI to a 28-22 lead. UL’s Nakita Scott scored to make it 28-24, but Thompson drilled a 3-pointer for a 31-24 halftime bulge.
“I was disappointed that we didn’t contest the shot,” Hall said. “It went from a 4-point to a 7-point game at half.
“We got within 5 points in the second half, so we didn’t quit. Then, near the end, if Bernie gets a 3-pointer to go down we cut it to 5 points with timeouts left.”
“It was a fast-paced game,” guard Ashley Blanche said. “We saw the need to get back more quickly in our transition defense. And we need to go to the boards harder on rebounding. The difference in the game was that we didn’t rebound like we expected to (EI won the battle of the boards, 43-42) and our transition defense.
“The new players came in and did a lot of good things. We just don’t have the chemistry yet.”
“We gave up 9 points in our transition defense,” Hall said, reflecting the final margin. “And we had 21 turnovers. We can live with 15 or fewer.”
EI won the game at the foul line, hitting 20-of-33 attempts to UL’s 8-of-13.
“The kids competed,” said Hall, whose Cajuns host the Jackson Babes next Thursday in their second exhibition.
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Hall ready to begin year two of reconstruction
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — J. Kelley Hall is hoping for a different look from his Louisiana women’s basketball squad Tuesday when the Ragin’ Cajuns open their 2003-04 regular season.
The Cajuns lost both of their exhibition contests — two close contests against Everyone’s Internet and the Jackson Babes. But the results weren’t that surprising to Hall considering his format for preseason practice.
The Cajun squad, which travels to face Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond at 7 p.m. Tuesday, spent most of preseason drills working on offense.
Since the final exhibition game, defense has been the point of emphasis.
“We had to get in a lot of offensive work early because we had so many new people,” said Hall, who enters his second year as leader of the long-struggling program. “This week, we had four straight days that we did nothing but defense, and over the last couple of days we’ve mixed it up some.”
And according to Hall, the format has worked.
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“We’ve improved immensely defensively,” he said. “We’ve made big strides stopping transition and dribble penetration. Our first five’s pretty good with the zone now ... they’ve pretty much got the match-up down.”
During last year’s 8-19 season, the Cajuns held their opponents under 40 percent shooting (39.7) and allowed only 62.7 points per game to their opposition.
The problems came offensively for a squad that shot only 36 percent and averaged just over 52 points per game.
“We’re starting to execute our offense better,” said junior Bernette Tolston, who hit three three-pointers and had 11 points in the 66-64 loss to the Jackson squad. “If we can pick up our defense, especially our 21 (zone), I really think we can beat anybody we play.”
Tolston, a product of Lake Charles-Boston High, is one of four double-figure-minute veterans on a Cajun squad that is looking for its first winning season since 1987-88 and has had only one twin-digit win season since 1990.
Senior guard Sharee Glenn led the squad in scoring in conference play last year (10.1) and joins with Tolston and improved sophomore Ashley Blanche to provide solid guard play.
“We’ve made a lot of improvement on the perimeter,” said Glenn. “We have a lot more people that can shoot, and that makes us harder to guard if everybody on the perimeter can score.”
The questions for the squad come inside, even though 6-foot-3 junior center Anna Petrakova (7.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg) had a breakout season last year. The Cajuns have size at the other spot, but both 6-foot-4 Trina Johnson or 6-foot-4 Nakita Scott are void of experience and need to make big strides athletically.
“Some days one wins, and some days the other one wins,” Hall said. “They’re both getting better, but they both still have a long way to go.”
The squad is also short on depth. Other than newcomers Alexandra Kotta on the wing and ex-Carencro star Kayla Edwards and Morgan Mayon on the perimeter, the bench will be short until former Franklin standout and transfer Tiffany Washington becomes eligible after three games and UNC Asheville transfer Ansley Bienvenu regains her playing status on Jan. 9.
That Jan. 9 date will be one day before the home opener. The Cajuns play their first 10 games on the road, including a marathon 10-day journey that includes five games in five different cities in December.
“That’ll be here before we know it,” Tolston said. “It’s going to be a lot of work and we won’t be used to the surroundings. But we know that whoever rebounds best and whoever plays defense is going to win, and we think that’s going to be us.”
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Lady Cajuns open season tonight
<blockquote><p align=justify>HAMMOND — Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns basketball team makes the first of 10 straight road appearances to begin the 2003-04 season tonight when the Lady Cajuns travel to face Southeastern Louisiana.
The Cajuns, coming off an 8-19 season but winners of three out of four games to wrap up the 2002-03 campaign, will face the Lady Lions (1-0) at 7 p.m. at SLU’s University Center.
The UL squad, opening its second season under head coach J. Kelley Hall, took a 48-45 home win over SLU last season.
So far this year, the Lady Cajuns have two defeats in two exhibition games, most recently falling to the Jackson Babes 66-64 12 days ago.
“We’ve improved immensely since then, especially defensively,” said Hall. “We’ve made some big strides stopping transition and dribble penetration.”
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Junior post Anna Petrakova had 15 points and 18 rebounds in the loss to Jackson and has had double-double outings in each of the exhibition games.
The Lions opened their season Saturday with a 71-57 home win over Loyola-New Orleans behind the 22 points and 17 rebounds of junior college transfer Nakeya Downing. SLU will be gunning for its first 2-0 start in five years in tonight’s game.
The Cajuns head to the Terrapin Classic Friday.
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Lady Cajuns begin long trip
<blockquote><p align=justify>THIBODAUX – Wave goodbye to the members of Louisiana's Lady Cajun basketball team today, if you see them.
By the time you see them again, they will have visited Thibodaux, taken a brief stop in Baton Rouge, flown to Lincoln, Neb., flown to Columbia, S.C., taken a bus ride to Savannah, Ga., swing back through Columbia, bussed to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and flown back to Baton Rouge.
The Ragin’ Cajun women embark today on a marathon 10-day, five-city, five-game trip that will make up half of the squad’s series of 10 straight road games to begin the 2003-04 season.
That trip’s games start tonight when the Cajuns (2-2) take on Nicholls State in a 7 p.m. contest at Stopher Gym, which will be aired on KPEL-AM 1420.
The Cajun squad of head coach J. Kelley Hall will also meet Nebraska on Dec. 14, Savannah State on Dec. 16, South Carolina on Dec. 18 and Coastal Carolina in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach before returning home.
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UL Lafayette is coming off a 74-60 win at Centenary on Monday, a game in which the Cajuns shot a season-high 49.1 percent from the field including a 15-of-29 showing in the second half.
More importantly, the Cajun squad held Centenary to only 34.7 percent shooting, and that’s actually higher than UL Lafayette’s first three opponents this year. The Cajuns enter tonight’s game leading the Sun Belt Conference in field goal defense, allowing foes to shoot only 32.7 percent from the field this year.
The Cajuns also have several other league leaders, with Anna Petrakova pacing the Sun Belt in rebounding (11.0) and blocked shots (3.0), Bernette Tolston topping the league in three-point baskets per game (3.67) and Ashley Blanche leading the Belt in assist-to-turnover ratio (11 assists, four turnovers, 2.75 ratio).
But it was newcomer Tiffany Washington, a product of Franklin, that was the biggest boost against Centenary, hitting 7-of-12 shots in her Cajun debut and scoring 16 points to go with 10 rebounds. Washington, a transfer from Oklahoma State, became eligible at the end of the fall semester.
Sharee Glenn added 18 points including an 11-of-13 performance from the line in that win, and freshman guard Morgan Mayon also had a break-out performance with six points, eight rebounds and a team-high five assists.
The 74 points scored by the Cajuns was the most since the end of the 2001-02 season and the most since Hall took over the program last year.
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Petrakova earns Sun Belt weekly honor (Dec 15)
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — Louisiana’s junior center Anna Petrakova was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week.
Petrakova averaged 26 points and 14 rebounds in the Cajuns’ two contests.
It’s the first for the Cajun women since Sarah Richey claimed the same honor during the 2001-02 season.
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UL Lafayette meets Savannah State tonight at 7 p.m. in Savannah, Ga.
Petrakova averaged 26 points and 14 rebounds in the Cajuns’ two contests last week, including a career-high 29 points Friday in leading UL Lafayette to a 57-38 win over Nicholls State. She followed that with a 23-point effort Sunday against Nebraska in a narrow 61-59 loss.
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Lengthy road set to end for Lady Cajuns
<blockquote><p align=justify>MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The long and winding road finally comes to an end, at least for a while, for the University of Louisiana's Lady Cajuns basketball team today.
The Lady Cajun squad completes a streak of five games in five different cities in nine days, all on the same trip, when it meets Coastal Carolina at 11 a.m. in the opening game of the Beach Ball Classic.
UL (3-5) won the opener of the trip at Nicholls State but has since lost by two points at Nebraska, lost in overtime at Savannah State and dropped a 72-59 decision to South Carolina on Thursday night.
“USC is a very good team and a top-five SEC team,” said Cajun coach J. Kelley Hall of the Thursday contest with the Gamecocks. “We knew coming in we had to dictate the tempo and I felt like our kids played hard and controlled the game for a good bit.”
Junior center Anna Petrakova had a season-high 26 points, hitting 11-of-13 shots, to lead the Cajuns in the loss to USC, while senior newcomer and frontcourt mate Tiffany Washington added 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds
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The problem for the Cajuns was backcourt scoring. The four players that saw action at the guard slots combined to go six-for-28 from the floor.
The Chanticleers (4-3) lost on the road at North Carolina-Wilmington 47-33 on Tuesday in their last outing.
Following today’s game, the Cajun squad takes an extended holiday break before returning to play at Lamar on Jan. 6, wrapping up a streak of 10 straight road games to open the season.
UL Lafayette plays its first home game on Jan. 10 when the Cajuns open Sun Belt Conference play against Denver at Earl K. Long Gym.
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Did the women Ragin' Cajuns win?
Does anyone know if Ragin' Cajuns won? I'm asking about the women Ragin' Cajuns basketball team.
Petrakova honored by Sun Belt again (Jan 12)
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — Junior center Anna Petrakova has stopped surprising opponents.
Now, she’s expected to be a standout every game for the Lady Cajuns of Louisiana.
Petrakova was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Monday, repeating an honor she received on Dec. 16.
“That’s good,” UL coach J. Kelley Hall said. “She deserves it. She’ll be happy about that.”
UL won three games last week, running its winning streak to four, as Petrakova averaged 26.3 points (shooting 68% from the floor and 87% at the line), 12.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.7 steals and 1.7 assists per game.
In a 68-44 win against Lamar on Jan. 6, Petrakova finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, a steal and an assist. In the Sun Belt Conference opener Saturday against Denver, Petrakova led the scoring with 28 points, while pulling down 12 boards en route to an 80-57 Cajun win.
Against Texas-Pan American on Sunday, the veteran chipped in 27 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals in a 62-54 win despite playing games on back-to-back days.
Petrakova has a string of four consecutive double-doubles and seven in the last eight games. Over that span, she has averaged 24.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
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The recent streak has the Cajuns 7-5 on the year, after an 8-19 finish a year ago, heading into home games this week against South Alabama (Thursday) and New Orleans (Saturday) in Cajundome doubleheaders with the men.
“We’ll have our hands full this week,” Hall said. “It would be a big step for us to beat South Alabama. Their one loss is to Vanderbilt on a neutral court, and they’re starting to get votes for the Top 25.
“UNO beat us twice by double digits last year. But we have to get through South Alabama first.”
Thanks to continued excellence from Petrakova and others, the Cajuns at least face a tough week with unaccustomed early momentum.
“If someone had told me before the season that we would be 7-5 after 12 games, I would take it,” Hall said.
“We’re picking up on the matchup zone quicker than I thought we would. Our defense is stifling and we’re out-rebounding people. If we can shoot 40 percent, we can beat anyone left on our schedule.”
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Lady Cajuns Tolston shoots way to success
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — Bernette Tolston hates to miss a shot. Any shot.
So, when Unviersity of Louisiana coach J. Kelley Hall directs her to keep firing the ball towards the hoop even when she’s not having her best night, it’s a tough directive to follow.
“Coach tells me to shoot when I’m open,” Tolston said. “I know I need to, but if I’m having a bad night, I’m looking to pass. I don’t even try.
“I know I can shoot my way out of it.”
It’s a curious twist to find Tolston hesitant to use her natural skill with the basketball. She averaged 22 points per game as a senior at Lake Charles-Boston and is blessed with a smooth jumper the Cajuns have used well en route to a 7-5 start.
“I’ve always been a shooter,” Tolston said. “When I was little, before I could dribble I could shoot. That’s always what I did.”
To no one’s surprise, Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller was one of her first role models on the court.
“We mainly watched football at our house,” Tolston said, “but I liked Reggie Miller’s game.”
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If anyone defines fearlessness in shooting his way out of a slump, it would be Miller. Unlike Tolston, though, it’s doubtful Miller’s first thought when his shot isn’t dropping is to pass to a teammate.
Tolston is third on the Cajun squad with a 9.4-point scoring average and is the squad’s designated long-distance ace with 31-of-87 3-point attempts. The 5-foot-9 junior is especially effective as part of a one-two scoring punch with team leader Anna Petrakova (19.9 ppg).
“It really is a good situation,” Tolston said. “If they double Anna, I’m wide open. If they try to help out on her, I can hit my shot. And I’m confident that when I shoot, if I miss, Anna or Tiffany (Washington) will be there for the rebound.
“It’s very good for what we have.”
The Cajuns enter today’s home game against South Alabama riding a four-game winning streak, and that shooting combination is a big reason for it.
But the Cajuns are also bolstered by a belief in Hall’s system.
“Some people are surprised that we’re 7-5, but we knew we could do it,” Tolston said. “We have confidence in each other. It’s exciting in practice to take it all in. We make adjustments when we need.
“Now we know we can win. We believe in each other. We know it will be tough to beat South Alabama, because they’re 12-1, but it doesn’t matter right now. We’re getting ready. We’re very prepared for every game.”
The Cajuns established a new order when they started the year 5-5 on 10 straight road games, then showed grit by winning back-to-back home games last Saturday and Sunday over Denver and UT-Pan American. So the South Alabama game is the next step in their growth.
“Coach said if we could start the first 10 at .500 or better, that would be good,” Tolston said. “So 5-5 felt pretty good.
“We really wanted that Denver game, so it was tough to come back and do it all over again on Sunday. But we knew we had to do it.”
Tolston, an education major who plans to coach, will soon have her own chance to urge a player to shoot her way out of a slump. Until then, she’ll continue a vital game-day procedure.
“I call my mom before every game,” Tolston said. “She’s my inspiration. She gives me motivation and the confidence to go out and do it. She lets me know anything’s possible.”
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Ragin' Cajuns and Lady Cajuns pair up vs. Jaguars
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. — There’s home, and then there’s HOME.
Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns often move practice to Bourgeois Hall or other locales to accommodate scheduling conflicts at the Cajundome, but this week they’ve had the luxury of practicing where they play.
“It’s unusual for us this time of year to have the opportunity to practice in the Dome,” coach Jessie Evans said. “We’ve utilized that this week.”
The 6-4 Cajuns open a three-game homestand at 7:05 p.m. today, sharing the Cajundome with the Cajun women in a doubleheader against South Alabama that begins at 4:45 p.m.
Evans’ squad seeks a 2-0 start to Sun Belt Conference play after rallying to nip Denver 83-81 on the road last Saturday.
Also, Saturday, USA squared its conference record at 1-1 with a 72-66 victory over visiting Western Kentucky to improve to 6-7 overall.
“They split two at home last week (losing to New Orleans, 64-58), and they’re coming off a win, so they feel pretty good about themselves,” Evans said of the Jaguars.
“They’ve always played us extremely tough in the Cajundome.”
Evans is 7-7 against USA since taking the Cajun job seven years ago, while last season’s split (93-89 USA win in Mobile; 67-60 Cajun win in the Dome) gave USA coach John Pelphrey his brief 1-1 mark against UL.
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Last year’s game in Mobile will be instructional for Evans’ squad.
In that game, UL led 48-39 at halftime but got outscored 54-41 in the second half — this despite shooting 35-of-65 and out-rebounding USA 41-32.
Against Denver last weekend, the Cajuns led 41-33 at the break, then fell behind by 9 points with 3 minutes remaining and yet battled back for the win.
Evans expects another tight contest from the Jaguars, who are led by guard Chris Young and forward Malerick Bedden.
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