The Book: 2007-08 Ragin' Cajuns Basketball

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LOUISIANA – Different hero, same outcome. Sophomore Tyren Johnson (Edgard, La.) hit a wide-open three-pointer with 6.6 seconds remaining in regulation as the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns robbed the ULM Warhawks of a victory again in a 67-65 triumph at the CAJUNDOME. Johnson’s triple was his only shot attempt of the game and proved to be the one that helped Louisiana (11-13, 7-6 Sun Belt) to a first-place tie in the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division with UALR and Denver. La’Ryan Gary (Lafayette, La.) led the Cajuns with a career-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, while connecting on 7-of-9 free throws. Randell Daigle (Lafayette, La.) added 16 points, including four triples. Elijah Millsap (Grambling, La.) scored 10 second-half points, playing 17 minutes (all in the second half). Jordan Payne, one of three ULM (9-16, 3-10 Sun Belt) players in double figures, led all scorers with 20 points. Jonas Brown added 15, while Tony Hooper chipped in 13. ULM extended its lead to double digits in the early stages of the second half, 36-25, before a Daigle triple brought the deficit to eight. The Cajuns eventually pulled to within three points, 46-43, with 9:55 left to play in regulation. Abray Milson (Lafayette, La.) later brought the CAJUNDOME crowd to its feet with an easy lay-in to give Louisiana its first lead of the second half, 47-46, at the 8:30 mark. It was the Cajuns’ first lead since the 15:19 mark of the first half. Four minutes later, Louisiana grabbed a five-point lead on a Daigle rebound and subsequent lay-up, 55-50. ULM then took a one-point lead, 57-56, on a Payne three-pointer with 3:00 left in regulation. But, Daigle answered with a 22-footer from the left wing as the Cajuns regained a two-point lead, 59-57. Payne hit a second trey for a 60-59 Warhawks edge at the 2:19 mark. On Louisiana’s ensuing possession, Daigle drained a three-pointer with a hand in his face for a 62-60 Cajuns lead. Trailing by two with less than 30 seconds on the clock, Hooper converted a three-point play to give the visiting Warhawks a one-point lead, 65-64. Then, Johnson delivered the game-winner, sending the home crowd into frenzy, while also handing ULM’s second heartbreaking loss to the Cajuns this season. Early on in the first half, the Cajuns would hold as much as a four-point lead, 7-3, before ULM reeled off eight straight points for an 11-7 cushion. Louisiana fell behind by six points, 16-10, after Hooper successfully converted a three-point play at the 8:49 mark of the first half. The Warhawks saw their lead increase to eight, 19-11, on a Brown triple from the right wing. As the half progressed, the Cajuns continued to struggle to find a rhythm offensively until a 9-2 run cut the deficit to 21-20 with 4:44 left to play. But, the Cajuns would be held without a field goal for the remaining 3:48 of the period as ULM took a 29-22 lead into the locker room. Brown led all scorers at the break with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Payne chipped in eight. However, the Warhawks shot just 32.1 percent as a team in the first half on 9-of-28 shooting. Brandon Dison (New Orleans, La.) paced Louisiana with six points. Gary added four points in 14 minutes. Six other Cajuns had three or fewer points, combining for 12 points. As a team, the Cajuns converted just 28 percent (7-of-25) from the floor. Louisiana returns to the hardwood Saturday when it travels to Jonesboro, Ark., to face the Arkansas State Indians. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Convocation Center. RaginCajuns.com -->

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After yet another showcase of late-game heroics by Louisiana on Thursday, the Ragin’ Cajuns look to sweep their second straight Sun Belt Conference foe when they visit the Arkansas State Indians Saturday in Jonesboro, Ark.... Saturday marks the 58th all-time meeting between the former Southland and American South and current Sun Belt Conference rivals. Louisiana leads the all-time series 40-17, winning four of the last seven meetings... Louisiana has won the last two series meetings, including a 73-63 victory on Jan. 3 at the CAJUNDOME. Last season, the Cajuns trumped Arkansas State by six, 76-70, in Jonesboro on Feb. 8, 2007... The Cajuns haven’t won back-to-back games in Jonesboro since the 1989-90 season when they won 105-87 on Feb. 24, 1990, in the regular season and 83-69 in the American South Conference tournament on March 2, 1990... Louisiana is 15-12 all-time in Jonesboro and 5-7 since joining the Sun Belt in 1991-92... A win by Louisiana at A-State on Saturday would give the Cajuns their eighth Sun Belt victory this season - the most of the Robert Lee era... Thursday night, ULM became the second straight Sun Belt Conference opponent to hold a 10-plus-point lead over the Ragin’ Cajuns... Louisiana has had different players lead the team in scoring this season. The Cajuns have had a different leading scoring in each of the last five games - three sophomores and two juniors...Eight of Arkansas State’s nine victories this season have come at the Convocation Center... In A-State’s visit to the CAJUNDOME in January, the Indians led by as many as 11 mid-way through the first half until the Cajuns staged a late first-half rally to take a four-point lead at the break. Arkansas State Preview. Arkansas State enters Saturday’s contest struggling of late as the Indians have lost six straight games after a heartbreaking 79-78 loss at home to New Orleans on Thursday. In fact, A-State’s last two losses at home (both Sun Belt games) have been decided by fewer than four points... Despite the six-game skid, the Indians have three players averaging double figures. Adrian Banks leads all A-State players with 18.0 points per game, followed by Ryan Wedel (15.4) and Yima Chia-Yur (11.4)... Eight of Arkansas State’s nine victories this season have come at the Convocation Center...In A-State’s visit to the CAJUNDOME in January, the Indians led by as many as 11 mid-way through the first half until the Cajuns staged a late first-half rally to take a four-point lead at the break. After the Arkansas State game...Louisiana will travel to New Orleans to play the Privateers on Wed., Feb. 20, in its final road tilt of the regular season. A Win by Louisiana...would give the Cajuns their eighth Sun Belt victory of the season - the most under fourth-year head coach Robert Lee. A Loss by Louisiana...would drop the Cajuns to .500 in the conference standings. Déjà Dome: Cajuns Rob ULM Again, 67-65. Two meetings with ULM, two late-game heroic endings for the Cajuns. In December’s game in Monroe, Chris Gradnigo delivered the game-winning shot with 7 seconds remaining in the game for a 68-67 Louisiana victory...Thursday night, Gradnigo and Tyren Johnson checked into the game in the last minute as the Cajuns trailed 65-64. This time, Johnson was a hero, draining a triple from the right wing for a two-point win, 67-65. 1 for the Money...Tyren Johnson made his second straight start of the season Thursday night vs. ULM, playing sparingly throughout the game, not attempting a field goal. That is, until the game’s final 10 seconds. After ULM took a one-point lead, 65-64, with 20 seconds remaining in regulation, the Cajuns drove the length of the floor. Randell Daigle found a wide-open Johnson, who drilled a triple from the right wing for the eventual game-winner with 6.6 seconds on the clock. 2 for the Show...Entering Thursday’s game with ULM, sophomore point guard Randell Daigle had been held in check by the opposition as he had scored just 34 points in the last seven games. Against the Warhawks, Daigle returned to his mid-season form as the Lafayette native scored 16 points - one off his career mark of 17 set at North Texas...Daigle chipped in a career-high five boards, while also recording the assist off Tyren Johnson’s game-winning shot. Gary’s Career Night Catapults Cajuns to Comeback Win. La’Ryan Gary scored a career-high 17 points, helping the Ragin’ Cajuns mount a huge second-half comeback Thursday night vs. ULM. Thirteen (13) of Gary’s 17 came in the second half. Louisiana’ Bench Does In ULM, Again. In the team’s December meeting in Monroe, forty-five (45) of the Cajuns’ 68 points came from the bench as Louisiana escaped Fant-Ewing Coliseum with a 68-67 win... Louisiana’s reserves were also the culprit yet again in Thursday’s victory. Fifty-two (52) of the Cajuns’ 67 points came off the bench...Seventy-two percent (72 %) of Louisiana’s scoring vs. ULM this season has come from the reserves (97 of 135 points). Double Dose. Thursday night, ULM became the second straight Sun Belt Conference opponent to hold a 10-plus-point lead over the Ragin’ Cajuns. RaginCajuns.com

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Randell Daigle picked his words carefully when asked to describe UL's up-and-down play this season in the Sun Belt Conference's West Division. "It's like a rodeo right now," the sophomore guard said. "We're on top and then we're on the bottom." The Ragin' Cajuns enter tonight's 7:05 game against Arkansas State on top. With Thursday's 67-65 win over UL Monroe, UL (11-13 overall, 7-6 SBC) moved into a tie with Denver and Arkansas-Little Rock atop the West. After ULM took a one-point lead with 20 seconds left, Daigle drove the length of the floor and found sophomore Tyren Johnson, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds as UL overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half. The Cajuns need to beat sixth-place ASU (9-16, 4-10) in Jonesboro, Ark., tonight and losses by Denver and UALR to take sole possession of first. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

[MiamiCajun32]

I have read two articles now where it is stated that Robert Lee has never had more than 7 sunbelt wins. What about year one? Am I missing something?

[Shammy]

Arent those games lost because of the o green thing .....

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JONESBORO, Ark. - Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns grabbed a first half lead they would never relinquish en route to a 65-59 win at Arkansas State. The Ragin' Cajuns win, coupled with losses by UALR and Denver, give UL sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt West. UL (12-13, 8-6) overcame 13 fouls in the first 14:34 of the second stanza to survive a second half surge by ASU (9-17, 4-11). The Ragin' Cajuns won at ASU last season, marking the first time UL has won back-to-back games in Jonesboro since 1989-90. The Cajuns began the second half with an 8-2 spurt to take their lead back to double figures. UL held a 41-29 lead with 14:27 to play. ASU started the second stanza 1-for-12 from the floor, but thanks to seven team fouls by the Cajuns, were in the bonus with 13:47 remaining. A lay-up by Randell Daigle pushed the Cajuns lead to its biggest margin, 45-31, at the 12:48 mark. Two triples from Ryan Wedel triggered a 10-4 ASU run that took the Cajuns lead down to eight points at the midway point of the half. A long jumper by Maurice Barksdale stopped the run and boosted the Cajuns lead back to 10 points, 51-41, with eight minutes remaining. Shawn Morgan made two from the stripe at the 7:41 mark on the Cajuns 11th team foul of the second half. Wedel made one free throw after the Cajuns 13th team foul of the half and then hit a running jumper to cut the visitors’ lead down to 57-50 with 4:37 to play. Courtney Wallace made two big free throws with 3:08 remaining to take the Cajuns lead to eight points, 60-52. The Cajuns 16th team foul of the second half led to a pair of free throws by P.J. Keaton, cutting the score to 63-57 with one minute remaining. UL’s defense, as it was for most of the night, was outstanding in the final minute. Daigle led the Cajuns in points with 10, while Wallace had a team-best seven rebounds. Four Indians scored in double figures, led by 16 points from Kewain Gant. Morgan finished with a double-double of 12 points and a game-high 13 boards. All 12 Cajuns registered at least one point in the first half on 50 percent shooting. UL had a six-point lead after 20 minutes. The Cajuns used a jumper by Abray Milson, three-point basket by Chris Gradnigo and a basket by Elijah Millsap to take an early 15-9 lead. Brandon Dison’s first basket gave the Cajuns a nine-point lead, and his second bucket - a breakaway dunk - pushed the Cajuns lead to 27-16 at the 7:30 mark. UL missed an opportunity to increase their lead further, going scoreless on four straight possessions following four excellent defensive stands. The Indians slowly chipped away at the Cajuns’ lead as the visitors made only three of eight shots in the final seven minutes and committed four turnovers. The Cajuns travel to New Orleans on Wednesday for a meeting with the Privateers. UL returns home next Saturday for a potential first-place showdown with UALR. RaginCajuns.com

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JONESBORO, Ark. - UL's up-and-down season took another upswing Saturday night on the road. And after getting some help, the Ragin' Cajuns find themselves alone again atop the Sun Belt's West Division with a 65-59 win over Arkansas State at the Convocation Center. UL entered the game tied for first in the West with Denver and Arkansas-Little Rock - both of which lost Saturday. "Our goal every night is to get 70 points offensively," UL coach Robert Lee said. "If we get that we feel like we have a great chance to win. We had another strong defensive effort and made just enough plays offensively to squeak out with the win." The rest of the story

[Zeebart21]

I'd like to take the time to thank "Mr Staff Reports" for making the trip to Jonesboro.

Excellent report Mr Reports.

More quality coverage.

Z

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After taking sole possession of first place in the SBC West Division thanks to a huge road win and critical losses by UALR and Denver, Louisiana could start to pull away in the standings Wednesday when its faces New Orleans... All 12 players that saw action at Arkansas State Saturday night scored at least one point, while five others played at least 20 minutes... Louisiana’s six wins away from the CAJUNDOME are the most since it won 10 during the 2002-03 regular season... Saturday, the Cajuns swiped 11 steals at Arkansas State, snapping a streak of 13 straight games with less than 10 steals... The Cajuns have been out-rebounded in eight of their last 10 games... Since hitting a season-high 14 three-pointers vs. East Tennessee State at the Rainbow Classic in December, the Cajuns have made less than 10 triples in 14 straight games... Louisiana is aiming for its third consecutive season sweep of a SBC opponent as the Cajuns have already swept ULM and Arkansas State... A win by Louisiana over New Orleans Wednesday would signify the Cajuns’ first time that they have swept both in-state Sun Belt Conference members. In fact, the Cajuns haven’t accomplished the feat since their last season as a member of the Southland Conference in 1981-82 when they swept McNeese State and Louisiana Tech... If Louisiana defeats UNO, the Cajuns will improve to the .500 mark for the first time since they were 7-7 back on Jan. 5 when they defeated, ironically, New Orleans... Louisiana is one of only four schools in NCAA Division I (347 members) with no players averaging double figures in scoring, joining UALR, Cal Poly and Savannah State. UNO Preview. New Orleans has won three of the last four meetings entering Wednesday’s home contest with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Last week, the Privateers edged Arkansas State 79-78 on Thursday and then dethroned the first-place UALR Trojans 77-75 on Saturday... In Saturday’s win, Kechan Myers scored four critical points in the final 53 seconds as the New Orleans Privateers shocked the Trojans at home... The win over UALR gave UNO their sweep of the Sun Belt Conference Arkansas swing since the 1996-97 season while spoiling the Trojans homecoming... UNO received a game-high 30 points from Bo McCalebb, maring the fourth time in the last five games that the Preseason SBC Player of the Year has scored 30 or more points... The Privateers are 7-5 at home this season, but have lost three of the last four games on their home court. After the New Orleans game...Louisiana returns home to close the regular season with a three-game homestand beginning Saturday with the UALR Trojans. A Win by Louisiana...would move the Cajuns back to .500 for the first time since they improved to 7-7 after a win against, ironically, New Orleans. A Loss by Louisiana...would drop the Cajuns to two games below .500 overall and keep them one game above .500 in the Sun Belt standings. Conference Sweep on the Horizon. A win by Louisiana over New Orleans Wednesday would signify the Cajuns’ first time that they have swept both in-state Sun Belt members. In fact, the Cajuns haven’t accomplished the feat since their last season as a member of the Southland Conference in 1981-82 when they swept McNeese State and Louisiana Tech...Louisiana is aiming for its third consecutive season sweep of a SBC opponent as the Cajuns have already swept ULM and Arkansas State. Cajuns Enter Wednesday in Select Company. Louisiana is one of only four schools in NCAA Division I (347 members) with no players averaging double figures in scoring, joining UALR, Cal Poly and Savannah State. Even Keel. If Louisiana defeats UNO, the Cajuns will improve to the .500 mark for the first time since they were 7-7 back on Jan. 5 when they defeated, ironically, New Orleans. Success Away from ‘Dome. Louisiana’s six wins away from the CAJUNDOME are the most since it won 10 during the 2002-03 regular season...Four of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ five road victories this season have come in SBC play (ULM, Troy, FIU and Arkansas State). Déjà Dome: Cajuns Rob ULM Again, 67-65. Two meetings with ULM, two late-game heroic endings for the Cajuns. In December’s game in Monroe, Chris Gradnigo delivered the game-winning shot with 7 seconds remaining in the game for a 68-67 Louisiana victory...Thursday night, Gradnigo and Tyren Johnson checked into the game in the last minute as the Cajuns trailed 65-64. This time, Johnson was a hero, draining a triple from the right wing for a two-point win, 67-65. RaginCajuns.com

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First, UL needed a game-winning shot to hold off upset-minded UL Monroe on Thursday night at the Cajundome. The Ragin' Cajuns followed that up with a huge road win at Arkansas State on Saturday. Nothing pretty, but enough to get the job done. "Our basketball team did what we needed to do," UL coach Robert Lee said. "We found a way to win. Those two games weren't the prettiest games as far as execution throughout the entire 40 minutes. "But the bottom line was that we came out on top at the end of the game." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

[cjntgr]

Anyone know if the game will be on TV?

[J-Town Cajun]

I have a link to espn radio 1420 but can someone give me the link to 1079 for the mens basketball game. Thanks.