The Book: Lady Cajuns 2007-08 basketball

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SAVANNAH, Ga. - Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns basketball team trailed by as many as 15 points late in the second half, but cut the lead to as little as five points before falling to Savannah State 71-62 on Friday afternoon at Tiger Arena. The Cajuns fell to 4-7 on the season, while the Lady Tigers improved to 7-5. UL was led offensively by seniors Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas) and Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas). McDaniel led all Cajuns with 13 points. The double-digit effort was her third straight and her sixth of the year. Edwards finished the game with a double-double. She netted 10 points and grabbed 11 boards for her second straight double-double and her fourth of the season. The Ragin’ Cajuns trailed 62-47 with 5:53 remaining in the game. A pair of free throws by Edwards, a jumper by Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.) and a freebie by Kina Miller (Aurora, Ill.) cut the deficit to 62-52 with less than five minutes to play. A lay-up by Edwards with 3:50 remaining on the clock cut the SSU advantage to just eight points. The Cajuns cut the lead to five points on the ensuing possession. Dunlap stole the inbounds pass and connected on a triple trim the margin to 62-57 with 3:35 to play. The Tigers converted a three-point play, but Elaine McCants (Boston, Mass.) countered that with a triple as the shot clock was expiring with 2:38 to play trimming the lead to 65-60. The Cajuns managed just one basket the remainder of the game, being outscored 6-2 over the final two minutes. The two teams play almost even for the first 10 minutes of the game. Savannah State opened the game with a basket, but the Cajuns took a 6-2 lead thanks to a pair of lay-ups by Courtney Ratliff (Canton, Miss.) and a jumper by McDaniel. The Lady Tigers responded with five straight points to take a 7-6 lead with 16:19 left to play in the first half. The Cajuns used a lay-up by Ratliff and a triple by McCants to regain their four-point edge. A basket by Charles gave the Cajuns a six point lead – their largest of the first half – at 13-7. With the Cajuns leading 21-17, Savannah State made a charge and took advantage of an UL scoring drought. The drought lasted nearly six minutes, and the Lady Tigers were able to build an 11-point lead with a 13-0 run. Edwards ended the scoring deficiency with a lay-up at the 3:44 mark of the first half, cutting the deficit to single digits at 32-23. The two teams exchanged baskets over the final two minutes of the first half and UL entered the locker room at halftime on the wrong end of a 36-25 score. Savannah State built their lead to as many 15-points before the Cajuns went on a 10-2 run. Trailing 41-26 with 5:53 to play, Charles drained a triple from the top of the key and McDaniel followed with a jumper to cut the lead to 10. A basket by the Lady Tigers pushed the lead back to a dozen, but a trey by McDaniel, followed by a lay-up by Sonora Edwards cut the advantage to seven at 43-36. Trailing 48-36, Dunlap scored the next five points for the Cajuns. Dunlap drained a three-pointer and converted 2-of-3 free throws after being fouled taking another trey. SSU extended their lead to 13 points before the Cajuns responded back-to-back lay-ups to cut the Tigers’ advantage to 54-45 with 10:12 remaining in the game. Over the next four minutes, the Lady Tigers out scored the Cajuns 8-2 to extend their lead to back to 15 points. The Ragin’ Cajuns continue their road swing as they head to Starkville, Miss. to take on Mississippi State. Tip-off for the game is slated for 3:30 p.m. center> Ragin'Cajuns.com

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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns basketball team dropped their third straight road game as they fell to Mississippi State, 80-55 on Sunday afternoon at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss. Leading the way for the Cajuns (4-8) was Mississippi native Courtney Ratliff (Canton, Miss.) In her return to the Magnolia State, Ratliff netted a team-high 15 points and pulled down six rebounds, while adding five steals. Following Ratliff was Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas) who scored 11 points on the day. Her 11 points marked the fourth consecutive double-digit effort by McDaniel and the seventh time this season. Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas) led all Cajuns with eight rebounds. In the opening minutes of the first half, the two teams played even matching each other basket for basket. Neither team held a lead larger than two points throughout the first four-minutes of the contest. The Cajuns held a 10-9 lead thanks to an Elaine McCants (Boston, Mass.) triple with 16:15 to play in the first half. A pair of free throws gave the hosts a one-point edge, and a triple from the top of the key with 15:12 on the clock gave Mississippi State their biggest lead to that point. The four-point edge didn’t last long as Edwards cut the lead to 14-12 with 14:54 remaining in the half. Trailing 17-12, Ratliff drained a three pointer to cut the MSU lead to just a pair. The Lady Bulldogs went on a 12-0 run to take a 29-15 lead with 9:04 remaining in the first half. Whitney Dunlap (Baton Rouge, La.) ended the Cajuns’ five minute scoring drought with a triple to cut the Mississippi State advantage to 11 with 8:34 to play in the half. The Cajuns were held scoreless in the final 6:32 of the first half and allowed the Lady Bulldogs to extend their lead to as many as 21. Mississippi State took a 41-20 edge into the locker room at halftime as they closed out the final 7:45 on a 12-2 run. In the second half, Mississippi State continued to roll. They slowly built their lead up to as many as 31 points. The Lady Cajuns cut the deficit to as little as 18 points early in the second half, but could get no closer and fell by a final score of 80-55. Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns basketball team returns home for a doubleheader with the men’s team. The Cajuns will square off with Arkansas State at 4:30 p.m. at the CAJUNDOME with the men’s game to follow at 7:05 p.m. RaginCajuns.com

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For as long as he can remember, Errol Rogers has taken pride in his team's approach on the defensive end of the basketball court. "I've always been defensive-minded," said Rogers, in his first year as the UL women's coach. "But with what's happened (this season) you'd never know with as many points as we've been giving up." The numbers speak the same truth. As of Dec. 16, the Ragin' Cajuns (4-8 overall, 0-1 Sun Belt Conference) rank 285th out of 326 NCAA Division I teams this season in points allowed per game (70.5). They haven't helped themselves much on offense, ranking 283rd nationally in turnovers per game (21.8). The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns fell to Arkansas State on Thursday afternoon by a final score of 71-65. UL (4-9, 0-2) led for nearly the entire first half, but once ASU (7-7, 2-1) took the lead, the Cajuns were never able to get it back. Down a pair at the half, Courtney Ratliff tied the score 31 seconds into the second stanza. Five minutes later, a three-point play by Ratliff pulled the Cajuns within two points, 41-39, but ASU responded with an 11-2 run to take a 52-41 lead with 11:08 remaining. Bronson Rodgers drilled a triple from the corner, her fifth of season, to stop the Indians run and start a Cajuns burst. Ratliff followed with two free throws, Sonora Edwards nailed her fifth triple of the season and D’Mya Clay connected on her fourth three-pointer of the season to tie the game at 52-52 with 8:21 showing on the clock. With UL trailing by two, the Indians’ Carolina Starr delivered the dagger, hitting a three-pointer from the wing to extend ASU’s lead to five, 63-58, with 2:59 left to play. Five quick points from Alicia McDaniel cut the visitors lead to 67-63 and a pair from the stripe by Rodgers made is a two-point game with 1:18 remaining. The Cajuns were unable to score the rest of the game, falling by six points. Ratliff led UL with 16 points and nine rebounds. Edwards and McDaniel each added 14 points. Veronica Smith enjoyed a game-high 18 points to lead four Indians in double-figures. Both teams committed more than 16 fouls and turned the ball over more than 20 times. The Cajuns built an 8-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The Indians closed within one point, 8-7, at the 13:12 mark, but the Cajuns responded with a 10-3 run to regain their eight-point edge. McDaniel started the spurt, before Clay made a triple. Edwards contributed a free throw, McDaniel hit two from the stripe and then Ratliff finished the run with a basket. ASU tied the game at 28-28 with 2:29 remaining in the first half and took their first lead on a three-point basket from Rachel Baker with 36 seconds remaining. The Indians carried a 33-31 at the break. The Cajuns will be in action again this Saturday to face New Orleans at 4:30pm in the Cajundome. RaginCajuns.com

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The frustration continued for the UL women's basketball team, which started 2008 the same way it ended 2007: With another disappointing loss. This time, it was Arkansas State causing the problems. The Lady Indians increased their intensity late and rallied for a 71-65 win Thursday in Sun Belt Conference play at the Cajundome. Now the Ragin' Cajuns (4-9 overall, 0-2 SBC) must find a way to rebound quickly with New Orleans (8-5, 2-0) coming to the Cajundome today. UL enters today's game having lost four straight. First-year UL coach Errol Rogers said a couple things have to happen for the Cajuns to end their recent struggles. "I keep reminding them to stay motivated and don't give up," Rogers said. "They've got to believe in what we're doing. We have to play a complete game." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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Alicia McDaniel scored a career-high 21 points on Saturday vs. UNO Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns continued their winning ways against New Orleans, defeating the Lady Privateers 64-55 on Saturday afternoon at the Cajundome. Louisiana (5-9, 1-2) won their ninth straight over UNO (8-6, 2-1). The win was the first Sun Belt victory for new head coach Errol Rogers, while the defeat was the first in conference play for UNO this season. The Cajuns carried a 22-point lead into the second half, but had trouble scoring early. UL put up just seven points over the first 10 minutes of the second stanza. UNO had trouble scoring as well, but the Lady Privateers managed to cut the Cajuns lead to 49-36 at the midway point of the half. A jumper by Ty Felder dropped the Cajuns lead to 12 points, but Onna Charles nailed a jumper from the corner and Bronson Rodgers hit two from the stripe to put the Cajuns up 16 points with three minutes left. From there, UNO scored four of the last five baskets of the game to provide the final margin. Alicia McDaniel led all players with a career-best 21 points. Sonora Edwards added 11 points and 11 boards for her fifth double-double of the season and 17th of her career. Rodgers had a career-high 10 points. The Lady Privateers were led by 14 points from Brittany Helm. The Cajuns jumped out to a quick 8-1 lead at the 14:05 mark. UL kept the offense going, building a 23-8 edge with 7:10 remaining. McDaniel led the way with 10 points. It marked her sixth straight game in double-figures in scoring. McDaniel kept scoring, netting six more points during the Cajuns 8-2 run which saw the hosts lead grow to 31-12 with 4:06 to play in the first half. Rodgers hit a triple, and then knocked down a pair from the stripe and Charles scored inside to give Louisiana their biggest edge, 40-16, at the 1:32 mark. Charles finished the game with six points and is now 10 points from 1,000 in her career. The Cajuns will continue conference play on the road, traveling to UALR on Thursday and North Texas on Saturday. RaginCajuns.com

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Alicia McDaniel hadn't been that offensive-minded all season for UL's women's basketball team, even though Ragin' Cajun coach Errol Rogers wanted her to take charge offensively. "She can get to the rim on anybody," Rogers said of the senior guard. "I've been telling her not to settle for the three-pointer." McDaniel didn't settle for anything on Saturday, and because of that the Cajuns have their first Sun Belt Conference win. The Houston product had 16 of her career-high 21 points in the first half Saturday against New Orleans, helping UL build as much as a 24-point lead, and the Cajuns held off the Privateers the rest of the way in a 64-55 win at the Cajundome. The victory snapped a four-game loss streak for UL (5-9, 1-2) and gave the Cajuns their first conference win under Rogers. Just like in their first two league games, the Cajun squad held a solid first-half lead, but this time the hosts didn't let it get away. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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The bumps and bruises of a physical basketball season hit UL last week at the worst possible time. With starting point guard Elaine McCants (illness) and forward Kina Miller (personal reasons) sidelined Saturday, first-year Cajun coach Errol Rogers was left with a depleted roster against Sun Belt Conference foe New Orleans. UL responded to the challenge and won its first conference game this season, snapping a four-game losing streak with a 64-55 win at the Cajundome. "They finally worked through adversity," Rogers said. "We got through it." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–UALR shot a staggering 60.7 from the floor as the Trojans avenged last season's loss with an 83-51 win over Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center. The loss snapped Louisiana’s (5-10, 1-3 Sun Belt) three-game winning streak against UALR (10-5, 2-2 Sun Belt), while the Trojans moved to 7-0 at home. Louisiana fell to 0-8 on the road this season. Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas) led the Cajuns offensively with a team-high 16 points, while Courtney Ratliff (Canton, Miss.) added 10 points. Senior Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.) poured in five points, moving her five away from becoming the 12th player in school history with 1,000 career points. UALR’s Nikya Hughes led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Kim Sitzmann added 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range, while Anshel Cooper chipped in 10. Louisiana scored five of the second half’s first seven points, but UALR kept providing an answer to each Cajuns basket. With the Trojans leading by 14, Sitzmann drilled her fifth triple of the game, extending UALR’s lead to 17 points, 48-31. The Trojans then built their commanding lead to 20, 53-33, after Hughes converted a three-point play. A 10-2 run by UALR provided for a 25-point Trojans cushion, 60-35. After two consecutive Cajuns baskets, UALR followed with a 10-0 run for a 70-39 advantage. UALR came out shooting to open the first half as the home-standing Trojans hit five of their first seven shots to take a 12-7 lead entering the first media timeout. McDaniel contributed four of Louisiana's first seven points. Following the media timeout, McDaniel added four more to total to help keep Louisiana within five, 16-11, with 11:53 remaining in the opening period. Early in the first half, the Cajuns had no apparent solution to Sitzmann who knocked down three three-pointers for the Trojans, extending UALR’s lead to 21-11. UALR’s lead grew larger as the Trojans capped a 16-4 run to take a commanding 15-point 28-13 edge with less than seven minutes remaining before halftime. The Trojans were able to contain McDaniel, while holding the rest of the Cajuns lineup to just 2-of-7 from the floor. In the game’s first 13 minutes, the Trojans forced nine Louisiana turnovers that would continue to aid UALR’s double-digit advantage. However, a 7-2 spurt by the Cajuns cut the UALR deficit to 10 points, 30-20, but the Trojans added a basket on their ensuing possession to snap UL’s streak. After the final media break of the first half, Sitzmann promptly hit her fourth triple of the period, bringing UALR’s lead back to 15 points, 35-20. The Cajuns scored the last bucket of the half on a Ratliff tip-in to beat the buzzer. McDaniel paced the Cajuns with a team-high 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the opening stanza. Ratliff chipped in six points in 15 minutes. Sitzmann led all scorers with 12 points in the first half, draining four treys, while Anshel Cooper and Nikya Hughes each added eight for the Trojans. Louisiana shot 39.3 percent from the floor in the first half, connecting on 11-of-28 shots. UALR shot an impressive 55.2 percent from floor, while forcing 10 Louisiana turnovers. Louisiana’s Ragin' Cajuns return to action Saturday when they travel to Denton, Texas, to face the North Texas Mean Green. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at The Super Pit. RaginCajuns.com

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With a smile on his face and relief in the air, UL coach Errol Rogers said what was on his mind as he walked out of the post-game press conference last Saturday at the Cajundome. His Ragin' Cajuns had just won their first Sun Belt Conference game of the season with a 64-55 win over New Orleans. "It feels good to walk out of here with a win," Rogers said. "We were lucky to win this one." UL wasn't as lucky on Thursday. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com