The Book: Lady Cajuns 2007-08 basketball

[NewsCopy]

At the end, UL made it interesting. Florida Atlantic, though, made its outside shots Saturday and held off the Ragin' Cajuns, 65-62, at Earl K. Long Gym. The Owls snapped a nine-game losing streak and won their first-ever Sun Belt Conference road game after tying a school record by making 12-of-24 3-point attempts. FAU (5-15 overall, 1-10 SBC) had lost 10 of its previous 11 games in the program's second season in the Sun Belt. "We've really been working on our shooting," said FAU coach Chancellor Dugan, whose Owls shot 2-of-22 from 3-point range in Thursday's 76-63 loss to New Orleans. "It really paid off today." Trailing by eight with 1:23 left - the largest lead for either team all game - UL (5-16, 1-9) got five straight points from guard Whitney Dunlap to pull within three with 14 seconds remaining. FAU clanked the front end of two one-and-one free-throw opportunities in the final 12 seconds, but the Cajuns missed two 3-point attempts in the closing seconds - including an off-balanced half-court heave by Dunlap that bounced off the right side of the backboard as time expired. The Owls entered the game 1-7 on the road this season and last in the East Division. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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The women's basketball team (8-13, 4-6 Sun Belt) will return to the Pharmed arena on Feb. 6 after a two-game road trip that took the team to Colorado and Texas. Awaiting the Golden Panthers will be the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette (5-15, 1-8). The Ragin' Cajuns have struggled this season and are currently last in the Sun Belt's West Division. They are led by senior center Sonora Edwards, who is averaging 11 points and eight rebounds per game this season. Another key player on the Cajuns' roster is senior forward Courtney Ratliff, who averages 12 points and seven rebounds a game. ULL ranks near the bottom of most major defensive categories in the Sun Belt Conference and will probably be hungry for a road win in Miami. This is a winnable game for FIU, but the Golden Panthers most stay focused and work to improve their shooting percentage and shot selection. The rest of the story Darren Collette / Staff Writer

[Turbine]

I sure hope coach Rogers can pull off a win because for someone to call your team "faulty" is worse than saying you are bad.

jmo

[CajunTundra]

This is definitely a transition year, but I don't understand why it had to be one. It's no secret that Yolanda Jones is the biggest difference from last year to this year, and Jeanenne Colbert was a big help at times, but wasn't always available. Basically, we have the same core players from last year, the only difference is the Coach and staff. Coach Rogers admitted to not having the proper time to work with the team before the start of the year, but now he consistantly takes shot's at the team's lack of heart or execution. When I watch the games he keep running this tired motion play on offense that never gives us good looks at shots. He needs to take some ownership for our situation. Our best offense seems to be our fast break. He has tried new things with player rotation, but has let our proven players minutes go down, without seeing any difference in the win/loss catagory. I understand if you have a good system it will work, but we have a coach and players that are not on the same page, and morale is falling fast. I have heard through the grapevine that coach's are not supporting our players, or building them up, taking cell phones away so they can't talk to friends and family on the road, regulating the players money. It's not easy being a student athlete, and playing on the road, and practicing when everyone else is out enjoying Holidays. There needs to be a bond, and respect between players and coaches. I wanted to give Coach Rogers and his staff a chance to turn the year around. I don't see anything very positive yet, but I'm still hoping that they can find some common ground, and some plays that work, and turn the last half of conference play around.

Geaux Cajuns.

[CAJUNfox]

_ I sure hope coach Rogers can pull off a win because for someone to call your team "faulty" is worse than saying you are bad.

jmo _

Turbine:
Is Onna Charles hurt ? If not any reason why she's not playing ? Just wondering. You don't luck up and score over 1,000 points do you ? If memory serves me didn't she score 35 at Troy and 25 against Texas at Texas. Wow. Thanks for the info and job you do.

Cajunfox

[Turbine]

Is Onna Charles hurt ? If not any reason why she's not playing ? Just wondering. You don't luck up and score over 1,000 points do you ? If memory serves me didn't she score 35 at Troy and 25 against Texas at Texas. Wow.

Onna has played in 20 of the 21 games but is only averaging 19.1 minutes and 7.1 points per game.

Last year she averaged 11.5 points per game in 29.6 minutes so for some reason (with all the departures) I thought she would be the "go to" gal this season.

Her production per minute played is roughly the same as last year so she is not playing worse on the scoring end. Who knows???

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With the UL women's basketball team enduring tough times, freshman Jasmine Barnes still found a way to speak with the clarity and wisdom of a veteran. "We have to stick together through everything," Barnes said of UL, which has lost seven straight and 11 of its last 12 games. "When we have some downs and sickness on the team we have to keep our heads up and pray about it. "We have to stick together. That's the most important thing." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

[CAJUNfox]

I am watching the live stats f rom the lady cajuns game @ FIU....
any reason why Sonora has not played yet? maybe Coach Rogers is trying to play the kids that will be his core for next year....LET ME KNOW
HAPPY MARDI GRAS

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Sometimes lost in the midst of a team's struggles are the individual accomplishments of a persistent leader. For example, take UL senior Alicia McDaniel. While the Cajun women's basketball team has lost eight straight Sun Belt Conference contests and 12 of its last 13 coming into today's game at Denver (8-14 overall, 3-8 SBC), McDaniel is set to make program history. Granted she plays for UL (5-17, 1-10), McDaniel will become the program's all-time leader with 115 games played. Former Cajun guard Shaunda Bedel-Johnson played 114 games at UL from 1986-91. "It will be an honor," McDaniel said, "but at the same time I want to get some victories under my belt. That's more on my mind right now." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns put forth a terrific effort, but it wasn’t quite enough as the Cajuns were on the wrong side of a 60-52 decision at Denver on Sunday afternoon. Two three-point baskets by Brooke Meyer broke a tie game and gave the Pioneers a four-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in the contest. UL (5-18, 1-11) couldn’t get the shots to fall in the closing minutes and DU (9-14, 4-8) made six free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. After leading for nearly the entire first half, the Cajuns relinquished their lead exactly five minutes into the second stanza. With the game tied at 31-31, DU grabbed an eight-point edge thanks to a 10-2 scoring burst. Nnenna Akotaobi completed a three-point play to start the host’s rally. Sara Benham then scored seven straight for the Pioneers to give DU a 41-33 lead with 9:26 left. From there, the Cajuns scratched their way back. UL countered with a 10-2 run of their own to tie the game with five minutes remaining. Alicia McDaniel started the scoring with a free throw and was followed by baskets from Bronson Rodgers, Onna Charles and Courtney Ratliff. Whitney Dunlap buried a triple after good ball movement to knot the game at 46-46. McDaniel led the Cajuns with 14 points, five assists and two steals. Ratliff finished with 12 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Sonora Edwards led all players with 10 rebounds. Meyer led four Pioneers in double figures with 13 points. Offense was slow to come by early. The Cajuns led 2-0 until a basket by Benham tied the game at the 13:37 mark. Ratliff put the Cajuns back in front, 4-2, at the 11:58 mark. DU took their first lead, 8-7, midway through the first half, but the Cajuns immediately rallied with a 9-2 burst to take their biggest lead, 16-10, with 6:49 remaining in the half. Jasmine Barnes, McDaniel and Ratliff each scored before Dunlap drilled a three-pointer to account for the Cajuns scoring. A basket by McDaniel with 3.3 seconds left in the opening half gave the Cajuns a four-point cushion at the break. The Cajuns return home to host Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday at Earl K. Long Gym at 7pm. RaginCajuns.com