The Book: Lady Cajuns 2007-08 basketball

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First-year UL women's basketball coach Errol Rogers praised senior Alicia McDaniel for her all-around effort last week in a win over Centenary. Rogers gave senior Onna Charles the glory after Sunday's 63-40 victory over LSU-Shreveport in non-conference action at Earl K. Long Gym. Charles finished with a team-high 14 points in her 68th consecutive start for the Ragin' Cajuns (3-4). Her reverse layup midway through the first half sparked a 17-4 run that gave UL the lead for good against LSUS, an NAIA Division II program. "She picked it up today, especially defensively," Rogers said of Charles, who is 58 points away from 1,000 career points. "We know Onna can score. She can nail shots. But defensively she stepped it up. That was a big part for us." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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AUSTIN, Texas - Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball team takes their two-game winning streak on the road to take on their second ranked opponent of the year. The Cajuns (3-4) will face off against No. 20 Texas at the Frank Erwin Center on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. The Cajuns enter the game against Texas on the heels of back-to-back victories. UL broke a string of five consecutive non-conference road losses with a 78-71 victory over Centenary. The Cajuns followed with a 63-40 home win over LSU-Shreveport. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 1-2 all-time against the Longhorns. The Cajuns claimed the first game of the series. The two teams squared off in the Sam Houston State Tournament in Huntsville, Texas on Feb. 10, 1973 with the Cajuns taking a 55-39 win. Texas evened the series with an 82-40 victory on Feb. 9, 1979 in Houston, Texas. The two teams met last season in the 2007 Basketball Travelers Classic. Texas, who was ranked No. 25 at the time, didn’t make its first three-point basket until 11:58 left in the game, but the basket made by Tiffany Jackson triggered a 10-0 run which rallied the Longhorns to a 69-59 victory over UL. The Ragin’ Cajuns returned to Austin later in the 2006-07 season as they participated in the school’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cajuns dropped an 87-58 decision to No. 21 Marquette. Homecoming: The Ragin’ Cajuns have three players who are returning home to the Lone Star State for the match-up with the Longhorns. Seniors Sonora Edwards and Alicia McDaniel hail from Snook and Houston respectively, while sophomore Ovigwerade Agbuke is a native of San Antonio. Senior Leadership: UL has more seniors than any other school in the Sun Belt. The Cajuns six-pack of seniors Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.), Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas), Elaine McCants (Boston, Mass.), Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas), Kina Miller (Aurora, Ill.) and Courtney Ratliff (Canton, Miss.) have played in a total of 368 games. 1,000-point Watch: Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.) and Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas) both enter the season within sight of 1,000 career points. Charles sits just 58 points shy, while Edwards needs 197 more points to reach the coveted plateau. There’s No Place Like Home: The Ragin’ Cajuns dropped a home game to in-state foe Tulane on Wednesday, Nov. 28, to snap their 17-game home non-conference winning streak. The Cajuns have still won 18 of their last 19 home non-conference games. Conversely, the Cajuns had lost five consecutive non-conference road games until their 78-71 victory over Centenary on Dec. 1. Prior to the win, the Cajuns last victory on the road against a non-conference opponent came on Nov. 30, 2006 at Texas Southern. UL downed the Lady Tigers 82-48. Records Section: Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas) is 15 games played away from the all-time mark. Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.) needs 10 games started to move into a tie for fifth place. Charles needs 59 field goals to crack the career top 10. Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas), currently seventh, is 134 rebounds from second all-time. Charles sits in the top five in career three-point field goals made, attempted and percentage. RaginCajuns.com Chris Whitehead

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AUSTIN, Texas - Carla Cortijo led Texas' up-tempo offense, scoring 14 points and adding seven assists in the No. 20 Longhorns' 76-43 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday. Texas (8-2) struggled to find its shooting rhythm in the first half, but opened the second half with a 21-12 run to build an insurmountable 59-35 lead. Brittainey Raven, who scored in double-figures for the 10th game in a row, had 12 points, six assists and five rebounds as four other Longhorns finished with eight or more points. Cortijo had nine of her points during a 14-3 run in the last 5:34 of the first half. The rest of the story

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Onna Charles and Sonora Edwards both entered the season within sight of 1,000 career points. UL - Lady Cajuns basketball returns home to historic Earl K. Long Gym for their final home game of 2007. The Cajuns (3-5) will play host to Nicholls State (1-7) on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. The Cajuns will look to continue their recent success at home. UL dropped a home game to in-state foe Tulane on Wednesday, Nov. 28, to snap their 17-game home non-conference winning streak. Despite the loss, the Cajuns have won 18 of their last 19 home non-conference games. Before the loss to the Green Wave, the Cajuns last home non-conference loss was a 63-50 loss to Memphis on Nov. 25, 2002. The Cajuns are 76-82 (.481) all-time in Long Gym, but have compiled a 32-6 (.842) over the past three years. The meeting between the two teams will be the 49th in the series. The Cajuns hold a 30-18 advantage over the Lady Colonels. The Ragin’ Cajuns have won the last three meetings in the series. The last time the two teams met, UL claimed a 74-62 win on Dec. 21, 2005 at Nicholls State. The Lady Colonels last victory in the series came on Nov. 22, 2002. Offensively, the Ragin’ Cajuns enter the game led by a foursome of upper classmen. Senior Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas) currently leads the team with 12.0 points per game this season. She is followed closely by junior Whitney Dunlap (Baton Rouge, La.), who boasts a 9.9 average. Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.) and Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas) are averaging 9.4 and 8.8 points per game, respectively. Charles and Edwards both entered the season within sight of 1,000 career points. Charles sits just 46 points shy, while Edwards needs 191 more points to reach the coveted plateau. The Cajuns have 11 players who have scored over 1,000 points in their career. Yolanda Jones (2006-07) was the most recent addition to the 1,000-point club scoring 1,090 points in her two-year career with the Cajuns. QUICK HITS Senior Leadership: UL has more seniors than any other school in the Sun Belt. The Cajuns six-pack of seniors Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.), Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas), Elaine McCants (Boston, Mass.), Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas), Kina Miller (Aurora, Ill.) and Courtney Ratliff (Canton, Miss.) have played in a total of 373 games. Records Section: Alicia McDaniel (Houston, Texas) is 14 games played away from the all-time mark. Onna Charles (New Iberia, La.) needs nine games started to move into a tie for fifth place. Charles needs 55 field goals to crack the career top 10. Sonora Edwards (Snook, Texas), currently fourth, is 126 rebounds from second all-time. Charles sits in the top five in career three-point field goals made, attempted and percentage. RginCajuns.com Chris Whitehead

[CajunCherokee]

Excuse my ignorance, but how is this the last home game of the season for the girls? The season just started. Is it their last home game at EKL? With the remaining games at the Dome?

[RaginCajunPie]

No....it's the last game of the year (2007...because it's about to be New Year's), not the last game of the season.

[CajunCherokee]

Duh. Why would the article even mention that in the headline?

Plus they started throwing in stats about games played at EKL. Its almost like they were getting ready to tear it down or something...

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Errol Rogers wanted his UL women's basketball team to go into Saturday's Sun Belt Conference opener at UL-Monroe on a high note. Alicia McDaniel made sure of that Tuesday night. McDaniel sparked a game-changing run in the first half as the Ragin' Cajuns ran past Nicholls State, 74-47, at Earl K. Long Gym. The senior forward tied a career-high with 17 points - including 12 during UL's 32-15 run to close the first half. "She felt it early today when she was shooting around. I said 'I need that tonight' and she said 'You're going to get it,'" Rogers said of McDaniel. "She's one of our leaders and one of our captains. When she comes out and plays like that everyone else feeds off her." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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Knowing only one game remained before the start of Sun Belt Conference play, Alicia McDaniel looked to give the UL women's basketball team a confidence boost Tuesday against Nicholls State. In her mind, she did just that after tying her career high with 17 points in a 74-47 win. "I think this was a confidence-builder going into (our conference opener)," said McDaniel, whose Cajuns (4-5) play today at UL-Monroe (7-3). "I think we have to work on our defense. But as long as our defense is working I think we're going to be unstoppable in conference. "As long as our defense and rebounding is good, we're going to be fine." Errol Rogers, UL's first-year coach, knows the Cajuns will have their hands full against ULM. Both teams have won three of their last four games this season. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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After Alicia McDaniel saw another golden opportunity slip away on the road, the normally quiet senior wasn't afraid to voice her frustration. In what's become a trend this season, the UL women's basketball team struggled on the road again last week, opening Sun Belt Conference play with a 72-59 loss at UL-Monroe. The Ragin' Cajuns (4-6) held a 10-point lead early in the second half, but couldn't hold on as they fell to 1-5 this season on the road. After the team took a couple days off for Christmas, McDaniel relished the chance to get back in the gym and erase the memories of another painful road loss. "We're going to work hard and try to get better with the things we did wrong," said McDaniel, whose Cajuns play at Savannah State (6-5) at 2 p.m. (CST) today. "That's all we can do." Going into last week's game at ULM, first-year UL coach Errol Rogers said his team could beat the Warhawks if it stayed close. He showed his frustrations when it didn't work out that way. Even after the loss, Rogers said the Cajuns can still be successful. In Rogers' mind, enjoying the same success as last season - which included a Sun Belt Conference West Division title and the program's first NCAA tournament appearance - hinges on whether UL can do one thing. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com