Following a dominant 75-51 victory over Little Rock on Thursday night, Louisiana Men's Basketball will travel to Jonesboro, Ark. to face Arkansas State 4 p.m. Saturday at First National Bank Arena.
The weekend meeting will be the second of the season for the programs as Louisiana prevailed 83-77 in an overtime thriller on Jan. 6 in Lafayette, La.
The Ragin' Cajuns scored 51 points in the second half to cruise past the Trojans on Thursday. Sophomore Jordan Brown poured in 15 points in the final frame and finished with 20 on the night.
Junior forward Theo Akwuba contributed 11 points and nine rebounds as the frontcourt duo dominated the Trojans in the paint throughout the contest.
In total, Louisiana tallied 46 points around the basket, matching its season-high that was previously set in the season opener against West Florida on Nov. 9.
The Ragin' Cajuns depth has proved to be a valuable asset on numerous occasions during the 2021-22 campaign. With 35 points against Little Rock, the Louisiana reserves have recorded 30+ points in six contests and 24+ in 12 games.
Akwuba and Brown, each standing at 6-11 have provided Bob Marlin's squad with a consistent rebounding presence. As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns rank second in the Sun Belt grabbing 39.5 boards per contest.
Arkansas State enters the home contest with a 14-6 record including a 5-3 mark against conference opponents. The Red Wolves are led by freshman forward Norchad Omier who averages 17.3 points and 11.9 rebounds this season.
SERIES NOTES
Saturday will mark the 86th meeting between the two programs as Louisiana leads the all-time series 57-28. The Ragin' Cajuns hold a 6-4 record in the last 10 matchups.
NATIONAL NAME
On Jan. 12, Brown was named to the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List honoring the country's top mid-major player.
LOUISIANA LEGACY
Louisiana's 2021-22 roster features two second-generation talents in Julien and Brown. Julien's father Wayne was with the program from 1976-81 and was a member of 1977 Southland Conference championship team.
Dion Brown lettered for the Ragin' Cajuns from 1980-84 and finished his career as one of the top scorers and rebounders in school history. Brown, a 1984 graduate of UL, earned All-Southland Conference honors in 1982 and was a two-time All-Louisiana selection.
He finished his career with 1,412 points and 926 rebounds (then second in school history) and helped then-USL to the championship of the 1982 Great Alaskan Shootout where he was named to the All-Tournament team.