Cajuns worry about themselves instead of scoreboard watching.

Robert Lee wouldn't mind a little help down the stretch, but he's not counting on it.

Lee's Ragin' Cajuns lost to Denver for the second time this season last Saturday, a 79-72 setback on the road, and are a game behind the Pioneers (8-1 to 7-2) in the Sun Belt Conference Western Division standings.

Denver visits Western Kentucky tonight, so it's possible for the Pioneers to trip again. But Lee has turned his attention to a strong finish by his team instead of scoreboard watching.

"Our plan is to go on a 9-game win streak," Lee said.

If the Cajuns can do that, they would sweep their final six regular-season games in the league, win all three games at the Sun Belt Tournament in Denton, Texas, and thus earn a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.

That would certainly erase some of the sting of the Denver sweep.

"The bottom line is, we didn't take care of our business," said Lee, whose team begins a four-game homestand at 7:05 tonight against South Alabama.

"It was a so-so week. We were able to win at North Texas (86-79) but we committed 21 turnovers at Denver and you're not going to beat a quality team doing that. We still had opportunities to win late in the game, but they made the plays and we didn't."

Denver's Yemi Nicholson had a tremendous game with 28 points (10-of-12 from the field, 8-of-10 at the line) and 11 rebounds, but shooting guard Erik Benzel was equally deadly with 22 points including 6-of-11 3-point attempts.

"I was disappointed in our inability to guard Benzel on the perimeter," Lee said. "There were times in transition where we didn't find him. Either we were dead tired or we weren't focused on the task at hand.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com