The Book: Lady Cajuns 2005-06 basketball season

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Sonora Edwards didn't get a halftime lecture from coach J. Kelley Hall on going to the backboards harder Friday night. "He said he couldn't decide what we needed to talk about," Edwards said of the University of Louisiana coach's locker-room talk, "because there were so many areas in which we needed to step up." Edwards knew rebounding was one of those areas, and she took that to heart. Because of that, the Ragin' Cajun women's basketball team kept the nation's fifth-longest home winning streak intact. Edwards tied a career high with 18 points, several of them on offensive-rebound putbacks in the second half, and the Cajuns rallied for a 64-56 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Earl K. Long Gym. UL (10-2) trailed the heavy-underdog Golden Lions 28-25 at halftime, mostly due to UAPB's non-stop pressure defense that eventually forced 22 turnovers. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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When the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women begin Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday against the Denver Pioneers, there will be numerous fans wondering whether the Cajuns can repeat as winners of the league's Western Division in 2006. That and a 21-game home win streak should be enough to spice up the evening, but there will be an additional element for the 7 p.m. tipoff. The game will be televised by ESPN-Plus and will be shown locally on Cox Sports, cable channel 27 in Lafayette. Louisiana carries an impressive 10-2 non-league record into the contest, but there could be a temptation for the Cajuns to get away from what earned them those 10 victories with TV on hand. "That has not been an issue with us," coach J. Kelley Hall said on Tuesday. "In the last couple of years, we've played very well in TV games." That includes last year's run to the Sun Belt Tournament finals and a 22-9 overall record, so it doesn't seem to matter to the Cajuns who's watching. Broadcasting the game is another matter, as the sports information department and Associated Director of Athletics for Women Sherry Lebas are preparing for the event at Earl K. Long Gym on campus. "We've had to expand our camera platform at the top of the stands," SID Daryl Cetnar said. "They're going to have two cameras up there. "We also had to bring in a small riser behind the scorer's table, where the stats crew will be. The ESPN (on-air) talent (including Debbie Leonard) will be in front." Venues like the Cajundome and even Blackham Coliseum are better suited for visiting TV personnel, but there was no way Hall wanted to open Sun Belt play anywhere but Long Gym. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[shof]

Nice! With any luck I can pick up the game on FCS-Pacific. They tend to carry several Denver BB games.

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Two hot teams meet tonight as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women begin defense of their Sun Belt Conference Western Division title against the Denver Pioneers. Denver is 6-5 on the season with wins in five of its last six games and has already equalled last year's victory total. The Cajuns of coach J. Kelley Hall are 10-2 and have won 21 straight home games at Earl K. Long Gym. Throw in an ESPN-Plus audience (Cox Sports, cable channel 27 locally), and it figures to be a big evening. "We've paid a lot of attention to other teams in the league," sophomore Onna Charles said. "Looking at film of Denver, everyone on their team can shoot. Even their post can shoot. "We know nothing will be given to us this year in the West, so we know we have to work hard. We have to play with heart, and play to win." The Cajuns are built around defense and rebounding. They are giving up just 51.9 points per game and are out-rebounding foes by 48.2 to 40.7. UL owns 104 steals in 12 games, so foe know they have to protect the ball. But Louisiana is hitting just 35.7 percent from the field and 60.3 percent of its free throws en route to 65.2 points per game. "At some point, we've got to find an identity," Hall said. "We need some kind of IQ." He knows his team is among the best in the Sun Belt. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

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Onna Charles picked a good time to revert back to her high school days. Charles helped the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns dispatch pesky Arkansas-Pine Bluff 64-56 last Friday by scoring 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, as UL improved its home winning streak to 21 games in a row. But she also showed the visitors the ability to drive with the ball in addition to nailing rainbows from the perimeter, and that makes her a more dangerous weapon as Louisiana heads into Sun Belt Conference play. "Onna came up big," coach J. Kelley Hall said. "She took the ball hard to the basket. She had three or four drives and really finished them strong. "Now, other teams can't just come out on her on the outside, because she can drive on them." "That's actually been my game," Charles said. "I always did put the ball on the floor. In high school, I think I shot just one '3' but they needed that when I got here so I worked on that. "I've always been comfortable putting the ball on the floor. My cousins were here at that game, and they said, 'We knew you could do that.' " Like Hall, Charles is eager to see the difference varying her game will make, starting tonight when UL hosts the Denver Pioneers at 7 p.m. at Earl K. Long Gym. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[sandra]

Imagine my surprsie to hear this on the internet with the girls leading twenty-two to eight.

[JMV JustMyView]

It is amazing how far this program has came in the last 3 or 4 years....Go Cajuns...

[Zeebart21]

It is amazing how far this program has came in the last 3 or 4 years....Go Cajuns...

we got a final on the ladies yet??

Z.

[JMV JustMyView]

we got a final on the ladies yet??

Z.

We won by about 30 points. A 22 game home win streak going on

[Zeebart21]

We won by about 30 points. A 22 game home win streak going on

30 points.....Dang..

I hope we saved some...

Z.

[RaginRash]

Nice no look pass!

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Make that 22 straight home victories for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women. Coach J. Kelley Hall's squad turned in its most impressive performance of the season Thursday night at Earl K. Long Gym, destroying the Denver Pioneers 76-50 in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams. The Cajuns used a smothering defense and dominating rebounding to improve to 11-2 overall before 418 fans and an ESPN-Plus TV audience. "We weren't cocky," said sophomore Onna Charles, who led all scorers with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting. "We knew we had to play hard. We stepped up our defense, and that created our offense." Louisiana out-rebounded the visitors 45-22, and had more offensive boards (24) than the Pioneers' team total. "We totally disrupted everything they tried to do," Hall said. "In the first five minutes, they weren't able to get a shot off. We were focused, we executed well and we did what we wanted to do defensively. "When you get a great start like that (22-6 at 10:29 of the first half), it helps you shoot the basketball. It's so much easier to shoot when you're ahead than when you're behind." "Their strength was shooting," Charles said. "Our guards had to get on their guards and take their shots away, and our post people had to get on No. 52 (Sara Benham) and take her out of it, and I think they did a good job." The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com