ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks conclude a three-game road swing Saturday with a trip to Lafayette to face the Ragin' Cajuns. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Cajundome. It is the first of two scheduled meetings between ULM and the Ragin' Cajuns this season.

Saturday's game will air on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald (play-by-play) and Ian Auzenne (analyst) on the call. The game will also be broadcast on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield with Mike Hammett on the play-by-play.

Saturday's game is the 62nd all-time meeting between the Warhawks and Ragin' Cajuns, with ULM leading the series 40-21. However, the Cajuns have controlled the series as of late, winning 14 straight games in the series dating back to Feb. 12, 2015. The Warhawks last defeated the Cajuns, 67-60 in overtime, on Jan. 19, 2015 in Lafayette. The Cajuns won both meetings last season, winning 65-51 in Lafayette on Feb. 11, 2021, followed by another win two days later, 64-59, on Feb. 13 in Monroe.

True freshman point guard Bre Sutton overcame a poor start to last Saturday's game at App State and bounced back for a big day. The New Orleans native opened the game 0-for-6 shooting with six turnovers in the first quarter. Over the final three quarters, Sutton had 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and added a career-high five rebounds with four steals and three assists to just two turnovers in the final 30 minutes. Since the start of Sun Belt Conference play, Sutton is averaging 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Sophomore Linda van Schaik was a huge reason ULM rallied back last Saturday at App State. Van Schaik knocked down all three of her 3-pointers in the final 4:04 of the third quarter as ULM cut a 13-point deficit to two. Van Schaik, true freshman Katlyn Manuel and second-year freshman Kyren Whittington all finished with 11 points last Saturday.

Whittington continues to rank among the SBC's scoring leaders. The Folsom, Louisiana, native is 10th in the league at 13.1 points per game. She battled foul trouble throughout the game last Saturday at App State, scoring all 11 of her points in the fourth quarter.

The Ragin' Cajuns are 11-4 overall and 3-2 in the Sun Belt Conference after a 55-46 loss at App State on Jan. 20. Last Saturday's contest at Coastal Carolina was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns within the CCU program.

The Cajuns have three players averaging in double figures, led by All-Sun Belt Conference performer Ty'Reona Doucet. She averages 11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, which ranks sixth in the SBC. She is third in the SBC at 1.7 blocks per game. Makayia Hallmon is second on the team at 11.1 points per game while adding 2.7 rebounds per contest. Lanay Wheaton is averaging 10.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Tamera Johnson is just shy of double figures at 9.8 points per game, while Destiny Rice is averaging 9.6 points per game to go with a team-high 3.1 assists per game, good for eighth in the SBC.

The Ragin' Cajuns boast one of the best defenses in the SBC, limiting teams to 58.6 points per game, ranking second behind Coastal Carolina. The Cajuns also rank second in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 35.6% from the floor.