ULM Seeks Sun Belt Series Split Against Ragin’ Cajuns

Men's Basketball Feb 18

Game 28: ULM (13-14, 5-10 SBC) vs. Ragin' Cajuns (11-13, 6-8 SBC)
Saturday, Feb. 19 | 7 p.m. CT
Cajundome (12,362) | Lafayette, La.
ESPN+ | KLIP 105.3 FM

2021-22 ULM Basketball Notes: Game 28 vs. Ragin' Cajuns

THE STORYLINE –
Saturday's 7 p.m. CT game vs. the Ragin' Cajuns at Lafayette is the first of three straight on the road for the Warhawks as the 2021-22 regular-season winds down.

Graduate guard Andre Jones had a share of the game-high scoring total Thursday with 26 and tallied at least 20 points in his fifth consecutive game. Jones is averaging 24.0 points over the last five games with a .580 field-goal percentage. He tied a career best with two blocks and a season best with a game-high nine rebounds.

Junior guard Elijah Gonzales tied his career best with five steals Thursday for 44 (2nd, Sun Belt) and added five assists for a season total of 103 (4th, SBC).

Eight of the last 12 meetings between ULM and ULL have been decided by nine points or less with the Ragin Cajuns picking up the one-point win Thursday. The two teams have split the season series in each of the last three years. In 2020-21, each team won on its opponent's home court.

THE STARTING FIVE –
• ULM has won the second game of the season series vs. the Ragin' Cajuns five times since the two teams started Sun Belt play for the 2006-07 season. The last three of those "second-play" wins have taken place in Lafayette.

• The outcomes of six of the Warhawks' last seven games have gone down to the wire with this month's five games decided by a total of 17 points. ULM battled back from a 14-point deficit and took a late lead vs. the Ragin' Cajuns, but lost in the final seconds. ULM's three wins in February are by a total of seven points (W, 60-59 at Arkansas State; W OT, 75-72 at Little Rock; W 74-71 vs. UT Arlington).

• Graduate guard Andre Jones has scored 20 or more points in five-straight games, including a career-best 30 points at Little Rock in the second game of his streak. Jones, who captured a share of the game-high total with 26 Thursday, is averaging 24.0 points per game in his last five games. Warhawk Daishon Smith was the last player to have four-straight games of 20-plus points in 2018-19, which he accomplished twice that season.

• Tying his career best with five steals vs. the Ragin' Cajuns, junior guard Elijah Gonzales moved up to 14th among the NCAA active career leaders with 1.98 steals per game in his three-year career. With his 44 this season, he is ranked second in the Sun Belt, just one shy of the top spot.

• ULM closes out the regular season with three-straight road games, staying in state at the Cajundome Saturday, Feb. 19, and then the Warhawks travel to Georgia State (Feb. 23) and Georgia Southern (Feb. 25).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS –
.923 — ULM had its highest free-throw percentage of the season at .923 (12-for-13) vs. the Ragin' Cajuns as four Warhawks were perfect from the charity stripe for the game.

6 — Nika Metskhvarishvili was the Warhawks' top assist man for the first time this season with a career-best six vs. the Ragin' Cajuns Thursday night and did not commit a single turnover.

8 — In eight games this season, the Warhawks' leading scorer has also been the team's top rebounder. Senior Russell Harrison has four such outings, including three double-doubles, and graduate guard Andre Jones picked up his second with 26 points and nine rebounds vs. the Ragin' Cajuns.

15 — With just three games left in the regular season, ULM and App State are the only two Sun Belt teams to have played the full 15-game conference schedule to date.

77 — The Warhawks' 77 points in Thursday night's game represent the seventh-highest scoring total for ULM vs. the Ragin' Cajuns since joining the Sun Belt Conference.

289 — Junior guard Elijah Gonzales is approaching 300 career assists after adding five to his total Thursday night. Gonzales has 289 assists, 202 assists as a Warhawk, with 103 so far in 2021-22.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE –
According to kenpom.com (as of Feb. 18, 2022), ULM's strength of schedule in 2021-22 is 210th with a rating of -2.00. ESPN.com ranks the Warhawks' SOS at No. 231. ULM had a non-conference strength of schedule rating of +2.34 (No. 109), according to kenpom.com.

RAGIN' CAJUNS SCOUTING REPORT –
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Record with Ragin' Cajuns/Career Record: 216-165 (12th season)/441-296 (24th season)
Marlin's Record vs. ULM: 15-8
Ragin' Cajuns' Top Scorer: Senior F Jordan Brown (15.5 ppg.)
Ragin' Cajuns' Top Rebounder: Senior F Jordan Brown (8.8 rpg.)

ULM/RAGIN' CAJUNS STATE SERIES NOTES –
Saturday's game marks the 85th meeting between ULM and ULL. The Ragin' Cajuns lead the all-time series, 55-29, including a 33-7 record in games played in Lafayette.

In each of the last three seasons ULM and ULL split the regular-season series with the home teams winning on their respective courts during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, but each team claimed victories on the opponent's court during the 2020-21 campaign. Eight of the last 12 meetings have been decided by nine points or less.

Keith Richard is 8-15 against the Ragin' Cajuns as ULM head coach.

THE LAST MEETING IN THE CAJUNDOME –
ULM 72, Ragin' Cajuns 66 (Feb. 11, 2021 in Lafayette, La.): Russell Harrison recorded a double-double with a game-high 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds and three other Warhawks scored in double figures as ULM ended a 10-game losing streak in Sun Belt Conference play with a 72-66 victory over the rival Ragin' Cajuns Thursday night in the Cajundome. It also marked ULM's first win in Lafayette since Jan. 19, 2015, 57-55.

The Warhawks led from start to finish Thursday night while posting their first conference win since Jan. 2 (62-55 over Arkansas State).

ULM (5-15, 3-10 Sun Belt) put together an early 11-0 run and took a 16-3 lead on Harrison's 3-pointer from the left corner, off an offensive rebound from Chris Efretuei, with 11:48 left in the first half. The Ragin' Cajuns went 0-for-8 from the field and committed four turnovers during that stretch of 5:23.

Harrison hit the second of two free-throw attempts to give the Warhawks a 17-point advantage at 22-5 with 8:04 remaining in the first half. ULM matched its largest lead at 27-10 as Erie Olonade drained a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 5:44 on the clock.

The Ragin' Cajuns (13-7, 7-6) reeled off 10-straight points and cut their deficit to 27-20 on Mylik Wilson's drive from the right wing for a layup with 2:27 to play in the opening half.

ULM closed the first half with a flurry. Marco Morency's rebound dunk with :07 remaining and Elijah Gonzales' 3-pointer from 27-feet away at the buzzer sent the Warhawks to the locker room with an 11-point lead at 34-23.

The Warhawks limited the Ragin' Cajuns to 28-percent field-goal shooting (10-of-36) in the first half, including 2-of-10 from 3-point range.

Harrison's 12-foot step-back jumper from the left baseline gave ULM a 36-23 lead with 19:44 to go. Dou Gueye's traditional 3-point play sparked a 9-0 spurt and the Ragin' Cajuns pulled to within 36-32 Gueye's drive from the right baseline for a layup with 16:26 remaining.

ULM managed to extend its lead to eight points on three separate occasions in the second half. Harrison's 3-pointer from the right wing lifted the Warhawks to a 54-46 advantage with 9:14 left.
The Ragin' Cajuns got a 3 from Jacobi Gordon and a basket from Cedric Russell to cut their deficit to 54-51 with 8:12 on the clock. Louisiana Lafayette scored its next five points from the free-throw line but went without a field goal (0-for-4) for 4:50.

Josh Nicholas buried a pull-up 3 from the left wing in transition to give ULM a 63-56 advantage with 3:35 remaining.

Louisiana Lafayette closed the margin to three points twice down the stretch – the last time at 66-63 after Wilson hit the second of two free throws with 45 seconds to play.

Gonzales converted 6-of-7 free-throw attempts in the final 37 seconds to ice the game.

ULM made 45 percent (25-of-55) of its field-goal attempts, including 11-of-26 3-pointers (42 percent). The Ragin' Cajuns finished 24-of-62 from the floor (39 percent), including 5-of-16 (31 percent) from behind the 3-point arc.

Louisiana Lafayette held a 40-30 edge in rebound margin and 36-14 in points in the paint.

It marked Harrison's second-straight double-double after his 12-point, 10-rebound performance in the series finale at UT Arlington last Saturday. He became the first Warhawk to record back-to-back double-doubles since Sam McDaniel accomplished the feat in consecutive road games at Coppin State (21 points and 10 rebounds) and VCU (15 and 10) during the 2016-17 season.

Koreem Ozier hit 6-of-12 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-7 3s, for 15 points. With his 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 10:08 left in the second half, Ozier eclipsed the 1,000-point career milestone. He scored 756 points in 54 games at Sacred Heart University before transferring to ULM.

Gonzales contributed 12 points, five assists and three steals while Thomas Howell came off the bench to score in double figures for his second-straight game, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-8 field-goal shooting.

The Ragin' Cajuns also placed four players in double figures, led by Wilson and Russell who each netted 13 points. Gueye, who made 5-of-9 shots from the floor, added 12 points while Theo Akwuba produced his eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 boards.

THE LAST TIME OUT –
Ragin' Cajuns 78, ULM 77 (Feb. 17, 2022 in Monroe, La.): ULM fell by the slimmest of margins Thursday night in a 78-77 loss to Louisiana Lafayette. Fouled with two seconds remaining in regulation, Kobe Julien made the first of two free throws to hand ULM defeat in the home season finale at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

ULM senior Andre Jones scored 26, his fifth-straight game with 20 or more points. Jones finished 11-of-16 from the field with nine rebounds.

Russell Harrison scored 16 and Elijah Gonzalez added 13 for the Warhawks, who trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half. ULM (13-14, 5-10 Sun Belt) shot 47 percent overall and 50 percent in the second half while outscoring ULL, 46-37, over the final 20 minutes.

Jordan Brown paced ULL with 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Jalen Dalcourt scored 16 while Julien finished with 15.

The game featured 12 lead changes over the first 10 minutes before the Warhawks surged ahead with a 10-0 run to lead 25-18. Harrison, with eight points and two 3-pointers, was a key scorer during the blitz.

The Cajuns countered with a 19-0 run of their own to regain control at 41-27 with 1:46 left in the half. Falling behind by 14, ULM's scoring drought lasted 6:04 until Luke Phillips made a free throw with 1:26 remaining until the break.

ULM made just 1-of-7 field goals to finish the half and trailed 41-31 at halftime. Nine ULM turnovers led to 12 points off turnovers for the Cajuns.

ULL shot 38 percent but made seven first-half 3-pointers. Brown, a transfer from Arizona, scored 17 of his points in the first half.

The Warhawks got their offense back on track in the second half, but the Cajuns remained hot too Jones scored the first five points to open the second half and shave ULL's lead to five at 41-36.

A 3-pointer by Nika Metskhvarishvili and a Jones free throw pulled ULM within three at the 12:05 mark. The Warhawks would edge within three points on four more occasions down the stretch, but ULL had the counter punch each time until late.

ULM cut the score to 74-71 with 4:29 remaining in the contest on a traditional three-point play by Koreem Ozier. Finally, when Ozier made a pair of free throws, ULM was within one at 74-73 with 3:16 to play.

An offensive foul on Brown with 2:06 left gave ULM a chance to regain the lead for the first time since the first half. Harrison was fouled and made his two free throws to put the Warhawks ahead 75-74 with 1:39 to go.

ULL's Dou Gueye made one of two free throws to tie the game for just the third time, but Jones scored on the ULM end for a 77-75 lead for the home squad with 49 seconds on the clock.

The Cajuns labored the final 4:48 without a field goal, but free throws kept them close. Brown hit a pair with 37 seconds for a 77-77 tie.

After Jones missed a jumper for ULM with 12 seconds, the Cajuns rebounded and had the ball knocked out of bounds with four seconds.

A foul called against Gonzalez after the inbounds play with just two seconds sent Julien to the line, where he made one of two free throws for the winning margin.

2021-22 ULM STARTING LINEUPS –
Nov. 9 at LSU: Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 12 at Auburn: Gonzales, Boston, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 16 vs. Champion Christian: Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 22 vs. Northwestern State: Gonzales, Jones, Ozier         , Harrison, Howell
Nov. 24 vs. Louisiana Tech: Gonzales, Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 28 at SMU: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 1 vs. Centenary: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 4 vs. Northwestern State: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 8 vs. Louisiana Christian: Gonzales, Powell, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 14 at SFA: Gonzales, Powell, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 18 vs. Southern Miss: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 20 at Lamar: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 30 at Coastal Carolina*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Jan. 1 at App State*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Jan. 6 vs. Little Rock*: Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell
Jan. 8 vs. Arkansas State*: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Jan. 13 at Texas State*: Gonzales, Powell, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell
Jan. 15 at UT Arlington*: Gonzales, Williams, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell
Jan. 20 vs. Troy*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Jan. 22 vs. South Alabama*: Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell
Jan. 27 vs. Georgia Southern*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili
Jan. 29 vs. Georgia State*: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 3 at Arkansas State*: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 5 at Little Rock*: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 10 vs. UT Arlington*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 12 vs. Texas State*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 17 vs. Ragin' Cajuns*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 19 at Ragin' Cajuns*
Feb. 24 at Georgia State*
Feb. 26 at Georgia Southern*
*Sun Belt Conference game

Different Starting Combinations (9):
Gonzales, Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Howell: 11 (5-6)
Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell: 6 (3-3)
Gonzales, Powell, Jones, Harrison, Howell: 2 (2-0)
Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell: 2 (1-1)
Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell: 2 (1-1)
Gonzales, Williams, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell: 1 (1-0)
Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili: 1 (0-1)
Gonzales, Powell, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell: 1 (0-1)
Gonzales, Boston, Gee, Harrison, Howell: 1 (0-1)

2021-22 WARHAWK STATISTICAL TRENDS –
Games played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 7-7
Games played on the road: 5-7
Games played at a neutral site: 1-0

Games played in November: 2-4
Games played in December: 6-1
Games played in January: 2-7
Games played in February: 3-2
Games played in March: 0-0

When leading at halftime: 9-5
When trailing at halftime: 3-9
When tied at halftime: 1-0

When shooting .500 or better from the field: 8-1
When shooting less than .500 from the field: 5-13
When opponent shoots .500 or better from the field: 1-6
When opponent shoots less than .500 from the floor: 12-8

When outrebounding opponent: 7-3
When outrebounded by opponent: 6-11
When rebounding totals are equal: 0-0

When hitting more free throws than opponent: 7-3
When hitting fewer free throws than opponent: 6-9
When hitting the same number of free throws as opponent: 0-2

When committing fewer turnovers than opponent: 10-4
When opponent commits fewer turnovers: 2-10
When turnover totals are equal: 1-0

When ULM scores less than 50 points: 0-2
When ULM scores 50-59 points: 0-3
When ULM scores 60-69 points: 2-6
When ULM scores 70-79 points: 3-2
When ULM scores 80-89 points: 5-1
When ULM scores 90+ points: 3-0

When opponent scores less than 50 points: 0-0
When opponent scores 50-59 points: 3-1
When opponent scores 60-69 points: 5-2
When opponent scores 70-79 points: 5-5
When opponent scores 80-89 points: 0-1
When opponent scores 90+ points: 0-5

Games decided by five points or less: 4-2
Games decided by 6-10 points: 3-5
Games decided by 11-19 points: 2-3
Games decided by 20 points or more: 4-4

Largest deficit overcome to win: 14 (44-30, 46-32 and 48-34 at Arkansas State, Feb. 3)
Largest lead surrendered in a loss: 11 (66-55 vs. Arkansas State, Jan. 8; 25-14 vs. South Alabama, Jan. 22)

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