MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team (3-9, 0-1 Sun Belt) hosts the Ragin' Cajuns (1-11, 0-1 SBC) at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Saturday (Dec. 20). Tipoff against the Cajuns is scheduled for 2 p.m. to continue the opening week of Sun Belt play.
SERIES HISTORY –
The Warhawks will take on the Cajuns for the 90th game of the series, dating back to the 1953-54 season. While Lafayette holds the 61-28 series advantage, ULM maintains the 21-19 record when playing in Monroe. The Warhawks look to extend the series further, the last win for ULM occurring in Monroe in 2024. The Ragin' Cajuns swept ULM last season, picking up both regular season contests and claiming the overtime victory at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in overtime in Pensacola. This is the first matchup of the storied rivalry between head coaches Phil Cunningham and Quannas White.
SCOUTING THE CAJUNS –
UL Lafayette sits at 1-11 on the season, claiming a win over Southeastern at home, 58-52. The Cajuns have entered a tough skid through nonconference play, facing Tulane, McNeese, Stanford, Lamar and Louisiana Tech among others. In the Sun Belt opener, the Ragin' Cajuns dropped a road contest to Southern Miss, 54-62. Jamyron Keller leads the team averaging 17 points per game, Jaxon Olvera leading on the other side of the ball with 4.8 rebounds per game.
DOUBLE OVERTIME –
The Warhawks went to double overtime in Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Wednesday night, falling in a close game across 50 minutes. This is the 14th instance of double overtime in the program's history, the team holding a 6-8 record when playing double overtime games. The last 2OT game in Monroe was 2014 against the Ragin' Cajuns.
TRIPLE THE FUN –
On December 17 against South Alabama, ULM hit 19 three-pointers, 12 coming in the first half. The 19 triples is a team-high across all Sun Belt teams this season, Krystian Lewis claiming the Sun Belt high with eight triples on Wednesday.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES –
Lavell Brodnex has been leading the charge in rebounding since his debut for ULM on November 13. Brodnex has scored in double figures six times and posted double-digit boards five times, leading to five double-doubles. Brodnex is the only Warhawk this season to register a double-double. He is currently on a streak of four consecutive double-doubles, last recording one (22 points, 12 rebounds) against South Alabama (Dec. 17).
LEADING THE TEAM –
MJ Russell leads the pack in scoring, averaging 17.6 points, placing him fourth in the Sun Belt. He also leads the team in blocks (1.3) and minutes (36:14). Krystian Lewis averages 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals to lead the team. Lavell Brodnexhas collected 89 rebounds across nine games, averaging 9.9 to lead the Warhawks and rank second in the conference. Brodnex leads the conference in offensive rebounds (3.7) and is second in defensive rebounds (6.2).
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Saturday's game will be available on KLIP 105.3 with Mike Hammett on the call. Streaming will also be available for the game on ESPN+. Links to live stats for all games, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com. Navigate to the men's basketball schedule page and select that day's opponent.a
NEXT UP –
The Warhawks will close out nonconference play after Christmas, facing Kansas State on the road on December 28. Tipoff in Manhattan is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
