Women's Basketball To Play Thursday At Louisiana-Lafayette
Dec 21, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2011
Coach Stockton's Comments Prior To Thursday's Game At Louisiana-Lafayette
Tulane Game Notes
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University women's basketball team will look to make it a sweep of Louisiana opponents when the Green Wave travel to Cajun Country on Thursday, Dec. 22, to take on Louisiana-Lafayette at Earl K. Long Gym. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
Tulane is 6-0 against state opponents already this year, having defeated Loyola-New Orleans 74-49 on Nov. 11, Louisiana-Monroe 62-45 on Nov. 14, LSU 65-62 in overtime on Nov. 19, UNO 86-39 on Nov. 21, Louisiana Tech 61-52 on Dec. 2, and Southern 66-59 on Dec. 11. A win against the Ragin` Cajuns would give the Green Wave a perfect record against Louisiana foes for just the fourth time in the program's 37-year history and for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
"It's been a tremendous opportunity for us to play so many teams in the state," Tulane head women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton said. "It's nice to have that rivalry with different teams, and I think we've developed that over the years by adding all of these in-state teams. I think we've played a really good schedule against the area teams and it would be nice to finish it up with a win."
The Green Wave head to Lafayette 8-2 on the year and riding the high of a two-game winning streak after posting a 55-47 road win at North Texas on Dec. 9 and rallying from behind to defeat Southern two days later in Fogelman Arena.
As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 61.7 points, 42.9 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 11.1 steals and 4.8 blocks per game. Junior guard Olivia Grayson leads the team with a 13.9 point-per-game average while senior center Brett Benzio and freshman guard Jamie Kaplan follow with marks of 9.5 and 8.1, respectively. Benzio has a team-best 9.7 rebounds per game and paces the squad with 20 blocks. Grayson leads the Wave with 37 assists and 28 steals.
Tulane is connecting at a .380 clip from the field in 2011-12, hitting 224-of-589 shots from the floor, and 48-of-149 shots from beyond the 3-point arc (.322), while allowing opponents to shoot .332 overall (189-of-570) and .309 from 3-point land (47-of-152). Green Wave opponents are averaging 52.1 points, 37.9 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 10.8 steals and 3.4 blocks per game so far in 2011-12.
"We've had an opportunity to work on some things that we felt like we needed to," Stockton said of her team's activities since the Southern contest. "Early in the season when you have a game every three days, it's difficult to do that but we've been able to get in the gym and work on some things individually and as a team. We've watched a lot of film. Hopefully, we'll come out and really be a lot sharper than we were in the Southern game."
Louisiana-Lafayette, meanwhile, enters Thursday's ballgame 5-6 on the year and looking to bounce back from a 72-38 loss at Mississippi State on Monday night in Starkville, Miss.
As a team, the Ragin` Cajuns are averaging 55.8 points, 36.2 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 9.5 steals and 3.6 blocks per game. Krystal Motley leads the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game while Mercedes Johnson and Kemi Rotibi follow with respective averages of 9.3 and 8.9. Rotibi leads the squad with 7.2 rebounds per game and 21 blocks. Nicole Morris paces the team with 14 assists while Robbie Brown headlines the club with 20 steals.
Louisiana-Lafayette is hitting 36.2 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 221-of-610 attempts, including a 42-of-153 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.275). The Ragin` Cajuns defense has allowed opponents to connect at a 39.8 shooting percentage (269-of-676) and a 31.8 clip from 3-point land (48-of-151). UL-Lafayette opponents are averaging 64.8 points, 40.7 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 10.4 steals and 3.4 blocks per game.
"They're very athletic," Stockton said of the Cajuns. "They've got some post players that are real solid and do a nice job. They've been a little inconsistent from game to game, but when they play well they can be very competitive. It's always tough going on the road right before Christmas and trying to make sure your focus is there.
"For us, we just have to go out and play our game. I'd like to play a better offensive game than we've played in the last couple. Hopefully we'll see a difference in that."
Thursday's game marks the 27th time Tulane and Louisiana-Lafayette will meet on the hardwood and the Green Wave hold a commanding 21-5 lead in the all-time series. The Green Wave are 4-0 against the Ragin` Cajuns under Stockton, including an 80-65 decision in the last head-to-head meeting on Nov. 26, 2008, in Fogelman Arena.
Tulane is 7-4 against Louisiana-Lafayette in road contests, and the last meeting came on Nov. 27, 2007, when the Green Wave earned an 89-61 decision in Earl K. Long Gym.
The series dates back to the Green Wave's first varsity season when then-USL defeated Tulane 56-44 in the Southwestern Louisiana Tournament on Jan. 23, 1976. From there, the Wave won five straight from 1977-78, and have now won six in a row against the Cajuns. UL-Lafayette's last win over Tulane came on Jan. 30, 1991, when the Ragin` Cajuns posted a 64-58 win in Lafayette.
Following Thursday's game, the Green Wave will enjoy some time off for the holidays before returning to action on Wednesday, Dec. 28, when they host the Tulane/DoubleTree Classic in Fogelman Arena. Tulane will open tournament play against College of Charleston at 6 p.m. while Hampton and Central Michigan will square off at 8 p.m. The consolation game is slated for Dec. 28 at 6 p.m., while the winner of the opening-day's games will play in the championship game at 8 p.m.
For tickets to those games and future Green Wave home events, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office either in person, over the phone at 504-861-WAVE (9283) or via the Internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com. The Ticket Office located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center on Ben Weiner Drive, is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
