Going into Monday’s 56-39 home victory over Southern of New Orleans, UL coach Quannas White knew there would be challenges.
After all, the list of players not available was a long one.
Trent Middleton and Josiah Harris are still in concussion protocol. Dani Pounds was ill. Todd Jones and Deion Ware haven’t played yet this season.
When Jeremiah Evans fouled out after only 16 minutes, the Cajuns had only eight players dressed out left.
“I’m proud of the group that played tonight,” White said. “Those guys found a way to just battle in there and did some really good things. We did some good things defensively and offensively. So now we just got to build on this and get back to the drawing board, watch film and move forward.”
White wasn’t sure how many players would return for Friday’s road game against UNC-Wilimington.
“Next man up mentality, man. You figure it out,” he said. “Nobody is going to pity you or cares how many guys you got out there. You’ve got to find a way to win.”
There was a lot of sloppiness for the Cajuns on Monday. They shot 24.1% from the field and 20% from 3-point land on 35 attempts. They did hit 21 of 28 free throws.
“I thought we settled, especially in the first half,” White said. “I thought we did a better job of attacking the basket in the second half.”
SUNO made 28.6% of its shots and 13.3% from behind the arc. SUNO made just 17 of 33 free throws for 51.5%. Had the Knights shot a higher percentage at the line, things would have been more interesting than anyone in Lafayette ever expected.
The game featured 41 turnovers, with 24 committed by the visitors. The Cajuns outrebounded SUNO 45-32.
“I thought we did some good things with our press early on that created some turnovers,” White said. “I thought our guys were playing hard, communicating on defense and just making it hard for SUNO to get the ball into their actions or get the ball up court.”
UL’s two most experienced players, De’Vion Lavergne and Jamyron Keller, struggled to knock down shots. Lavergne was 4-of-13 shooting for 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals. Keller was 5-of-19 shooting and 4 of 14 from 3-point land for 16 points and nine rebounds.
It’s been an interesting transition for Lavergne, who was forced to play point guard last season because of injuries and now is in between the two guard positions.
“I would say it’s been a little bit more challenging, adjusting from being a point guard last year, and I was the main point guard,” Lavergne said. “So the ball was in my hands most of the time. Now I’m moving without the ball, hunting my own shots as well, still trying to get others involved. So it’s just a little adjustment. And over time, it’s going to get better.”
No UL player shot over 50% from the field.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign for UL is true freshman Derrick Florence showed his athleticism by getting 10 rebounds off the bench in 18 minutes, many of them in an acrobatic manner.
Another positive is the UL coaching staff was able to see a lot of young players who normally wouldn’t get significant minutes. For example, 6-foot-10 freshman Mikhail Dulkay finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes.
“I still need to get my defense better,” Dulkay said. “Here, there is another speed, so where I used to play in Russia, the speed is lower and the level of athleticism is lower. So I’ve got to try to get lower in the stance and defense and guard multiple positions.
“That’s how I will be on the floor and just be aggressive every time I touch the ball. I can create, I can create for myself, I can create for everybody else on the floor.”
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