EUNICE, La. – For the first time under head coach Amanda Clemons, the LSU Eunice basketball team makes an appearance at the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament. The Bengals take on the four-seed Holmes CC this Wednesday at 7:30PM from A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of Mississippi College.
The eight-team single elimination tournament begins Wednesday, March 7 and runs through Friday, March 9. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the NJCAA Division II National Tournament March 19-24 in Lubbock, TX.
Bengal All-Access will have a live video stream online of the action while the Bayou Sports Network will have an audio feed with Randy Guillory on the call.
LSU Eunice (22-3) is fresh off the school's second MISS-LOU championship and best home record in program history. The Bengals closed out the regular season with a 70-50 win at Delgado CC. Rylie James led LSUE with 17 points.
Holmes CC enters the Region 23 Tournament 17-8 overall, 9-3 in MACJC play. The Bulldogs reached the MACJC Tournament Semifinals before falling to eventual champion Jones County JC, 77-53. Kamelia Lacy paces the HCC offense with 12.9 points per game with Vaquela Pimpton (10.1 ppg) and Nina Carpenter (10.0) also averaging double digits per game.
The two teams have two similar opponents: Arkansas State-Mid-South and Baton Rouge CC. LSUE and Holmes went a combined 9-0 against those two squads.
LSU Eunice and Holmes have met three times in the programs' histories. The Bulldogs have won both meetings in the Amanda Clemons era, her first two seasons with LSUE. The Bengals defeated Holmes 88-75 at home back in 2002.
LSU Eunice is 7-11 all-time in NJCAA postseason play. The Bengals fell to Pearl River, 84-68, in LSUE's last Region 23 appearance back in 2014. LSUE's last postseason victory came in the 2008 District Tournament, defeating Johnson County CC 83-78.
Fans can find the latest Bengals information on social media via Twitter (@LSUEBengalsWBB), Facebook (@LSUEuniceBasketball) and Instagram (@LSUEBengals).
GAME 29: LSU Eunice (22-3) vs. Holmes CC (17-8)
Date/Time: March 7, 2018, 7:30PM
Site: Clinton, MS
Arena: A.E. Wood Coliseum (Mississippi College)
Radio: Bayou Sports Network (pxp – Randy Guillory)
TV/Internet: Bengal All-Access
Social Media: @LSUEBengalsWBB (Twitter), @LSUEuniceBasketball (Facebook), @LSUEBengals (Instagram)
SERIES VS. HOLMES CC
All-Time Record: Holmes Leads 2-1
In Eunice, La: Series Tied 1-1
In Goodman, Ms.: Holmes Leads 0-1
THE COACHES
LSU EUNICE
Head Coach: Amanda Clemons (Mississippi College)
Career Record: 48-59 (5th Season), Record at LSU Eunice: Same
DELGADO CC
Head Coach: Jamilah Johns Andrews (Alabama)
Career Record: 78-67 (6
th Season), Record at Holmes CC: Same
STORY LINES
- LSUE meets Holmes in the opening round of the 2018 NJCAA Region 23 Tournament. The two teams have met twice in the Amanda Clemons era, Holmes winning both meetings (2014-15, 2015-16)
- LSU Eunice wrapped up the most successful home schedule for a single-season in school history. The Bengals' 17-1 record inside the HPRE Center surpassed the 2013-14 squad's 16-1 mark.
- LSUE's Feb. 17 win vs. Delgado CC helped the Bengals secure the MISS-LOU title for just the second time in program history. LSUE has secured a spot in the upcoming Region XXIII tournament as the Bengals' will vie for a spot in the National Tournament.
- Rylie James recently surpassed Casey Broussard for 2nd all-time in scoring in program history. James' 17 points in the Bengals' win over Delgado CC on Feb.17 puts her past Jennifer Hicks.
- The Bengals are dominating on the glass this season. LSUE ranks 1st nationally in offensive rebounds per game, grabbing 22.4 a night. The Bengals are also tabbed 4th in total rebounds per game, snagging 49.5 per game. Their 20.9 rebounding margin is ranked 2nd in the NJCAA Division II.
- LSUE is also turning up the heat on the defensive end. The Bengals average 17.0 steals per night, which ranks 3rd in the NJCAA.
MARCH MADNESS: For the first time under Amanda Clemons, LSUE will play a postseason game. The Bengals are 7-11 all-time in NJCAA postseason play. The Bengals fell to Pearl River, 84-68, in LSUE's last Region 23 appearance back in 2014. LSUE's last postseason victory came in the 2008 District Tournament, defeating Johnson County CC 83-78.
LSUE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON HISTORY
2002-2003
District Tournament (Rockville, MD)
Anne Arundel W 85-67
Montgomery W 74-59
NJCAA Division III National Tournament (Corning, NY)
Suffolk County L 75-68 (OT)
Gateway CC L 60-57
Passaic County W 70-57
2003-2004
District Tournament (El Reno, OK)
Redlands CC L 71-56
2004-2005
District Tournament (Harrison, AR)
Johnson County CC W 59-56
North Arkansas L 95-92
2006-2007
Region 23 Tournament (Eunice, LA)
Redlands CC W 75-65
Johnson County CC W 84-81
NJCAA Division II National Tournament (Phoenix, AZ)
Potomac State W 85-67
Kankakee CC L 82-78
Mott CC (3
rd Place) L 97-88
2007-2008
District Tournament (Overland Park, KS)
Johnson County CC L 83-64
2008-2009
District Tournament (Harrison, AR)
Johnson County CC W 83-78
North Arkansas L 92-71
2009-2010
Region 23 Tournament (El Reno, OK)
Redlands CC L 85-76
2010-2011
Region 23 Tournament (Overland Park, KS)
Johnson County CC L 93-50
2013-2014
Region 23 Tournament (Clinton, MS)
Pearl River CC L 84-68
WIN STREAK NOTES: The Bengals enjoyed a 16-game win streak this season, the longest under Amanda Clemons. The win mark is also tied for the best in LSUE program history. During the Bengals win streak, LSUE averaged 85.1 points per game with a margin of victory of 23.9 points. Rylie James led the way during that span with 15.3 points per game including four 20-plus point performances.
LSUE WIN STREAK LIST
1. 2013-14 (Nov. 22-Feb. 5) 16
1. 2017-18 (Nov. 16-Feb.16) 16
3. 2006-07 (Jan. 9- Feb. 13) 13
4. 2006-07 (Nov. 4-Dec. 1) 9
5. 2008-09 (Jan. 7-Feb.5) 7
RYLIE WATCH: Sophomore Rylie James will have a few LSU Eunice records in the crosshairs for the 2017-2018 season. James scored 545 points in her freshman campaign and is now 3
rd all-time with 870. She eclipsed Amanda Romero and Candace Lacombe for 5th with 16 points in a Nov. 14 loss at San Jacinto-North. James passed Casey Broussard with 27 points in a Nov. 24 win over Southwestern Christian. James moved ahead of Kayla Armstrong with 18 points in a Jan. 20 win over Lone Star College-Cy-Fair. The Basile native moved into 2
nd all-time on Feb. 17 with 17 points against Delgado to surpass Jennifer Hicks.
RYLIE WATCH, PART 2: The Basile native will also have the free throw record in sight this season. James sunk 121 from the charity stripe last year, the 5
th most in program history. James is only 4 free throws away from tying record holder Jennifer Hicks (188). Her 15 free throws against Mississippi Gulf Coast on Nov. 19, 2016 is the third most in a single game in program history.
LSUE ALL-TIME SCORING LIST:
1. Renotta Edwards (2005-07) 1,195
2. Rylie James (2016-Present) 932
3. Jennifer Hicks (2008-10) 899
4. Kayla Armstrong (2006-08) 825
5. Casey Broussard (2003-05) 668
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: The Bengals recently enjoyed one of the most successful offensive games in the last decade of the program. LSUE scored 111 points in a January 20 mauling of Lone Star College-Cy-Fair. The total was the most under Amanda Clemons and the highest since 2010. The 111-44 victory also had the largest margin of victory, 67 points, under Clemons. LSUE set a season high with six players in double figures.
TWINBILL, TWIN KILLING: In the four weekend doubleheaders, the LSUE has dominated its opponents with back-to-back 20-plus point victories. The Bengals defeated Coastal Alabama-North (Nov. 3-4) by 20 points each time out. LSUE most recently beat Southwestern Christian (Nov. 24-25) by 21 and 28 points. The Bengals followed that up on Dec. 1-2 with blowouts of Patrick Henry by 21 and 38 points. LSUE continued the trend with huge wins (100-48, 111-44) over Lone Star College-Cy-Fair on January 19-20. It's the second straight season LSU Eunice has scored back-to-back 20-plus point wins. Last year, the Bengals notched blowout wins of Southern-Shreveport (24) and Delgado (25) on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4, 2017.
BOARD GAMES: The Bengals are cleaning up on the glass this season, ranking 4th nationally in total rebounds per game (49.5). LSUE's 22.4 offensive rebounds per game is ranked 1st in the NJCAA and rebounding margin is second in the country (20.9). All this despite no Bengal is averaging more than 7 rebounds per game (Jaleya Gold).
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Sophomores Jaleya Gold and Gabby Harrington were voted team captains for the 2017-2018 season. The duo both started last year for the Bengals and are two of five sophomores on this year's team.
SPREAD THE LOVE: All 11 Bengals to dress out during opening weekend scored at least a point; five were in double figures (Dargin, Saucier, James, Gold and Landry). Eight Bengals have notched double digit point totals in games this season.
LOCAL PRODUCE: The Bengals feature a majority of student-athletes that hail from the around the Eunice area. Gabrielle Harrington (Erath), Breanna Doucet (Sam Houston), Sissy Saucier (South Beauregard), Arianna Dargin (Iowa), Miya McKinney (Ville Platte), Sarah Guidry (Lake Arthur), Tachiana Ledet (Northside), Bethany Broussard (Iowa), Rylie James (Basile) and Whitney Landry (Iota) all played high school basketball within 50 miles of LSU Eunice.
WINNING PEDIGREE: The ten incoming freshman had a knack for winning at the high school level. In their junior and senior high school seasons, the group won a state title, made three championship game appearances and five semifinals.
