Men's Basketball | 1/19/2018 4:03:00 PM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – It will be a battle of the top two teams in the Sun Belt Conference in Strahan Coliseum on Saturday when the Texas State men's basketball team takes on Louisiana. Tip is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
 
Both teams enter the game on six-game winning streaks. The Bobcats are 13-7 on the season and 6-1 in conference play while the Ragin' Cajuns are 16-3 overall and 6-0 in the SBC.
 
Live stats and a video stream will be available for the game with links on the team's schedule page. Bill Culhane will have the call on the radio with the game being broadcast on AM1300 The Zone out of Austin and KTSW 89.9 FM out of San Marcos. Fans can also listen to the game through the iHeartRadio and TuneIn Radio apps on their mobile device.
 
Nijal Pearson extended his double-digit scoring streak to 13 straight games after a 17-point performance against ULM on Thursday. He is leading the team in scoring (14.3), rebounding (6.1), made three-pointers (34) and steals (27).
 
Second on the team with 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game is Immanuel King. The senior has made 59.3 percent of his shots. His 16 blocks are the most on the team and he has 54 in his career, the ninth most in program history.
 
Alex Peacock has started 14 straight games on his way to averaging 7.5 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Tyler Blount has converted 32 three-point attempts and is shooting 39.5 percent from long distance to contribute 7.1 ppg.
 
Since taking over as the team's starting point guard, Tre'Larenz Nottingham has handed 17 assists and turned the ball over six times for a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is also averaging 13.3 ppg on 18-of-37 (48.6%) shooting and is 14-for-23 (60.9%) from beyond the arc.
 
Scouting Louisiana
Louisiana is coming off a 77-65 win at UTA Thursday night that saw the Ragin' Cajuns trailing by 12 at halftime. They have won 13 of their last 14 games with the lone loss being on Dec. 22 at Clemson by the score of 89-60. When playing on the road, Louisiana is 5-2 with conference wins over Arkansas State, Little Rock and the Mavericks. Non-conference victories were against Louisiana Tech and Nicholls and defeats came at Ole Miss and the Tigers.
 
Three players are averaging double-digit points per contest for the Ragin' Cajuns led by Frank Bartley's 16.6 ppg. He also leads the team in made three-pointers (41) and free throw percentage (83.3). Overall, the senior guard is shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc while recording 22 steals.
 
JaKeenan Gant leads the SBC in field goal percentage (61.3) and blocks per game (2.1) while his 36 total rejections are the second most in the league. The Missouri transfer is putting up 15.2 ppg and 6.6 rpg.
 
Averaging a double-double of 10.4 ppg and 10.8 rpg, the most in the Sun Belt, is Bryce Washington. He has made 54.7 percent from the field and is second on the squad with 29 steals and 10 blocks.
 
Johnathan Stove is just shy of a double-figure point average at 9.8 per contest. The senior guard is shooting 50.5 percent on the seasons but is just 9-for-25 on three-point attempts.
 
A transfer from USC, Malik Marquetti is contributing 8.5 ppg with a 44.6 field goal percentage and 46.9 three-pointer shooting percentage. Justin Miller enters the game averaging 7.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg.
 
The floor general of Louisiana is Marcus Stroman. He is handing out 6.1 apg, the second most in the SBC, and has a 2.0 a/t ratio that is the best in the league. The point guard has also recorded a team-high 30 steals.
 
All-Time vs. Warhawks
Louisiana had dominated the all-time series over Texas State 9-1 including a season sweep last season. When the team's played in Strahan Coliseum last year, the Ragin' Cajuns came away with a 79-73 victory despite 23 points from Kavin Gilder-Tilbury and 18 courtesy of Pearson.
 
The lone victory for the Bobcats in the series was on Feb. 20, 2016 in San Marcos. They won 61-57 thanks to Emani Gant's 19 points and a then career-high 14 points by Ojai Black. When playing in Strahan Coliseum, TXST is 1-3 against UL.
 
For the latest on Texas State men's basketball, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateMBB and like on Facebook at /TexasStateMensBasketball.