4:45 LRN Sportscast April 19

The New Orleans Pelicans will be trying to buck some historical trends in tonight’s Game two of their opening-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, as they trail one game to none. Since arriving in 2002, no New Orleans team has ever won game two of a series after losing game one. That’s oh-and-five all-time. Coach Willie Green hopes the effort that he saw as his team cut a 23-point deficit to six in the fourth quarter on Sunday night carries over to tonight’s performance.

Cut 22 (14) “…to do it.”

Tip-off is at 9 pm.

LSU adds depth to its secondary via the transfer portal. Brian Kelly announced on Tuesday that Sevyn Banks, a two-year starter at corner for Ohio State has been added to the roster. In four years with the Buckeyes, Banks appeared in 36 games with 15 starts, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2020.

It’s a busy night for college baseball as the 22nd-ranked LSU Tigers host the Ragin Cajuns in the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic. The Bayou Bengals were swept by Arkansas last weekend, while the Cajuns are 9-and-6 in the Sun Belt after taking two of three from ULM. U-L Lafayette Coach Matt Deggs believes his team is primed to make a run in the second half of the conference schedule…

Cut 16 (17) “….trip to Atlanta”

The Cajuns are at Georgia State this weekend.

Back to tonight’s schedule, La Tech begins a five-game home stand by hosting Little Rock. Southern is at Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana hosts South Alabama, and last night McNeese doubled up Sam Houston eight to four for its 20th win of the season.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

It’s a busy night for college baseball as the 22nd-ranked LSU Tigers host the Ragin Cajuns in the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic. The Bayou Bengals were swept by Arkansas last weekend, while the Cajuns are 9-and-6 in the Sun Belt after taking two of three from ULM. U-L Lafayette Coach Matt Deggs believes his team is primed to make a run in the second half of the conference schedule…
cut 16 (17) “….trip to Atlanta”
The Cajuns are at Georgia State this weekend.

Back to tonight’s schedule, La Tech begins a five-game homestand by hosting Little Rock. Southern is at Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana hosts South Alabama and last night McNeese doubled up Sam Houston eight to four for its 20th win of the season. Brett Payne was the winning pitcher, Cameron Foster earned his 9th save.

Former New Orleans Hornet Chris Paul dominated the Pelicans in the fourth quarter on Sunday as he scored 19 points as the Suns held off the Pelicans 110 to 99. Tonight is game two of their Western Conference playoff series. Pels Coach Willie Green says there are things they can do to slow down the future Hall of Famer, but he is who he is.

Cut 19 (18) _“…what he does.”
Tip off tonight is at 9:00.

In football news, LSU sophomore running back Corey Kiner entered the NCAA transfer portal and quickly committed to Cincinnati. Kiner is from Cincinnati and said in a social media post he wants to start a new chapter in his life.

And the Saints have re-signed running back Dwayne Washington.

4:45 LRN Sportscast April 18

Following their 110-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night, the New Orleans Pelicans trail one game to nothing in their opening-round playoff series. The Pels trailed 53-34 at the half and were down by as many as 23 points before a second-half rally cut the deficit to six before the Suns pulled away late. Coach Willie Green says he and his staff will make changes and that his team will be ready to compete from the start.

Cut 21 (12) “…a better start.

Game two is tomorrow night, with tip-off set for 9 pm.

The New Orleans Saints announced that they have re-signed special teams ace, running back Dwayne Washington to a one-year deal. Washington returns for his fifth season with the Black & Gold.

New Orleans’ other football team, the USFL’s Breakers, won their first game of the season, defeating the Philadelphia Stars 23-17 in Birmingham. Next up, the Tampa Bay Bandits this Sunday.

11:40 LRN Sportscast April 18

The New Orleans Pelicans are down 1-0 following a 110-99 loss to the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first game of their best of seven series. After a disastrous start where they trailed by as many as 23 points, the Pels rallied to cut the deficit to six in the fourth quarter, but an MVP performance by Chris Paul was too much to overcome. The former New Orleans Hornet finished with 30 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. Coach Willie Green said his team didn’t play its best and that won’t be good enough against the defending Western Conference champs.

Cut 21 (19) “…be better.

Game two is tomorrow night, with tip-off set for 9 pm.

There are just three practices left this spring for the LSU Tigers leading up to Saturday’s scrimmage. Intensity on the defensive side of the ball has been lacking at times. Lack of depth is one possible reason and head coach Brian Kelly has also been preaching brotherhood to the players. It might be impacting their tackling.

Cut 17 (18) “…get them on the ground.”

LSU was swept by Arkansas as the Razorbacks held the Tigers offense to six runs in three games…Southeastern catcher Bryce Grizzaffi was named Southland Hitter of the Week after leading the Lions to a sweep of UNO to move into a tie with Nicholls for first in the conference. Colonels junior Tyler Theriot earned Pitcher of the Week honors with 8 scoreless innings against Northwestern State on his way to picking up his fifth win of the season.

6:45 LRN Sportscast April 18

A slow start doomed the Pelicans last night as they scored just 34 points in the first half and lost to the Phoenix Suns 110 to 99 to open up their best of seven playoff series. New Orleans made a run in the second half and they were within six with six minutes left, but veteran Suns point guard Chris Paul scored 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans were led by CJ McCollum who had 25 points. Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas each had 18 points. Larry Nance Junior had 14 points off the bench. Nance on what happened in the first half…
cut 29 (09) “…does”
Game Two is tomorrow night in Phoenix. Tip time is at 9 PM.

There’s just one more week left in spring practice for LSU as the Tigers will practice three more times this week before Saturday’s Spring game. The Bayou Bengals are short on depth at some positions, but not at wide receiver. Coach Brian Kelly says he’s trying to build some grit with this group…
Cut 16 (19) “…big catches late”

At the halfway point of the SEC schedule, LSU Baseball is in fifth place in the SEC West with a seven and eight league record after getting swept by Arkansas.

The Tigers will host U-L Lafayette tomorrow night. The Cajuns are nine and six in the Sun Belt after taking two of three from ULM. The Warhawks are 5-9-and-1 in league play. Louisiana Tech swept a doubleheader from Marshall on Saturday to improve to 11-and-4 in Conference USA, two games back of Southern Miss for first place.

7:30 LRN Sportscast

I’m Kevin Gallagher and this Louisiana Radio Network Sportscast is brought to you by Tele-leaf-dot-com, Louisiana’s access to medical mairjuana from the comfort of your home.

After starting the season 1-and-12, the Pelicans are in the playoffs for the first time since 2018 as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Last night, New Orleans built a 16-point lead, only to fall behind by 13 in the fourth quarter before eventually beating the Clippers 105 to 101 in Los Angeles.

Brandon Ingram led the way with 30 points, C-J McCollum chipped in with 19 points. New Orleans also got great contributions off the bench from big man Larry Nance Junior who had 14 points and 16 rebounds, while rookie Trey Murphy had 14 points and made four three-pointers.

New Orleans will stay out west and play the Suns, the top seed in the Western Conference. The best of seven series begins Sunday night in Phoenix.
_______________________________________________________

The LSU baseball team had just three hits last night and they lost to Arkansas four to nothing. The Razorbacks scored three runs in the third inning off of losing pitcher Blake Money. The Hogs have clinched the series and will go for the sweep today at 2 PM. L-S-U is now 7-and-7 in SEC play.

ULM erupted for five runs in the ninth inning to beat the Ragin Cajuns seven to five. Austin Beech belted a two run home run to give the Warhawks the lead in the ninth inning. It’s the first win for ULM this season when trailing after the sixth inning. The rubber game of the series is today at four PM.

Marshall outscored Louisiana Tech ten to nine to win game one of the series. The Bulldogs are nine and four in Conference USA and trail first place Southern Miss by two and a half games.

Nicholls is in first place in the Southland after the Colonels blanked Northwestern State six to nothing. Tyler Theriot threw eight shutout innings for his fifth win of the season.

This sportscast is brought to you by tele-leaf-dot-com. Louisiana Radio Network Sports.

4:45 LRN Sportscast April 15

It’s “winner take all” in Los Angeles tonight, as the New Orleans Pelicans face the Clippers. If the Pels win, they go on to Phoenix to take on the Suns in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, a place they haven’t been since the 2017-18 season. New Orleans is 3-1 against LA this season, and today it was announced that forward Paul George will be unavailable for the Clippers due to health and safety protocols after he tested positive for COVID-19. George was likely to see a lot of Pelicans rookie Herb Jones tonight. Jones was huge in shutting down Spurs guard Dejonte Murray on Wednesday. While many rookies might get caught up in the moment, Brandon Ingram says he expects Herb to come up big once again…

Cut 17 (14) “…all year.”

Tip-off is at 9 pm

LSU baseball’s four-game win streak came to a halt after a five to four loss to Arkansas in the opener of their SEC series last night. Game 2 starts tonight at 5 pm.

Northwestern State will try to even its series with Nicholls tonight, while McNeese goes for two in a row against Incarnate Word and UL looks to do the same against UL-Monroe. UNO and Southeastern square off again with first place in the Sun Belt on the line. Tulane looks to bounce back against Houston in the American Conference and Southern is at Prairie View with the top spot in the SWAC up for grabs.

LSU football picked up another commitment in Ryan Yaites, a four-star safety from Texas. He’s the fourth player in LSU’s 2023 class and is ranked as the seventh-best safety in the country. The Tigers’ 2023 class is currently ranked 24th nationally and sixth in the Southeastern Conference.

And today is the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking MLB’s longstanding barrier for Black players. Robinson took the field on April 15, 1947, starting at first base and went hitless in a win over the Boston Braves.

11:40 LRN Sportscast April 15

LSU’s four-game win streak came to a halt after a five to four loss to Arkansas in the opener of their SEC series. Problems with the glove continue to plague the Tigers as a Jacob Berry throwing error in the first inning led to an unearned run, and in the seventh, shortstop Jordan Thompson failed to handle a hard ground ball as part of a three-run inning for the Razorbacks, giving them a lead they would not relinquish. Game 2 starts tonight at 5 pm.

Nicholls upended Northwestern State eight to two as Devin Desandro threw six shutout innings. McNeese defeated Incarnate Word nine to three…Braden Duhon had three hits for the Cowboys. Southeastern Louisiana edged UNO five to four. The Privateers and Colonels are tied for first place in the Southland standings at 6-and-4.

The Ragin Cajuns had a season-high 19 hits in a 14-2 win over ULM. Tyler Robertson was four for four with a career-high four RBI. Starting pitcher Brandon Talley struck out a career-high eight batters.

The Pelicans are in Los Angeles for tonight’s elimination game against the Clippers. A win puts the Pels in the playoffs for the first time in four years. After beating the Spurs Wednesday night, Coach Willie Green let the squad know, he’s not ready for this run to end.

Cut 16 (19) “…pack a bag.”

Spring football is over in Monroe, where Terry Bowden enters his second season leading the Warhawks. After going 4-8 in year one, Bowden says there’s much more continuity this season and that should make his team more competitive in a very tough league.

Cut 19 (15) _“…starting for us.”

6:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU’s defense let them down again last night in a five to four loss to Arkansas to open an SEC series. A Jacob Berry throwing error in the first inning led to an unearned run and shortstop Jordan Thompson failed to handle a hard ground ball on an RBI single in a decisive three-run seventh inning. The series resumes tonight at 6 PM in Fayetteville.

The Ragin Cajuns had a season-high 19 hits in a 14-2 win over ULM. Tyler Robertson was four for four with a career-high four RBI. Starting pitcher Brandon Talley struck out a career-high eight batters.

Nicholls upended Northwestern State eight to two as Devin Desandro threw six shutout innings. McNeese defeated UIW nine to three as leadoff man Braden Duhon had three hits. Southeastern Louisiana edged UNO five to four. The Privateers and Colonels are tied for first place in the Southland standings at 6-and-4.

The Pelicans face the Clippers tonight in Los Angeles and the winner advances to the Western Conference playoffs as the eighth seed. Second-round pick Herb Jones has pest on the defensive side of the ball and Brandon Ingram expects the rookie will come up big again tonight…
cut 17 (14) “…all year”
Tip off is at 9 PM.

Spring football wrapped up last weekend for the Ragin Cajuns. First-year head coach Michael Desormeaux is excited about this year’s group of players and looks forward to seeing if they can build on last season’s 13-win campaign…
cut 18 (19) “….do it though”

4:45 LRN Sportscast April 14

In front of a raucous, sold-out crowd at the Smoothie King Center last night, the New Orleans Pelicans beat the San Antonio Spurs to advance in the NBA’s play-in tournament for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. First-year head coach Willie Green has been the one constant for the Pelicans this season as the team climbed out of the cellar and back into contention. Green says the team showed how much it’s grown with last night’s performance.

Cut 14 (12) “…for our program.”

The Pelicans face the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night on the road, with the winner taking on top-seeded Phoenix in the Western Conference Playoffs.

LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey adds a familiar name to her staff. Bob Starkey spent last season with Auburn but has two decades of experience on the sidelines in Baton Rouge. Starkey was on staff for all five of LSU’s Final Four appearances, including as interim coach in 2007.

LSU baseball begins a three-game series with Arkansas in Fayetteville tonight. The Tigers have won four in a row and are in a three-way tie with Auburn and Alabama for second place in the SEC West. Coach Jay Johnson says offensively, his team is becoming more than just the long ball, and that’s going to pay off down the road.

Cut 21 (15) “…we wanna be.”

First pitch tonight is set for 6:30, with righty Ma’Khail Hilliard taking the hill for the Tigers.

Tigers basketball coach Matt McMahon continues to fill out his roster with some new and some old faces. Yesterday, forward Mwani Wilkinson withdrew his name from the transfer portal and today guard Justice Williams announced he will do the same. LSU also adds another guard in North Carolina State transfer Cam Hayes. Hayes averaged seven points and two assists per game for the Wolfpack this past season.