LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Women’s Basketball guard Erica Lafayette has been named the 2024-25 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year, the conference office announced on Monday (March 3, 2025).
Lafayette, a transfer from Rutgers who emerged to lead Louisiana in scoring both overall (14.8) and in conference play (16.8), was also selected to the second team on the 2024-25 All-Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Team.
She is the first Ragin’ Cajun to win a major award since Ty Doucet won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2020-21 to 2021-22. It’s the first time since the 2005-06 season that Louisiana’s roster featured the recipient of the SBC Newcomer of the Year, when Yolanda Jones of the J. Kelley Hall era won the award.
Lafayette landing on the All-SBC team increases the number of selections under Garry Brodhead’s guidance to 16 and marks the 10th time in 13 seasons with at least one honoree. The total number of All-Sun Belt selections in program history grew to 24.
The 2024-25 All-Sun Belt postseason awards were voted on by the league's 14 head coaches.
The Louisiana native, from Baton Rouge’s McKinley High, Lafayette was at the forefront of the scoring leaders in conference play, scoring double figures in 16 of 18 SBC games to finish at 16.8 points per game.
Lafayette was either ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in scoring for the entirety of the league schedule and wound up as one of only three players in the SBC to score 300-plus points in conference play. She totaled 303 points against league foes on 108 field goals made (included 32 triples) in generating the program’s highest scoring average in conference play since Jaylyn Gordon (17.5) in 2016-17.
The graduate guard scored at least 17 points each of the first five conference games, establishing her spot at the top of the scoring charts, and produced 20-plus points five times against league foes.
Overall, Lafayette completed the regular season reaching double digits in 21 of the 28 games played, leading her to clinching the first 400-point season by a Ragin' Cajun since the 2016-17 season (Jaylyn Gordon, Simone Fields).
Her final regular season stat line showed 415 points accomplished on 150 field goals, including 48 from three-point range, and 67 free throw makes. Lafayette shot 40-plus percent, both overall and from beyond the arc.
Lafayette and her Ragin’ Cajuns teammates head to the SBC Tournament in Pensacola, Florida this week. Louisiana (13-15, 9-9 SBC) is the No. 7 seed in the bracket which affords the squad two byes in the seven-day event, advancing them to the third round which occurs on Thursday, March 6.
Louisiana officially begins SBC Tournament play at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday (March 6) against the survivor of games involving No. 14 seed South Alabama, No. 11 seed Marshall and No. 10 seed Texas State, with the winner of the contest moving to the fourth round to meet App State on Friday (March 7).
It's the fifth straight season the SBC's postseason event is held in Pensacola. UL has advanced to the semifinals three of the previous four trips, including last season's run. The Cajuns last played for the title in 2021.
2024-25 Sun Belt Women's Basketball Awards
First Team
Zay Dyer, Troy
Aislynn Hayes, Marshall
Jakayla Johnson, ULM
Kseniia Kozlova, James Madison
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison
Second Team
Savannah Brooks, Coastal Carolina
En’Dya Buford, Old Dominion
Melyia Grayson, Southern Miss
Erica Lafayette, Louisiana
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State
Third Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison
CC Mays, Marshall
Alancia Ramsey, Coastal Carolina
Crislyn Rose, Arkansas State
Mikyla Tolivert, Georgia State
Player of the Year
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison
Defensive Player of the Year
Mahogany Matthews, Georgia State
Sixth Woman of the Year
Ro Scott, James Madison
Newcomer of the Year
Erica Lafayette, Louisiana
Freshman of the Year
Trinity Rowe, Southern Miss
Coach of the Year
Sean O’Regan, James Madison
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB [twitter.com]), Facebook (/RaginCajunsWBB [facebook.com]) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsWBB [instagram.com]) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Women's Basketball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS/Apple platforms and here [play.google.com] for Android platforms.