Junior-college transfer Kadeem Coleby made an instant impact in his debut for Louisiana-Lafayette, scoring 16 points and blocking eight shots in an 83-66 win against Northern Arizona on Friday night at the Hilltop Challenge.
Coleby, a 6-9 center from Daytona College, took advantage of an undersized Lumberjacks (0-1) roster to score 12 points in the second half, when the Ragin' Cajuns (1-0) led by as many as 21.
Darshawn McClellan added 13 points and Bryant Mbamalu had 12 points with three assists in what was both teams' season opener.
James Douglas led Northern Arizona with 21 points. The Lumberjacks were undone by their own shooting - 35.1 percent - and an inability to stop the Ragin' Cajuns, who hit 62.3 percent from the floor.
J.J. Thomas, a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, had nine points, eight rebounds and six assists for Louisiana.
