MONROE, La. – Sam McDaniel scored a game-high 16 points to help lead ULM to a 65-52 victory over Jackson State Tuesday, Nov. 28 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. McDaniel also contributed five rebounds, a career-high seven assists and three steals as the Warhawks closed out a four-game homestand with a 3-1 record.
 
ULM (3-3) once again featured a balanced scoring attack, as three other players joined McDaniel in double figures. Travis Munnings and Marvin Jean-Pierre scored 14 points each and Jordon Harris added 10 points off the bench.
 
"I'm really proud of my team, especially on the defensive end of the floor," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "Defense and rebounding were points of emphasis for us heading into this game, and our guys responded to the challenge. I really felt like we played solid defense the whole game.
 
"I thought our guys played really hard and really tough too. We were worried about Jackson State's offensive rebounding, so we played our bigger, stronger guys longer minutes. Our guys played with great effort the entire game.
 
"Sam McDaniel played really well and contributed on both ends of the floor," Richard added.
 
The Warhawks led by as many as eight points in the first half, but Jackson State cut its deficit to 34-31 on two free throws from Paris Collins with 1:01 remaining. ULM carried some momentum and a 38-31 lead into the locker room, thanks to Harris who scored on a hard drive and layup high off the glass with two seconds left in the opening half.
 
As a team, ULM shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field in the first half, including 7-of-10 from behind the three-point arc.
 
The Warhawks extended their lead to 10 on a three-pointer from Munnings with 15:24 to play in the second half. Jackson State (2-5) put together a 9-2 run and pulled to within 47-44 on a jumper from Maurice Rivers with 9:59 left. ULM later answered with a 9-0 spurt and McDaniel's pull-up jumper from the left baseline gave the Warhawks their biggest lead at 59-46 with 4:37 remaining in the second half. The Warhawks held the Tigers scoreless for 6:04 during that decisive run.
 
The Tigers scored five-straight points to rally to within 59-51 on Jeremiah Jefferson's layup with 57 seconds left, but Michael Ertel and McDaniel each converted both ends of one-and-ones as ULM held on for a 13-point win.
 
"We built a 10-point lead early in the second half and got a couple of stops, but we couldn't put them away," Richard said. "Jackson State closed the gap to four points at one point in the second half. A key moment came when Marvin (Jean-Pierre) scored on the third offensive rebound during one possession to get the lead back up to double digits.
 
"Jackson State plays defense from the three-point line in, so both teams had a hard time scoring inside. I thought it was important to get to the free-throw line and we did tonight."
 
ULM limited Jackson State to a 31-percent (18-of-58) field-goal percentage, including just 23 percent (7-of-31) in the second half, and outrebounded the Tigers, 33-27.
 
Jackson State placed three players in double figures, including Collins and Jefferson who scored 11 points each, while Rivers provided 10 points off the bench.
 
"We're still trying to figure out our playing rotation," Richard said. "We're still searching for an identity, but that's what the non-conference schedule is for. You learn a lot about your team during November and December, and hopefully, you win some games along the way. Tonight's game was a grind and I'm proud of the way my team closed it out. We made a lot of progress as a team during this four-game homestand."
 
ULM returns to action Saturday, Dec. 2 at Stephen F. Austin, with tipoff set for 3:30 p.m. at WRJ Coliseum in Nacogdoches, Texas.