MONROE, La. – Travis Munnings and Sam McDaniel combined for 36 points as ULM closed out its non-conference schedule with a 74-51 victory over Centenary in Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 20 and extended its winning streak to three games.
 
There were two ties and four lead changes in the first six minutes. A three-pointer from Cedric Harris gave Centenary a 13-11 lead. A jumper by Brandon Newman sparked a 15-0 run as ULM raced out to a 41-22 lead with 3:06 left in the first half. The Gents (6-4) went scoreless for 5:32 as the Warhawks took control of the game. ULM (6-5) led 47-27 at the intermission.
 
McDaniel scored 13 of his 17 points in the opening half and Munnings added 12. ULM shot 66 percent (19-of-29) from the field in the first half, including 6-of-11 (.545) from behind the three-point arc.
 
"The game started a little harry because Centenary made four threes in the first 4-5 minutes," ULM head basketball coach Keith Richard said. "We decided to move everybody up two or three steps on defense and started playing everyone straight-up. I thought we played really well after the first 4-5 minutes."
 
The Warhawks opened the second half with a 12-2 spurt and Newman's layup gave ULM its largest lead at 59-29 with 15:13 left.
 
For the game, ULM hit 53 percent (29-of-55) of its field-goal attempts and outrebounded Centenary, 39-27. The Warhawks held a 40-16 edge in points scored in the paint.
 
Five Warhawks scored in double figures. Munnings recorded his first double-double of the season and 12th of his career with 19 points and 13 rebounds while McDaniel finished with 17 points. ULM also got 12 points from Marvin Jean-Pierre, 11 from Michael Ertel and 10 from Newman.
 
"Travis Munnings' motor was really running tonight," Richard said. "He just plays hard every time he steps on the floor. It doesn't matter who the opponent is of if he's playing before a packed arena or not, Travis consistently gives great effort.
 
"Eleven games into the season, we're far enough along to have a pretty good idea about personnel. We've been able to identify roles and develop substitution patterns. Things aren't perfect, but we have a much clearer understanding about this team.
 
"Brandon Newman has probably improved more than any player over these first 11 games," Richard continued. "His role has expanded, playing more than 20 minutes in the last two games. He's starting to play better and his confidence is growing.
 
"We really like the way Brandon is playing and that's why we have a non-conference schedule. It provides the opportunity to figure out where guys fit. We have found out a lot about this team.
 
"We've moved Michael Ertel to the 2 (shooting guard) because of his scoring mentality. It allows us to play Brandon (Newman) at the point because he's a pass-first guy and we can run the offense through him. For now, it fits Michael better because he doesn't have to worry about the point guard responsibilities."
 
ULM opens Sun Belt play with a two-game road trip to Arkansas State (Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m.) and Little Rock (Dec. 31 at 4 p.m.).
 
"We're looking forward to opening conference play," Richard said. "Following the game, you could really sense the excitement with the players in the locker room. It's like beginning a second season because everybody starts with a clean slate."