ULM Warhawks

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
 
MONROE, La. – Stringing together W's has done wonders for ULM basketball's self-esteem.
 
The Warhawks won their third-straight game Thursday night (Feb. 15) with an 84-71 decision over UT Arlington at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Players bubbled out of the dressing room, laughing and enjoying their win.
 
"We're happy but we're humble," ULM senior guard Marvin Jean-Pierre said. "We've already been through those tough times. We want to keep it going."
 
ULM (12-12, 6-7 Sun Belt) has five wins in its last six outings and plays host to Texas State at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 17). The Warhawks got our attention with overtime road wins at Georgia Southern and Georgia State but hammered the point home again with an impressive home victory over the Sun Belt's preseason darling Mavericks.
 
"Coach tells us to continue to play with confidence," ULM forward Travis Munnings said. "Continue to do what we did over the weekend that got us in this position."
 
The growing confidence was evident early when Munnings soared high to block shots on successive trips and wagged his finger like former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo. Fierce defensive stands were just what coach Keith Richard wanted to see.
 
"Sometimes you pat yourself on the back and you come out and lay an egg early," Richard said. "We did not need that. I told them to play hard on the defensive end and get yourself going. I thought we did."
 
ULM was shooting at a 50 percent clip into the second half, which is another sign of offensive swagger. The Warhawks finished at 48 percent overall with four players in double figures scoring, spreading around buckets like peanut butter and jelly.
 
"We share the ball well and try to get each other going," said Munnings, who scored 16 points with four 3-pointers and six rebounds. "When we share the ball like that, it's hard to stop us. We have multiple guys scoring in multiple ways. Any one of us could go off."
 
Freshman Michael Ertel led the way with 20 points, scoring his assortment inside and outside and pulling down six rebounds. Sam McDaniel, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, came back with 19 points and four 3-pointres. Jean-Pierre, a sneaky good contributor who always seems to show up all over the box score, registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
 
"He brings the energy," Munnings said of Jean-Pierre. "He can lock down your (opponent's) best scorer, and he rebounds great for a guard his size."
 
ULM warded off the possible letdown from its road success by starting fast. The Warhawks led 41-34 by halftime and added to their momentum by making 9-of-18 3-pointers in the second half.
 
"Coach gives us a game plan and we stick to it," Jean-Pierre said. "We're playing with a lot of confidence and we're playing D. We're hitting open shots. That's it."
 
It was a fun night for the players and the fans, who came out to support the squad. ULM kept the good times rolling.
 
As the final seconds ticked away, there was Munnings clapping loudly before high-fiving the ULM bench.
 
It feels good to be a Warhawk basketball player these days.
 
"It's always a good night when you get a win," Munnings said.