LAWRENCE, Kan. ? The ULM men's basketball team proved it could match the scoring ability, but couldn't overcome early foul trouble in the second half, falling to No. 4 Kansas, 107-78 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. in both teams season opener.
ULM (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) converted on 51 percent of its shots on the afternoon, but couldn't weather a 17-2 run by Kansas in the second half. The KU (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) run was sparked when junior Tony Hooper and senior Lance Brasher were sent to the bench with four fouls only three minutes into the period.
“It was probably more demoralizing on the guys standing behind me [Hooper and Brasher],” ULM men's basketball coach Orlando Early said on Brasher and Hooper getting their fourth fouls. “They are such competitors. They play so hard and compete so hard. We had our leading scorer on the bench and another double-figure scorer on the bench. We had to put in freshmen who weren't ready. Again, Kansas is a good team, but they go on a 17-2 run with guys that are used to playing [sitting] on the bench.”
ULM trailed only 10-8 after the first four minutes of the game before an 11-4 run thanks to three
Warhawk turnovers pushed the Jayhawk lead to double-digits.
Kansas took a 50-35 advantage into the locker rooms after Darrell Arthur banked a shot in from behind the arc as time expired.
In offensive flurry out of the half, the Warhawks came out and matched the Jayhawks score for score until Hooper and Brasher were hit with their fourth fouls, the later coming at the 17:21 mark. KU would go on a 22-5 run with the two on the bench, expanding the lead to 80-48 with 12:17 remaining.
ULM outscored the Jayhawks down the stretch, enjoying a 30-27 advantage with Hooper and Brasher back in the game. The Warhawks were unable to overcome the deficit incurred while both were on the bench.
Hooper finished the game with a team-high 19 points and senior Jordan Payne came off the bench to score 17. Brasher also finished the game with double-digit points, pouring in 12.
For the Jayhawks, Sherron Collins scored 22 and added six assists.
The Warhawks will look to get into the win column on Tuesday when they face Northern Michigan (0-0) in the opening round of the CBE Classic in East Lansing, Mich. at 4 p.m.
