MONROE,
La.?Following nearly a two-week layoff, the ULM women's basketball
team returns to the hardwood Saturday afternoon in game two of the Taco Bell
Classic in Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
The host Warhawks (3-1) square
off against Alabama State (0-1) at 3:00 pm following Syracuse
(3-1) and Eastern Kentucky (3-0), who tipoff
the event at 1:00 pm.
ULM
is coming off its first loss of the season, a 79-65 setback at Southern Mississippi.
The loss ended a 12 game non-conference win streak, but the Warhawks can
extend their non-conference home win streak to 12 games with a victory over the
Hornets.
Sophomore Jesse Carrier is the
lone Warhawk in double-figures averaging 13.3 points a game, but Shannon Lloyd
(9.8), LaJeanna Howard (9.5) and Regena Jackson (9.0) are all close behind. Carrier has led ULM in scoring in three of the four games,
including a career-high 17 at Southern Miss.
The Warhawks have played an aggressive
defense this year ranking fourth in the Sun Belt Conference allowing just 57.8
points per game and second in forced turnovers with 25.0.
Alabama
State's lone game of the season was a
93-57 loss at Murray
State. Erica Lumpkin and Tanika Jackson accounted
for more than half of the Hornets' points netting 20 and 13, respectively.
Syracuse is fresh off a 75-26 dismantling at
Colgate on Wednesday night. The Orange also have victories over Lehigh (61-54) and Coppin State
(69-65), with their lone loss coming to No. 6 North Carolina (97-72). Fantasia Goodwin leads four players in
double-figures averaging 14.3 points per game.
Eastern Kentucky defeated
Division I newcomer Florida
Gulf Coast
74-56 last Saturday behind 26 points from Ashley Cazee. The Colonels' others victories have come at
the expense of Valparaiso
(66-64) and West Virginia Tech (90-59). Just like the Orange, EKU has four players averaging double-figures
led by Cazee's 17.0.
The winners of Saturday's games
will battle for the championship Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm, while the losers
will meet at 1:00 pm. The Warhawks won
last year's event downing Louisiana Tech and Southern
Arkansas.
The classic brings together four
teams that have never played each. No
matter what matchups unfold, including the two opening round games, it will
mark the first meeting between any of the teams.
Tickets for the Taco Bell Classic
are $6 for adults and $3 for children each day.
