AUBURN, Ala. ? Auburn harassed the ULM men's basketball team on defense all game long, forcing 29 turnovers in a 78-55 victory at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday afternoon.
Junior Malcolm Thomas tied his career high with 18 points to lead three Warhawks in double-figures, but a cold night from the field allowed the Tigers to put together a pair of strong runs. ULM combined to shoot 36.4 percent from the field, converting on 16 of its 44 shots.
ULM (2-4) fought shot for shot with the Tigers through the first 11 minutes of the game. With the score tied at 19-19 with 9:03 remaining, Auburn put together a 14-2 run spanning a four-minute stretch to push the advantage to double figures.
Auburn (4-4) would lead by as many as 16 in the first half before settling on a 40-26 advantage at the intermission.
Thomas kept the Warhawks in the game in the opening period by tying his career high in points with 18 off 7-of-10 shooting.
In the second half, junior Kenneth Averette sparked a Warhawk run that cut the deficit to 10 points at 58-48 with just under nine minutes remaining in the period. Auburn locked down on defense and pulled away for the final score.
Junior Jarvis Hill added 17 points in the contest and a season-high eight rebounds to tie with Thomas for the team lead in boards. Averette finished with a team-best five assists.
ULM returns to action on Wednesday when it takes the short drive down I-20 to renew the series against Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. in Ruston, La.
