MONROE, La. ? The ULM women's basketball team used a smothering defense and a dominant night on the offensive glass to cruise to a 66-44 win against Florida Atlantic inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Wednesday night.
Senior LaJeanna Howard scored a game-high 17 points to lead three in double-digits and help the Warhawks improve to 8-0 in games following a loss.
“I thought we came out with a lot of intensity on defense,” ULM head coach Mona Martin said. “We were disappointed with the way we played on Saturday and we wanted to come out and really force the issue on defense. We picked them up in the full court and played great on-ball defense all night long.”
ULM (14-8, 7-4 Sun Belt) forced a Sun Belt Conference season-high 37 turnovers by the Owls, while pulling down 20 offensive boards to turn a five-point halftime lead into a 22-point blowout.
In the early stages of the game both teams struggled to mount a consistent offense. With the score tied at 16-16 with 7:34 left in the opening period, junior Lottie Moore four straight points for the Warhawks to give the home team a lead it would not relinquish.
ULM entered the intermission leading Florida Atlantic (5-16, 1-11 Sun Belt) by four points at 29-25.
In the second half, the defense stiffened for ULM, forcing turnovers on the first four possessions by the Owls to built to a 10-point lead with 17:25 remaining in the game.
Trailing 41-32 with 14:25 in the game, FAU stiffened on defense and kept the Warhawks out of the point colum for a five minute stretch, but couldn't buy a basket.
ULM grabbed a double-digit lead at 45-34 before going on a 21-10 run to close out the game and post its largest margin of victory in a Sun Belt Conference game this season.
Moore finished with 14 points and a game-high steals. Senior Shannon Lloyd added 10 points and a game-high six rebounds.
For the Owls, Carla Stubbs finished with 14 points while point guard Brittany Bowe finished with zero points and a league-high 15 turnovers.
ULM returns to the road for a two-game stretch on Saturday, February 9 when it plays against the Privateers of New Orleans. The Warhawks will also play Louisiana-Lafayette during the stretch before returning to Fant-Ewing Coliseum to host Denver on February 16.
