MONROE, La. - Sannisha Williams scored a
team-high 12 points on Tuesday night inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum and the ULM bench
excelled over Centenary for a 62-42 non-conference victory. It was the Warhawks
third-consecutive non-conference win of the season.
ULM (3-1) used its full-court pressure defense
to force Centenary into 40 turnovers and turned those errors into 36 points.
The Warhawks' bench outscored the Ladies 31-10 in the game and the ULM finished
with a 36-18 advantage in paint scoring.
"You always worry about your opponent
coming in and hitting shots," head coach Mona Martin said. "I thought
we came out and played really well in the first half, but I don't think we
executed in the second half like we needed to. I was pleased with our first
half intensity and the turnovers we caused."
Sannisha Williams also hauled in eight
rebounds and stole a career-high-tying five passes. Larrie Williams led the
Warhawk bench with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Jesse Carrier and Sumar Leslie
each added 10 points, while Leslie recorded four assists and three steals.
Carrier also finished 2-for-3 from behind the
3-point line. She now has 136 career 3-point makes, which moves her into third
place all-time in ULM history.
Anne Farrell paced all players with the game's
only double-double, 12 points and 13 rebounds. She also stole two passes for
Centenary (0-5). Ashley Jackson and Michaela Berg scored nine and eight points,
respectively.
ULM harassed Centenary in the opening portion
of the contest and forced the Ladies into nine turnovers in the first 6:21 of
the game. On the offensive side of the court, the Warhawks built a 12-3
advantage behind a pair of layups and a free throw from Priscilla Mbiandja.
"Jordan and Larrie have really come into
their own the past few games," Martin said. "I thought Jordan played
great defense and Larrie scored some big buckets for us. Every night you never
know who is going to step up for us."
The Warhawks exploded over the final 7:40 of
the first half with a 16-2 scoring run to take a 34-14 lead into the
intermission. At the break, ULM held a 22-6 advantage in paint scoring and a 22-5
lead in scoring off turnovers, after causing 25 Centenary opening period turnovers.
Centenary used a 7-0 run during a 2:26 span in
the second half to get within 15 points, 50-35. The Warhawks responded with an
8-0 run of their own to expand the lead back to a game-high 23 points, 58-35,
as all ULM players were able to get into the action.
"I think the support of our home crowd gave
us that extra push," Larrie Williams said. "It is much easier playing
at home, because on the road you don't have your friends and family cheering
you on. It's difficult to get fired up."
"I got to play everybody tonight, which is good when you
have friends and families in the crowd for the first home game of the
season," Martin said.
ULM will make its fourth-longest trek of the season, 1847 miles round-trip,
when it leaves on Thanksgiving Day for El Paso, Texas. The Warhawks will battle
Youngstown State at 7 p.m. on Friday in the opening round of the Miner Thanksgiving
Classic. ULM will face either host-UTEP or Weber State on Saturday.
