MONROE, La. – A 13-point comeback during the final 10
minutes of the game was not enough to lift the ULM women's basketball team over
Denver in its first Sun Belt Conference loss of the season as they fell 55-54
in Fant-Ewing Coliseum Saturday evening.
After Denver took its biggest lead of the game 47-33 with
8:12 left off an Emiko Smith 3-pointer, ULM battled back with a 22-8 run that
included 12 unanswered points over the last two minutes of the game. A layup by
Elizabeth Torres put the Warhawks within three, 55-52, with 10 seconds left
before Priscilla Mbiandja scored another laqyup to make the score 55-54 with
:02 left in the game. Sannisha Williams grabbed the rebound from a missed free
throw by Sarah Feeny and took the shot from the opposite end of the court but
was unable to connect, ending the comeback just one point short of Denver.
Junior guard Kassie Courtney led the Warhawks in scoring for
the third-straight game this season with 14 points for the contest, going
4-for-9 from the field including a perfect 5 for 5 performance from the free
throw line. Junior guard Torres also put up a season-high 14 points while
senior forward Sannisha Williams was just one point shy of her fourth
double-double of the season with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Senior guard Mbiandja and senior center Jordan Rawson each dished out two
assists.
ULM (8-8, 2-1 SBC) struggled to a 32.3 percent shooting
performance but outrebounded the Pioneers 42 to 27 during the game, including
21 offensive rebounds to just five by Denver.
ULM ranks ninth in the nation in rebounding margin averaging 12.9 more
rebounds per game than its opponents.
After being down by just two points 21-19 entering halftime
the Warhawks were unable to score more than five points over the first eight
minutes of the second half. ULM went 3-for-10 from the field during that
stretch while Denver went on a 15-point spree to take a 36-24 lead with 12:15
remaining.
Denver (11-6, 3-1 SBC) took an early 6-0 lead over the first
four minutes of the game before ULM closed in with an 11-5 run capped by a
Sannisha Williams jumper to take its first lead of the game (13-11) at the 8:10
mark.
Both teams traded baskets for the remainder of the first
half with four lead changes over four minutes before Denver took control off a
Kaetlyn Murdoch 3-pointer, sparking a 6-2 run to take a 21-19 lead into the
break. The Warhawks were unable to score under the basket and shot just 28.6
percent in the first half but held the Pioneers defensively outrebounding them 19
to 13.
Denver had three players in the double-digits as Britteni
Rice led with 19 points followed by Emiko Smith's 14 points and Murdoch's 13.
Murdoch and Maiya Michel each grabbed seven boards while Smith had a game-high
seven assists. The Pioneers shot 47.9 percent for the evening.
ULM returns to SBC action Wednesday when the Warhawks travel
to Little Rock, Ark. to face UALR at 7 p.m.
