NEW ORLEANS - Stiff defense early on kept the
game in reach, but a string of key shots from the hosts allowed Tulane to
defeat the ULM women's basketball team 62-45 Monday night inside Fogelman
Arena.
The Warhawks forced 19 turnovers, nearly
reaching the 20-takeaway plateau for the second straight game to open the
2011-12 season. ULM recorded a
season-best 43 rebounds (18 offensive) and 13 steals in the contest.
Larrie Williams scored a team-high 13 points
and added seven rebounds and three blocks for the Warhawks (0-2), while
Ashleigh Simmons chipped in seven points.
Jasmine Shaw and Marion Zollicoffer added six points apiece.
Williams put the Warhawks on the board early
with a nice turnaround jumper in the post, and then Elizabeth Torres followed
suit to make it 8-4 in favor of Tulane.
Simmons closed the ULM scoring run with a left-handed layup off the
glass to narrow the margin to 10-6 in favor of the Green Wave.
Simmons pulled the Warhawks within four
(18-14) with a pair of free throws before Tulane (2-0) closed the half on the
frame's largest run, a 6-0 spurt to put
the Green Wave up 24-14 at intermission.
Williams paced ULM with four points and three rebounds, while Simmons
added three points and three boards in the first 20 minutes.
Tulane's run to end the half continued out of
the break before an up-and-under from Williams gave the Warhawks their first
points of the second frame. A jumper
from Simmons and a Shaw coast-to-coast finish off a steal brought the Warhawks
within 11 (31-20).
Tulane stopped ULM in its tracks with an 8-2
run, but the Warhawks battled back to an 11-point deficit with a deep 3-pointer
from Alexar Tugler and a pair of Shaw free throws. A Williams layup and jumper made the score
44-35 with 6:24 to play, but three Danielle Blagg 3-pointers stalled the
Warhawks' momentum for good.
Brett Benzio led Tulane with 14 points
(7-of-9 shooting) and 11 rebounds, while Blagg added 11 points.
ULM returns to action Nov. 18 when it travels
to Beaumont, Texas to take on Lamar at 7 p.m.
