BEAUMONT, Texas - A back-and-forth affair saw
both teams trail by deficits of eight or more points, but an Elexar Tugler
layup at the buzzer spun out of the cylinder, allowing Lamar to escape with a
70-68 win over the ULM women's basketball team Friday night in the Montagne
Center.
The Warhawks (0-3) out-rebounded the Lady
Cardinals 48-39 and also held the edge in assists (22-14) and blocked shots
(4-2).
A technical foul on the Lamar bench led to a made
free throw by freshman Jae Shin to draw the Warhawks within two (67-65) with 1:02
left on the clock. On the ensuing
possession, senior Marion Zollicoffer threw down an emphatic and-1 layup to give ULM
a 68-67 lead. Lamar's Monique Whittaker
then drew a crucial foul with 32 seconds to play, connecting on both free throws
to give the Lady Cardinals a 69-68 cushion.
A missed 3-pointer by sophomore Alexar Tugler forced the Warhawks to
foul, and two Lamar made free throws later, Elexar Tugler's layup at the buzzer
went begging for the game's final scoring margin.
Zollicoffer finished with a career-high 16
points and added eight rebounds. Fellow
senior Larrie Williams chipped in 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Sophomore Jasmine Shaw got the Warhawks on
the board first with a fast break layup to open the game's scoring. Alexar Tugler then buried a deep 3-pointer
from the top of the key to put ULM up 5-0.
ULM took a 17-8 advantage at the 12:06 mark
on the strength of a 10-0 run. Alexar Tugler and Zollicoffer each connected in
the paint, while freshman Christina Gray sunk a jumper and added two free
throws during the stretch.
The Warhawks stretched their lead to 13 (29-16)
at the 3:20 mark after a nice slash to the hoop by Elexar Tugler and a layup by
Williams.
Lamar (3-1) closed the frame on an 11-2 run
to send ULM to the break in front 31-27.
Alexar Tugler led all scorers with nine points in the first, while
Zollicoffer chipped in six. Williams,
Gray and Elexar Tugler each added four points apiece.
Both teams traded baskets to open the second
half before Elizabeth Torres hit a step-back jumper to push the Warhawks in
front 37-33.
Lamar took its first lead of the second half (41-39)
at the 14:11 mark on a layup by Kalis Loyd.
Back-to-back buckets by freshman Taylor Maricle pulled the Warhawks
within one (47-46), followed by a sophomore Ashleigh Simmons finish on the next
trip. Loyd then powered through contact
for an and-1 to give Lamar a 52-48 advantage.
After ULM battled back to tie the game at 54,
Loyd contributed to the next six Lamar points to pull the Lady Cardinals back
in front 58-52.
The Warhawks continued to fight, with
Williams and Zollicoffer putting baskets home down low. Shin then hit a deep 3-pointer from the left
side and drew a charge for Loyd's fifth and disqualifying foul. Shaw finished hard to the rack for a bucket
on the next possession to tie the game at 63.
Whittaker led all scorers with 20 points,
while Loyd chipped in 17 for Lamar.
ULM returns to action Nov. 22, when the
Warhawks travel to Grambling State for a 7 p.m. first tip.
