HAMMOND, La. - Fred Brown had his 3-point attempt rim out at the buzzer
as Southeastern Louisiana held on to defeat ULM 63-60 Saturday evening inside
the University Center.
Brown took the inbounds pass with 5.7 seconds remaining and got a
wide-open 3-point attempt that would have tied the game. Brown finished with a
team-high 16 points and six assists on 8-of-18 shooting for the Warhawks.
Sophomore guard Charles Winborne totaled a career-best 15 points, and sophomore
guard Marcelis Hansberry finished with 11 points.
The Warhawks (0-4) trailed 39-27 at the break, but used a strong defensive
performance in the second half to get back into the game. ULM got to as close
as one at 61-60 with 23 seconds remaining.
The Lions (2-1) looked to be in control up 61-56 with 1:00 remaining before
ULM scored four straight points to make it interesting. Hansberry connected on
two free throws with 34 seconds remaining, then stole the ensuing inbounds pass
and dished off to senior forward Christian Bibi Ndongo for the easy lay-in with
23 seconds left.
ULM looked to have another steal with 10 seconds remaining and down
61-60, but Hansberry was called out-of-bounds, giving the ball back to
Southeastern Louisiana. Daron Populist converted a pair of free throw attempts
to give the Lions their final margin of victory.
Brandon Fortenberry led Southeastern Louisiana with 23 points on
9-of-13 shooting, while Roosevelt Johnson chipped in 20 points and eight
rebounds. Populist hit all four of his shot attempts, including three
3-pointers to register 13 points.
ULM used a 10-0 run midway through the second half to cut a 14-point
Southeastern lead to four at 47-43 with 9:39 remaining. A layup by Brown and a
pair of free throws by freshman Trey Lindsey narrowed the deficit to 50-47 with
6:54 remaining.
Fortenberry had 15 points in the first half and helped Southeastern
Louisiana to a 39-27 lead at the break. The Lions shot 56 percent from the
field in the half and made five 3-pointers.
After ULM scored the opening two points, Southeastern Louisiana
countered with a 13-2 run to take a 13-4 advantage with 14:06 remaining in the
first half. Fortenberry and Johnson each had four points during that stretch
for the Lions.
ULM answered by scoring nine straight points to cut the lead to 13-11,
capped by a jumper from Brown.
The Lions then scored 10 of the next 14 points in the game to build a
23-14 advantage with 7:20 remaining in the half. A Fortenberry 3-pointer gave
Southeastern Louisiana its largest lead of the half at 37-23 with just under
three minutes left before halftime.
The Warhawks will play their fifth game in 11 days at Mississippi State
Monday at 7 p.m.
