COLLEGE STATION, Texas - ULM once again put up a good showing against a
ranked opponent, but it was not enough as No. 25 Texas A&M pulled away late for
a 67-54 victory Saturday inside Reed Arena.
Senior guard Hugh Mingo had his best game of the season with 21 points,
nine rebounds and five assists for the Warhawks. Mingo finished 9-of-12 from
the field and hit both of his 3-point attempts in the game. He finished as the
only ULM player in double digits scoring.
The Warhawks (1-8) battled back from an 11-point halftime deficit to tie
the score at 43-all with just over 14 minutes remaining in the game. It marked
the third time this season that ULM has either led or been tied with a team in one
of the power six conferences.
The Aggies (8-1) answered with an 11-0 run to take the lead for good at
54-43 with 8:08 to play. The Warhawks got to within as close as five (54-49) on
a layup from senior Fabio Ribeiro with 5:42 remaining before Chris Middleton
took over for the Aggies.
Middleton, who was playing in just his second game of the season due to
injury, paced Texas A&M with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He scored eight
points in the final five and a half minutes - including a pair of 3-pointers - that
kept Texas A&M comfortably in control.
ULM and Texas A&M each with finished with 22 made baskets and five
3-pointers with the difference coming at the free-throw line. The Aggies made
18-of-23 from the charity stripe while ULM made it to the line just five times.
Senior guard Fred Brown failed to score in double figures for the first
time in seven games as he finished with seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.
Ribeiro contributed six points and seven rebounds, while freshman forward Trey
Lindsey hit a pair of 3-pointer for six points.
ULM opened the second half on fire, hitting five of its first seven
shots, to cut the Texas A&M lead to 43-41 with 15:52 to play. A pair of
free throws from Ribeiro on the next possession tied the score with 14:51
remaining.
The Aggies scored the final four points of the first half, including a
three-point play by Middleton in the final seconds, to build a 38-27 advantage
at the break. Texas A&M came into the game giving up an average of just
16.7 points in the first half at home.
ULM hosts Nicholls State Monday at 7 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
The Warhawks defeated the Colonels 86-65 for their only victory of the season
two weeks ago.
