BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Career-highs by Elizabeth Torres and
Alexar Tugler were not enough to overcome a 22-point deficit at halftime as the
ULM women's basketball team fell to Western Kentucky in E.A. Diddle Arena
Saturday afternoon 80-71 in Sun Belt Conference play.
Torres scored 15 points in the second half to total 20
points after going 7-for-14 from the field including a 3 for 6 performance from
3-point range while also having four assists. Tugler scored 14 points going
4-for-9 from the field and a perfect 3 for 3 from the charity stripe while also having a career-high tying five rebounds.
Larrie Williams was the only other Warhawk to score double-digits
with 16 points while Priscilla Mbiandja and Sannisha Wiliams each grabbed a
team-high six rebounds.
ULM (12-12, 6-5 SBC) struggled both offensively and
defensively in the first half, shooting just 24.1 percent from the field while
being outrebounded 22-17. In the second half, the Warhawks improved to 45.7
percent for 35.9 percent for the game.
After trailing 46-24 at halftime, ULM mounted a 15-6 spree capped
by a Tugler basket from downtown to start the second half which quickly
sliced Western Kentucky's lead 53-39 with 15:47 remaining.
Western Kentucky (10-13, 7-4 SBC) took a 10-4 run to extend
its lead 63-43 with 11:04 to play. The Warhawks immediately responded with its
biggest streak of the game 17-7 including a 10-0 run on the strength of 10
points by Torres to cut the deficit to 70-60 at the 5:16 mark.
Another short 6-3 run brought the Warhawks within six points
for its narrowest disadvantage since the 12:53 mark in the first half, 73-67,
with just under three minutes to play. The Lady Toppers held off ULM with a
final 7-4 run to end the game with an 80-71 win.
In the second half, ULM outscored Western Kentucky 47-33. ULM also dominated off the second chance 14-5
and deep in the lineup with 18 points off the bench to 12.
Western Kentucky made three-straight layups to begin the
first half until a basket by Mbiandja and a Sannisha Williams free throw put
ULM on the board to cut the lead in half 6-3 with 17:14 to play. The Lady Toppers
answered with an 11-5 run to go up 17-8 at the 12:22 mark.
Baskets by Kassie Courtney and Ashleigh Simmons cut the lead
to 23-13 before the Lady Toppers exploded with a 16-0 spree including a 4-for-4
performance from the long range to take a commanding 39-13 advantage with 3:57 remaining
before the break.
A 3-pointer by Tugler sparked an 11-8 run for ULM to end the first half trailing 46-24.
Arnika Brown had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds
to lead the Lady Toppers while Amy McNear contributed 17 points and 10 asssists
for the only other double-double of the evening. Janae Howard had a game-high
24 points. As a team, Western Kentucky shot 45.3 percent from the field.
ULM will return to Monroe
for a two-game homestand next week, first facing Arkansas State Thursday in
ULM's Pink Zone game to raise breast cancer awareness at 5:30 p.m. followed by
a televised match-up against UALR Sunday at 5 p.m. on the Sun Belt Network.
