HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – After a highly contested game that saw seven lead changes and eight ties, the ULM women's basketball team defeated No. 6 seed Troy 60-51 in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Summit Arena Saturday afternoon.
With the Trojans trailing by just one point 42-41 with 8:22 left to play, the Warhawks kept Troy scoreless for nearly four minutes while going on a 5-0 run to take a 47-41 lead with 5:57 remaining. Troy made a late 6-4 run to come within four 51-47, but ULM took a final 9-4 streak to seal the win.
The victory marks just the second for the Warhawks in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament in program history. ULM's lone other first round win came against Western Kentucky in the 2009 tournament when they defeated the Lady Toppers 71-62.
Three Warhawks scored in the double-digits as Larrie Williams led with a team-high 14 points in a 6-for-16 performance from the floor. Priscilla Mbiandja finished with 12 points and a team-high five assists while Elizabeth Torres collected 11 points and a team-high two steals. Torres also grabbed a career-high tying eight rebounds to lead ULM. As a team, ULM shot 32.8 percent from the field and outrebounded Troy by just four rebounds 48 to 44.
A back-and-forth battle continued from the first half to the second as Sannisha Williams sank a layup to knot the score 29-29 followed by a jumper by Troy's DeAngela Sword to put it ahead again 31-29 with 18:22 to play.
Three lead changes and two ties ensued over the next six minutes before two free throws and a layup by Jordan Rawson gave ULM (16-14) a 42-38 advantage with 11:28 remaining. A jumper and free throw by Sophie Kleeman inched the Trojans back to within one point 42-41 at the 8:22 mark.
Troy (5-25) sank the first basket of the game before ULM scored seven unanswered points to grab an early 7-2 lead at the 17:14 mark. The Trojans answered with a 7-2 spree of their own to force the first tie of the game 9-9 with 14:55 remaining in the half.
The Warhawks reclaimed the lead with a 5-2 run to take a 14-11 advantage before Tenia Manuel powered a 7-2 run with a put back, 3-pointer and two free throws to give Troy its first lead of the game 18-16 with 7:19 to play. Courtney responded immediately with a basket from downtown to retake the lead 19-18.
One more tie ensued until the Trojans grabbed an 8-4 streak to take its biggest lead of the half 29-25 with 40 seconds remaining before halftime. Sannisha Williams made the final layup of the half to put the Warhawks within two at the break 29-27.
Sword was the high-scorer for the Trojans with a game-high 16 points while Manuel scored the only double-double of the game with 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Donette McNair also grabbed 11 boards while Kleeman and Manuel had a team-high two assists. As a team, Troy shot 34.5 percent from the field.
ULM will now advance to the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Tournament where it will face East Division No. 2 seed FIU tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. on the Convention Center Court.
