MONROE, La. -- Cold
shooting cost ULM in a 68-39 loss to Southern on Thursday evening inside
Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
The Jaguars used a strong defensive performance to limit the
Warhawks to 25 percent (12-of-48) shooting for the game. Southern shot 44.4 percent (24-of-54) for
the game and made 7 of 20 shots from 3-point range.
Junior forward Jayon
James recorded his second straight double-double with 11 points and a
team-best 11 rebounds, while junior guard R.J.
McCray led all Warhawks with 13 points. Sophomore forward Trey Lindsey matched his career-high with six rebounds off the
bench for ULM.
Derick Beltran
scored a game-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting to lead Southern, while Malcolm Miller came off the bench to
provide 16 points and seven rebounds.
ULM made just 5 of 22 shots (22.7 percent) in the second
half as Southern outscored the Warhawks 36-18 after halftime.
Southern capitalized on a double technical foul by ULM head
coach Keith Richard with four free
throws to take a 51-34 advantage with 9 minutes remaining that sparked a 21-5
run to end the game. The Warhawks did not score a basket over the final eight
minutes of regulation.
ULM and Southern went back and forth with big runs in the
first half. The Warhawks used a 13-2 run
to take a 19-14 lead with just over eight minutes left in the first half. McCray fueled the run with a 3-pointer from
the top of the key and a steal and fast-break dunk on the next Southern
possession. James capped the run with a
layup with 8:23 remaining in the opening half.
Southern responded with an 18-2 run of its own to end the
half. The Jaguars held the Warhawks without
a field goal for the final eight minutes of the first half to take a 32-21 lead
into the locker room.
The Jaguars extended their lead to 19 with a 13-5 run to
start the second half, capped by a layup from Miller with 13:54 to play. The
Warhawks got as close as 13 at 47-34 on a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Trent Mackey, but could not get any
closer.
ULM travels to Tallahassee, Fla., to face Florida State on
Monday (Dec. 17) at 6 p.m. CT. The game will
be broadcast on ESPN3.com.
