MONROE, La. -- ULM
(4-15, 2-8) led by as many as 17 on Saturday afternoon against Troy (3-16, 0-10)
on its way to the 79-74 victory. The Trojans got as close as two points in the
second half but could not complete the comeback.
ULM used a season-high 79 points to take its fourth straight from Troy in the series. Its
previous high was 75 at Troy on Jan. 10.
The 48 points in the first half was most of any half this season for ULM.
Jasmine Shaw led ULM with 19 points while Ashleigh Simmons
scored 17 points and Alexar Tugler chipped in 10. Joanna harden led all scorers
with 28 points while Ashley Beverly-Kelley finished with 20 points.
Troy led 8-4 at the arrival of the first media timeout with
15:53 on the clock. Dominique Ross converted a three-point play to give the
Trojans an 11-4 advantage.
Jae Shin and Christina Gray combined for a quick five points
to pull within one, 13-12, forcing Troy to take a timeout. A fast break layup
from Shaw tied the game at 18-18 with 11:31 left before the break.
Shin gave ULM the lead, 21-18, with her second triple of the
day at the 11-minute mark. The Warhawks used a 12-0 run to stretch lead to 33-20
with 6:38 on the clock.
Troy, one of the better offensive teams in the country, went
on six-minute field goal drought allowing ULM to gain a comfortable lead.
At halftime, the Warhawks led 48-33. ULM's first half output
was the highest total in any half this season. Shaw finished the first half
with 13 points and five rebounds while Gray collected nine points and six
rebounds. Harden led all scorers with 14 points for the Trojans.
Simmons opened the second half strong with four quick points
to give the Warhawks a 54-39 lead at the 17-minute mark.
Harden converted a three-point play at the 12-minute mark to
bring Troy within eight, 56-48.
Alayshia Hunter ended a five-minute field goal drought at
the 10:34 mark, making it 58-50. The Trojans trailed 61-57, powered by a 16-4
run, with 8:35 remaining. Alexar Tugler stemmed the Troy comeback with a
three-point play at the seven-minute mark. ULM used to a 12-2 run to extend lead
to 73-61 with four minutes left in the contest. The Warhawks cruised to its 50th
all-time Sun Belt victory, 79-74.
ULM will make its Florida swing beginning on Jan. 30 at
Florida Atlantic.
Coach Martin Quotes
"I knew they were going to come into today ready to play and
get a win. They have lost so many close games but when they are on they can be
very good. They only have two seniors on their team so they could be special in
the future."
"We had some fast breaks where we did not make good
decisions. I was upset with our defense in the second half. I took a timeout to
try to get us to regroup. I am always worried with our team because we need to
learn how to win."
"We need to keep playing like we did in the first half if we
are going to want to win in Florida. Today was a step in the right direction
and we need to keep building."
