MONROE, La. – ULM used a balanced attack, with four players reaching double figures, to pick up the program's 300th win inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum in a 92-52 victory over Louisiana College on Monday evening.
The Warhawks move to 1-1 on the season with the win, while the Wildcats fall to 0-1.
Both Ashleigh Simmons and Sharnice Brooks had 16 points for ULM to lead the team in scoring. The 16 points were a career-high for Brooks, who went 7-of-10 from the field. They were joined in double figures by Jasmine Shaw (12) and Alayshia Hunter (11).
Brooks also led the Warhawks with nine rebounds, falling just one board shy of her first career double-double. Alexar Tugler added eight boards and Simmons added another seven.
The primary difference in the game came inside the paint, where ULM's major height advantage led to a 62-6 point differential. ULM also held a 22-9 advantage in second-chance points.
“This was definitely a confidence booster for the team,” Simmons said. “We knew coming into this game that we would have the advantage as far as height goes, and it's given us great confidence heading into the game with Southeastern Louisiana on Friday.”
ULM shot very well from the field, draining 38 of their 79 shots (48.1 percent) on the night. The charity stripe was also kind to the squad, who connected on 14-of-20 (70.0 percent) of their opportunities. The Warhawks also racked up 64 total rebounds, including 27 offensive boards.
For the Wildcats, Neka Jones led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Karylon Thornton (nine) was the only other player with more than five points for Louisiana College.
ULM's stifling defense held the Wildcats to just 15-of-69 (21.7 percent) on the night; they made just six of their 31 (19.4 percent) in the second half.
The Warhawks came firing out of the gates, opening the matchup on a 10-1 run to open a substantial early lead on the Wildcats. Simmons keyed the run with four points, while Shaw knocked down her lone three-pointer of the night. Danisha Allison finally stopped the run with a jumper at the 16:20 mark, but the initial damage had already been done by ULM.
Louisiana College tried to claw back over the next several minutes, cutting the lead to just six on two different occasions, but ULM slammed the door on the brief comeback attempt with a strong 19-6 run that spanned 10 minutes in the middle of the half. The scoring came in a very balanced manner for the Warhawks, with eight players contributing points to open up a formidable 34-15 advantage with 6:40 remaining.
Again the Wildcats attempted a comeback, slashing the lead to 38-24 after a Baylie Butler three-pointer at the 3:32 mark, but ULM stood strong and responded with a 9-2 run to close out the half, boosted by five points during the span from Hunter. The Warhawks took the 47-26 lead into the halftime break.
Louisiana College closed it to within 20 just once during the second half after a jumper from Skylar Chenevert made it 49-30 with 18:53 remaining. The Warhawk defense buckled down as the offense hit shot after shot, going on a 12-0 run over the ensuing two minutes to quell any hope of a Wildcat comeback.
ULM will be back in action for the back end of a two-game homestand on Friday night, Nov. 15, as the squad hosts Southeastern Louisiana at 7:00 p.m. The Warhawks hold an 18-11 advantage in the all-time series against the Lady Lions, but dropped the last meeting, 52-47, in a Southland Conference tournament matchup on Feb. 16, 2006.
