CONWAY, Ark. - Ashleigh Simmons recorded her first double-double of the season, but ULM dropped a heartbreaker inside the Farris Center in Conway, Ark., on Saturday afternoon, falling 63-56 to Central Arkansas in overtime.
Simmons had the 11th double-double of her career with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Alexar Tugler also added 13 points and
Sharnice Brooks joined the duo in double figures with 10. Brooks also posted six rebounds, while
Christina Gray added five of her own.
Brianna Mullins of Central Arkansas led all scorers with 17 points, Courtney Duever had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds and Micah Rice scored 14 points. Brittany Agee also added seven rebounds for the Sugar Bears.
For the game, the Warhawks were 22-of-57 (38.6 percent) from the field and 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from the charity stripe. The Sugar Bears shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) in the contest, including 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) from behind the arc, and were 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from the free throw line.
The two sides traded leads early.
Elexar Tugler knocked down a jumper to give ULM its first points of the game and a 2-0 lead, but Central Arkansas responded with a three-pointer by Mullins. The lead would change hands three times in the next minute before an
Alexar Tugler shot from behind the arc at 16:50 gave ULM a two-possession lead, 9-5.
The Warhawks held onto that lead as they swapped baskets with the Sugar Bears over the next three minutes. Back-to-back three-point plays by Central Arkansas brought them right back into the game, however, as they grabbed a 15-13 advantage after Mullins knocked down a jumper and the ensuing free throw with 13:19 on the clock.
Those two three-point plays were part of a larger 11-0 run by the Sugar Bears, who emerged with a 20-13 lead before
Elexar Tugler snapped the streak with a jumper at the 10:28 mark.
Central Arkansas would cling to that narrow lead for much of the rest of the half, but the Warhawks jumped back out in front with a pair of free throws from
Alexar Tugler. The senior drained the pair of shots with just nine seconds remaining in the half, giving ULM a 31-29 lead heading into the locker room.
Much like the beginning of the first half, both sides exchanged the lead early in the second. Rice hit a three to open the period, but
Jasmine Shaw quickly answered with a jumper to retake a 33-32 lead. Another three from Rice made it 35-33, but Brooks got inside for the Warhawks to tie things up at 35-35 with 17:54 remaining.
Maggie Proffitt helped the Sugar Bears to continue their hot shooting with yet another three, but ULM came back to tie it again at 38 with another shot from Brooks. The game would remain within one possession until the 4:35 mark, when Proffitt drained another jumper to give Central Arkansas a 49-45 advantage.
The Warhawks refused to go away, however. The squad clawed its way back into the matchup and tied things up at 51-51 with 33 seconds remaining on a free throw by Shaw. ULM had a chance to win on a desperation shot at the end of regulation, but Shaw's attempt sailed over the backboard and sent the game into overtime.
Elexar Tugler opened the extra period in a big way for ULM, connecting on a three-pointer just five seconds into the frame to put the Warhawks up, 54-51. Duever responded with a three-point play for the Sugar Bears to knot things up once again, and a jumper by Rice with 2:25 left made it 56-54 in favor of Central Arkansas.
Despite a strong effort down the stretch, the Warhawks could not close the gap and dropped the final 63-56 decision.
The Warhawks will face a short turnaround as they head to Oxford, Miss., on Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. to face Ole Miss. ULM is 2-12 all-time against the Lady Rebels, but it will be the first meeting between the two teams since Ole Miss earned a 90-49 victory on Dec. 15, 1995.
