MONROE, La. – ULM rolled to a 19-0 run in the third quarter, Alayshia Hunter and Chelsea Tieuel combined for 31 points, and the Warhawks collected a 70-46 win over Dillard on Sunday in Fant-Ewing Coliseum's 500th women's basketball game.
The Warhawks now have a 318-182 (.636) record all-time in the only home they have ever known, also matching their win total with the local area code.
ULM (3-1) is up to its best start since the 2010-11 campaign, which also ended with a winning season. It was the first meeting between the two in-state programs since 1978.
Shantrell Lumar knocked one down from behind the arc to begin the second half and cut Dillard's deficit to 31-28. It was a total team effort for ULM from there, starting with Alayshia Hunter's two free-throws and layup to stretch the Warhawk lead.
Hunter ultimately had six more points in the midst of the 19-0 game-deciding run, and Aundrea Davis also added a three-pointer. Before the end of the period, Journee Beard notched her second three-pointer of the season and ULM went into the fourth leading 53-32.
The Lady Bleu Devils got within one as 7:23 remained until the break, but back-to-back three-pointers from Ashley Aune and Chelsea Tieuel in the same spot gave ULM a 31-23 lead with 3:54 to go in the first half, its largest of the game to that point. The Warhawks led 31-25 going into the intermission.
There was a dead-ball with 0.3 seconds left on the clock before the break. ULM inbounded the ball to Chelsea Tieuel just shy of the half-court line, but her swished attempt was called off before the final buzzer.
ULM had a 13-0 lead in bench points going into the second quarter media timeout, up 25-21 with 6:44 to go before the break. It ultimately ended the day with a 32-8 advantage in that department.
Inside (and beyond) the box score
-Only two players in the game registered three fouls. The two teams combined for 24 on the day. That marked the fewest since ULM and Arkansas State combined for 24 on Feb. 1, 2012.
-ULM has decreased its turnovers from 27 to 19 to 13 in its last three games.
-The 20 assists marked consecutive games the Warhawks have reached that mark, something they did twice all of last year.
-Dani Anderson made her collegiate debut, collecting a field goal and two rebounds in five minutes of play. She missed all of last season due to a preseason ACL injury and was out at the start of 2015-16 while recovering from another surgery.
-Aundrea Davis' five assists were a season-high and one off her career-best (McNeese State, 12/13/14).
-Daja Chase had 10 rebounds after posting a career-high 12 on Wednesday night. She had two double-digit rebound games all of last year, where she still finished in the Sun Belt's top-10 for conference games-only rebounding.
