MONROE, La. – The Warhawks got 20 points out of Alayshia Hunter and were tied with nine minutes left, but resiliency by the UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns got the best of ULM in a 71-52 loss that served as the first Sun Belt game of the season for the entire league.
“One of the things we did in the locker room at halftime was challenge [our players],” head coach Jeff Dow said. “We were losing in all three of the categories that coaches call toughness points. That's points in the paint, off turnovers, and second-chance points.”
Daja Chase had one of the most impressive two-minute spans any player could have, all after the Warhawks fell behind 36-28 at the break. A short- and long-range two-pointer paired with three rebounds cut ULL's momentum to begin the second half. Chelsea Tieuel then hit both of her technical foul free-throws to bring the Warhawks to within two, 36-34, with 6:52 left in the third.
ULM (4-2, 0-1 SBC) tied it a few more times in the third quarter, once on a jumper by Aundrea Davis at the elbow that got a friendly roll and a layup by Hunter. The Warhawks trailed 48-43 late in that period before Chase hit both free-throws at the end of the period and Hunter and Journee Beard added three more points to tie the game with 9:08 to play.
The Warhawks had just seven fewer rebounds than the Ragin' Cajuns, but six of those came on the offensive glass.
“I don't really remember, in my experience, being beat 20-3 in second-chance points,” Dow said. “They are not a big team, but they are very athletic. Their three guards are arguably, as a group, the best in the Sun Belt Conference. They have two seniors and a junior, and some of our youth just struggled a little bit with the speed of the game.”
The Ragin' Cajuns (5-1, 1-0 SBC) opened the second quarter with 11 straight points and a 17-2 run before Alayshia Hunter laid one in to keep it a 21-17 game.
ULM closed the gap from its original 27-17 deficit, its largest of the first half. Chelsea Tieuel's three-pointer from NBA range was called off due to an illegal screen and would have cut the Ragin' Cajun lead to 33-31 with 34 seconds left before halftime. Jaylyn Gordon hit a three-pointer at the buzzer on the ensuing possession to finish the six-point swing and give ULL a 36-28 lead at intermission.
It was a 15-10 ULM lead after the first quarter.
The Warhawks will hit the road Friday afternoon for a 2 p.m. Saturday contest at TCU.
Inside (and beyond) the Box Score
--The road team has won the last five games in the intrastate rivalry.
--ULM was held to single-digit offensive rebounds for the first time in 11 games dating back to last year.
--Alayshia Hunter has scored 18 points in all but one game on the year. She also tied a season-high of nine rebounds.
--Chelsea Tieuel added two more steals. She entered the night second in the league and now has 17 on the year, three short of what she had all of 2014-15.
--Tieuel has made 12 of her last 14 free-throw attempts (85.8 percent).
