ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La.  – It would have been hard for ULM to top its buzzer-beating win on Saturday, but Thursday night's win could have done so. The Warhawks rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat second-place Troy 77-73 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Alayshia Hunter played just eight minutes and had two points as the teams headed into halftime. The senior then went off, scoring 14 in the fourth quarter alone. That number also included a 4-for-4 free-throw mark in the final 26 seconds.

“I was cold and rusty [going into halftime],” Hunter said. “These past few games I've been missing a quarter because I've picked up two fouls too fast. I knew in the second half I had to show up and be there for my teammates.”

The Trojans (10-6, 5-2 SBC) got their largest lead of the game, 61-50, when Rachel Reid hit both her foul shots with 8:55 to play. While Hunter did come back with a layup and two free-throws to get ULM to within seven, Troy kept its advantage until Hunter found the bottom of the net again at the 4:23 point to tie the game for the first time since the first quarter.

“Trailing by 11 in the fourth quarter, it was obviously toughness all-around,” ULM head coach Jeff Dow said. “The biggest category, a stat we have struggled with in games we've gotten beat in, is points off turnovers. That's a big part of Troy's game plan, whoever the play. Typically they will have a sizeable advantage because of their pressing and up-tempo.

“I just thought if we could keep it close in that particular category, and we ended up dead-even, we would have a chance.”

The Warhawks outscored Troy 27-14 in the game's final stanza.

ULM's first lead since the first quarter came when Chelsea Tieuel nailed a three-pointer in front of her team's bench with 2:25 remaining, one of five on the night for the sophomore.

Just 21 seconds later, Troy's ArJae' Saunders tied it back up at 70. Hunter was credited with a turnover on the ensuing possession, but ULM's defense remained intact and it was her show from there. Hunter's layup with 42 seconds left put ULM back up 72-70, and it preluded her four perfect attempts from the charity stripe.

“She played the entire second half, and a game like this with as up-tempo as it was, it's not easy for post players,” Dow said of Hunter. “She had a huge second half with a terrific effort from the free-throw line.”

Hunter got a lot of credit for the fourth quarter, but Dow was full of praise for his team's effort from tip-off until the final buzzer.

“Aundrea Davis played 38 minutes under that kind of pressure and took five charges,” he said. “That's not on the stat sheet, but we keep track of that. Daja [Chase] had 16 points and nine rebounds in all 40 minutes. Chelsea [Tieuel] had 20 in 21 minutes, and [Stephanie] Ratliff had two blocks in the first half that gave us a life. Emery [Wilson] was 2-for-3 from the field and Journee [Beard] gave us 12 minutes, three assists, no turnovers and a three-pointer.”

The Warhawks (8-8, 2-5 SBC) put forth one of their best sequences of the season as soon as the game started, taking a 13-8 lead with 6:22 to play in that opening period. Troy, which scored 112 in its previous game, took a 28-20 lead at the first intermission after Caitlyn Ramirez knocked down three free-throw attempts in the last second.

ULM will look to get a third consecutive win on Saturday at 2 p.m. when South Alabama comes to town.

Inside (and beyond) the Box Score

-ULM shot 47.5 percent from the field. It matched the contest against Dillard (Nov. 22) and trailed only the season opener against Louisiana College (49.3 percent).

-The Warhawks outscored the Trojans 38-26 in the paint, including a 14-4 margin in the final period.

-ULM trailed 43-36 at Georgia Southern on Saturday with seven minutes left before rallying to that win.

-Hunter's 14 points in the final quarter were the most by a Warhawk this year. She now has 900 in her career.

-Hunter came into the night third in the Sun Belt in overall scoring (16.5 ppg). She posted her sixth 20-point outing of the year.

-Chase's 16 points were a career-high. The sophomore has played all but eight minutes the last four games.

-Tieuel's seven made shots matched the career-high she had on Saturday. Her five triples also tied a personal-best (5-for-7 at Southeastern Louisiana, Nov. 29).

-Davis' 38 minutes were a season-high.