SAN MARCOS, Texas – ULM held its opponent to just two field goals in the fourth quarter, but Texas State found a way out and defeated the Warhawks 63-57 inside Strahan Coliseum on Thursday night.
“I thought it was a great effort by our team for 40 minutes, you can't question that,” head coach Jeff Dow said. “I felt like we had some opportunities that we squandered away, but I felt like we had multiple chances to tie or take the lead.”
ULM (9-15, 3-12 SBC) trailed 52-43 with nine minutes to play, but chipped away for the next six minutes. Alayshia Hunter got to the line and made one of her shots to get her team within 57-56 at the 2:50 mark. The Bobcats got the point back, and Chelsea Tieuel sank one of her foul shots to keep it a 58-57 deficit with exactly two minutes to go.
Journee Beard's go-ahead three-point attempt just missed with 27 seconds left, and the Bobcats survived with four more free-throws down the stretch.
“We turned it over 20 times and we've struggled with giving up points off turnovers all season, and tonight was symbolic of that,” Dow said. “We battled and kept plugging away, but didn't finish shots around the rim we normally make.”
Chelsea Tieuel's three-pointer with 13 seconds left in the first half got ULM within 31-25, its smallest deficit of the quarter.
The Warhawks began the third quarter with an 8-2 run, helped by Ashley Aune's second triple of the game. The Bobcats chased with a few more points to keep their lead, but ULM rallied with back-to-back layups by Stephanie Ratliff and Aundrea Davis, the latter beating the shot clock. Tieuel came back on the next possession to sink a pair of free-throws, tying the game for the first time since it was 2-2.
“I'm concerned about Aundrea Davis,” Dow said about her fourth-quarter departure. “It's a little premature to know exactly where she is, but we have to prepare to finish the season without her. She had a terrific game if that ends up being her final one.”
Ratliff fought through a corner trap and found Aune on a wide-open cut for a layup, but Texas State scored four straight points to end the third quarter leading 50-43.
Texas State (12-12, 7-7 SBC) had 10 straight points after the Warhawks got the first two of the game.
ULM will next travel north on I-35 for a 5:30 p.m. Saturday contest at UT Arlington.
Inside (and beyond) the Box Score
-The Warhawks came into the game with eight wins in the last 10 head-to-head meetings with Texas State. The home team has won all six meetings since the Bobcats entered the Sun Belt in the 2013-14 season.
-Texas State was held without a field goal for the final 7:43 of regulation.
-ULM went 3-for-7 behind the arc in the first quarter after going 3-for-5 in the fourth quarter on Saturday.
-ULM's 47 rebounds were its most since having the same amount against South Alabama (Jan. 23). The plus-16 margin was its best since being plus-17 at Georgia Southern last year (Feb. 7, 2015).
-Eight three-pointers fell for the Warhawks, the second time in four games. That had happened just twice all season until then.
-Aundrea Davis tied a career-high of 15 points (Nov. 15 at LSU).
-Daja Chase's 13 rebounds tied a career-high previously set against LSU-Alexandria (Dec. 19).
-Ashley Aune had three steals, giving her 12 in the last five games. She had 12 all year until that stretch.
-Alayshia Hunter's 11 rebounds were one off a season-high (at McNeese State, Dec. 16). She also tied a career-high with three assists (fifth time in career).
-Chelsea Tieuel tied a career-high of 36 minutes (Jan. 9 at Little Rock). She dished out four assists, tying a career-high set twice previously.
