THE MATCHUP
Teams: ULM (6-10, 0-3 SBC)
Georgia State (8-7, 1-2 SBC)
Location: Fant-Ewing Coliseum/ Monroe, La.
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
LIVE AUDIO (Warhawk Radio Network)
LIVE STATS (http://www.statbroadcast.com)
Live Video (Warhawks All-Access)
MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team opens its home slate of Sun Belt Conference action on Saturday when the Warhawks welcome in Georgia State to Fant-Ewing Coliseum at 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon's game will be available on the Warhawk Radio Network and on Warhawks All-Access. The Warhawks enter the tilt with a 6-10 mark, coming off of a close, 69-60 decision last Saturday against the Ragin Cajuns, while Georgia State is 8-7, coming off of a three-point loss on Monday night at home against Troy when they fell 80-77.
NOTABLES
Last Time Out: ULM could not overcome a 12-point halftime deficit on Saturday night as they fell to the Ragin Cajuns 69-60 inside the Cajundome.
Head-to-Head: The Warhawks and Panthers meet on Saturday for just the 12th time in program history. The all-time series has been all about winning streaks, as the Warhawks opened with five straight wins in the head-to-head series followed quickly by five straight by Georgia State. ULM currently holds a one game winning streak in the series. The Warhawks are 4-2 all-time at home against Georgia State and hold a slim 6-5 advantage overall in the series as the Warhawks used a 22-point performance from Majok Deng and 11 assists dished out by Nick Coppola in route to a 91-78 victory on Senior Day last year.
SBC Home Openers: The Warhawks are playing their 11th time in a SBC home opener and have won five of the prior 10 times in their Sun Belt Conference home opener. During that stretch they have won the Sun Belt Conference home openers each of the last three seasons.
Assist Mark: Senior Nick Coppola currently sits with 486 assists over his three-plus seasons with the Warhawks. He is just 14 assists away from becoming just the sixth active NCAA Division I player to have 1,000 points and 500 assists in his career. He eclipsed the 1,000-point mark earlier this season when he scored a season-high 23 points against Jacksonville State on December 10.
Sun Belt Leaders: Following the January 9 slate of SBC games, senior Nick Coppola is currently third in the SBC with 4.8 assists per game while he also sits in first with an 3.5 assist to turnover ratio. Coppola also leads the conference with 35.8 minutes per game so far this year. Marvin Jean-Pierre sits in sixth in the conference with his 54.7 field goal percentage. Travis Munnings is currently second in the conference averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. In conference-only games, sophomore Travis Munnings is eighth in points per game with 16.3. Sam McDaniel currently is third in SBC games averaging 38.3 minutes per game while Coppola is fifth averaging 37.3 minutes per game.
Protecting Home Court: The Warhawks have continued their strong play at home winning their 18th in a row on December 28th against Grambling. The home win streak of 18 straight ranks in a tie for sixth in the country and is fourth longest between schools outside of the power five. The Warhawks are now 32-4 over their last two and half seasons inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Scouting the Panthers: Georgia State is led by Jeremy Hollowell with 15.1 points per game this season as the lone Panther to start every game. On the glass, redshirt senior Willie Clayton leads the way with 8.1 rebounds per game is in his first season after transferring in from Charlotte, where he played his previous three seasons for the 49ers.
UP NEXT
-Following Saturday's contest, the Warhawks continue their two-game homestand when they welcome Georgia Southern to Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Monday. Tip of next Monday night's game will be at 7:00 p.m..
