FORT WORTH, Texas – Four ULM players scored in double figures, led by Sam McDaniel who matched his career high with 21 points, but the Warhawks came up short in their bid to upset TCU, falling 83-73, in the season opener for both teams. TCU returns its top six scorers, including all five starters, from last year's team which claimed the 2017 National Invitation Tournament Championship.
 
The first half featured two ties and four lead changes. The Warhawks jumped out to an early 6-2 lead on back-to-back three-pointers from Travis Munnings and Jordon Harris. TCU put together a 7-0 run midway through the first half and took a seven-point lead at 23-16 on a layup by Kenrich Williams. ULM responded with an 8-1 spurt and tied the score at 30-all, as Harris buried a three-pointer from the deep left corner with 2:50 left in the first half. Trailing 34-30, the Warhawks again answered and regained the lead at 35-34, thanks to another trey from Harris and steal and assist by McDaniel that led to a fast-break dunk by Marvin Jean-Pierre with 57 seconds left in the first half. TCU took the momentum in to the locker room as Jaylen Fisher hit a runner in the lane at the first-half buzzer and gave the Horned Frogs a 38-35 advantage.
 
Early in the second half, TCU extended its lead to eight at 48-40 on JD Miller's layup. ULM pulled to within 49-47 on Jean-Pierre's rebound dunk with 16:06 left. Thanks to an 8-0 run, the Frogs built their first double-digit lead at 57-47 on a Fisher three-pointer. TCU led by as many as 11 points in the second half, but back-to-back baskets by Harris sparked an 8-0 run and the Warhawks managed cut their deficit to 76-71 on a jumper by McDaniel with 3:00 to play. The Frogs closed out the game with a 7-2 spurt.
 
"We played very well for 37 minutes against a Top 35 team, but we didn't finish well the last three minutes," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "We had a layup blocked at the rim that led to a transition basket at the other end. We gave up some layups and turned the ball over; we just didn't close well. It was a 5-point game with 2:08 left. With all that said, I'm pleased by a lot of things I saw tonight.
 
"We went with our returning players down the stretch to try and finish it out. Those returning guys gained some valuable experience late in the game."
 
ULM remained within striking distance, thanks to its three-point shooting (12-of-27). The Warhawks made twice as many threes as the Horned Frogs.
 
"At times, we executed well offensively," Richard said. "In the second half, I really wanted more of a push. I called far too many plays in the second half. I wanted to create more opportunities from the flow of the game. As our game conditioning improves, we'll look to push the ball throughout the game."
 
McDaniel, who scored 18 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, was joined by double-figure scorers Harris (16), Munnings (13) and Jean-Pierre (12). McDaniel also matched his career best with three steals, while Munnings grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
 
"Sam played very, very well," Richard said. "That's what we need from him if we're going to become a good team. Whether he comes off the bench or starts, we need that consistent production.
 
"Jordon made some big shots for us, and Travis did his normal things tonight. He's a gritty guy who plays hard. He rebounds and gets trash baskets. We've come to expect that from him."
 
Five different TCU players reached double figures in scoring, paced by Preseason All-Big 12 selection Vladimir Brodziansky, who netted a team-high 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. Williams nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. As a team, TCU hit nearly 50 percent (30-of-61) from the floor and outrebounded the Warhawks, 40-35.
 
"This wasn't a bad way to start the season," Richard said. "The game really turned in about a one-minute span. Our guys had no quit. We'll need that balanced scoring throughout the season. I really liked the way our guys competed. We gave up only nine offensive rebounds to a long, athletic front line. TCU shot a pretty good percentage tonight, so there weren't a ton of opportunities, but our guys really battled on the glass.
 
"Our newcomers got some great experience playing in this game because every possession counted, and the importance of each possession was magnified. We can talk about these situations in practice, but a young player doesn't fully understand until he's in it."
 
ULM completes its season-opening two-game road trip Sunday at SMU, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. on ESPN3.
 
"Sunday is another chance to become better," Richard said. "I felt like this team improved a lot during the preseason, but more importantly, we proved it to ourselves tonight."