MONROE, La. – The ULM women's basketball team shot 39 percent (17-of-44) from the field and committed 25 turnovers in a 70-48 loss to Northwestern State on Sunday, Dec. 3 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Lady Demons parlayed those turnovers into 25 points.
 
ULM opened the scoring on a layup by Arsula Clark 17 seconds into the game, but Northwestern State scored the next eight points. The Warhawks struggled offensively in the first quarter, hitting just 29 percent (4-of-14) from the floor including 0-for-3 from three-point range, and trailed 12-9 after the first 10 minutes. ULM went 5:08 without a field goal in the first quarter.
 
NSU (4-3) put together an 11-3 run to open the second quarter and took an 11-point lead at 23-12 on a layup by Jasmyn Johnson with 5:02 left. ULM responded with a 6-2 spurt and cut its deficit to 25-18 as Tan Walker converted 1-of-2 free throws with 3:17 to play in the first half. The Lady Demons took a double-digit lead into the locker room at 31-21, thanks to a layup by Leah Barnes with 4 seconds left in the second quarter. Johnson and Libba Gilliam (nine points each) combined to score 18 first-half points.
 
The Lady Demons broke the game open with a 15-2 spurt in the third quarter. Nautica Grant's third three-pointer during the decisive run gave NSU its largest lead at 50-27. ULM scored the last nine points of the third quarter and pulled to within 50-36 on a jumper by Breanna Stephens. The Warhawks hit 6-of-12 field-goal attempts (.500) in the third quarter but eight turnovers hindered the comeback bid.
 
ULM (2-4) cut its deficit to 12 at 50-38 on a layup by Diamond Brooks with 9:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, but NSU answered with an 11-3 run to push the lead back to 20 at 61-41 on Gilliam's jumper with 5:20 left in the game.
 
"It was a disappointing effort all the way around," ULM head coach Jeff Dow said. "We committed 25 turnovers this afternoon, so they continue to be a problem. It's no coincidence that the final margin nearly matches Northwestern State's points off turnovers. Some of the turnovers are inexcusable because we made bad decisions or put our teammates in poor positions to receive the ball.
 
"Defensively, we allowed Northwestern State to shoot 47 percent from the field. Give Northwestern State a lot of credit because it shot better than 40 percent in all four quarters. The players moved the ball and really shared it well. On a lot of possessions, we played well for about 20 seconds, then we'd have some type of breakdown or miscommunication and allow a layup or wide open three.
 
"I understand our youth and inexperience sometime lead to up-and-down effort, but we're a better team than that. We're gaining tons of experience during our non-conference schedule, and we'll continue to stress improving offensively, defensively and rebounding."
 
Ten different ULM players scored, but Clark became the only Warhawk to reach double figures with 12 points. Clark also led the team with six boards as the Warhawks outrebounded NSU, 31-30.
 
"Arsula Clark is a proactive, aggressive offensive player," Dow said. "She can make a lot of plays off the dribble. It's hard to live with five turnovers, but she can drive and create foul pressure on the defense."
 
The Lady Demons placed four players in double digits, led by Gilliam who finished with a game-high 14 points.
 
ULM will take an extended break for final exams before returning to action on Monday, Dec. 11 at Louisiana Tech (6:30 p.m. tipoff).