LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Ronjanae DeGray and Keanna Keys combined for 39 points to lead Little Rock to a 57-37 victory over ULM Sunday, Dec. 31 as the Trojans' Joe Foley became the 12th head coach in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to reach 750 career wins.  
 
ULM put together a 5-0 run to take an 9-8 lead on Carissa Moody's 3-pointer with 3:04 left in the first quarter. Little Rock answered with 4-0 spurt to claim a 12-9 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.
 
The Warhawks tied the score at 14-14 on a 3-pointer by Gabriella Cortez from the left wing with 5:47 left in the second quarter. DeGray scored six points during a 10-2 run as Little Rock built a 24-16 lead with 3:05 remaining in the first half. Behind DeGray's 10 first-half points, the Trojans led 24-18 at the intermission.
 
Little Rock (5-8, 2-0 Sun Belt) shot 57 percent (8-of-14) from the field in the third quarter and extended its lead to 42-27. DeGray accounted for nine of the Trojans' 18 points in the third period.
 
ULM (3-10, 0-2) pulled to within 42-30 as Whitney Goins opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, but the Warhawks failed to close the margin any further.
 
Little Rock shot 43 percent (26-of-60) from the floor and outrebounded ULM, 47-25. The Trojans held a 16-2 edge on second-chance points.
 
"It's very frustrating (poor start in the third quarter) because we talked about it at halftime," ULM head basketball coach Jeff Dow said. "We're only down six (24-18) at the half, but we weren't ready to go in the second half.
 
"Overall, we played outstanding defense in the first half. We got some offensive rebounds but went 0-for-4 at the free-throw line, but we were still in a good position, trailing only by six.
 
"In the third quarter, we had our struggles offensively. We placed a big emphasis on how physical Little Rock plays defensively. They'll clutch, hold, and dislodge cutters, but it's not a foul if you don't finish as an offensive player. You can't expect every foul to be called.
 
"And it's human nature that if you struggle offensively, you have a tendency to let your guard down defensively," Dow continued. "We held Little Rock to 24 points in the first half, but they exploded for 18 points in the third quarter. There's a reason they're picked to finish second in the conference. Little Rock's length and athleticism wore us down on the boards.
 
"We competed defensively, and we need great effort on defense to win games. Defensively, our intensity and communication were pretty good. Clearly, we have to improve offensively."
 
DeGray made 11-of-19 field-goal attempts and finished with a career-best 23 points while Keys contributed a season-high 16 points.
 
Arsula Clark and Tan Walker scored eight points each to pace the Warhawks.
 
ULM opens its Sun Belt home schedule against Coastal Carolina on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 5 p.m., followed by a visit from Appalachian State on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 12 p.m.