Daishon Smith 3-pointer vs Northwestern State 2018
Chris Reich / NSU Photo Services
80
Winner ULM ULM 3-3
52
Northwestern State NSU 2-5
Winner
ULM ULM
3-3
80
Final
52
Northwestern State NSU
2-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
ULM ULM 44 36 80
Northwestern State NSU 26 26 52

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Smith Returns to Lineup, Scores 26 as ULM Cruises Past NSU, 80-52

NATCHITOCHES, La. – Daishon Smith, who had missed ULM's last three games with a hamstring injury, returned to starting lineup Tuesday night (Nov. 27) and poured in a career-high 26 points to lead the Warhawks to an 80-52 victory at Northwestern State. Smith hit 8-of-13 3-point field-goal attempts, collected five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 28 minutes.
 
ULM (3-3) put together an 8-0 spurt early in the first half and took a 10-point lead at 17-7 as Tyree White made two free throws with 12:46 left. JD Williams buried a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to spark a 14-4 run as the Warhawks built a 38-19 lead on Michael Ertel's trey from the right corner with 4:04 to play in the opening half. ULM led by 18 points at the intermission, 44-26, behind Smith's 17 first-half points on 5-of-9 shooting from behind the 3-point arc.
 
"Daishon Smith had played only 35 minutes in the first two games of the season," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "He got into early foul trouble in the season opener at Jackson State and hurt his hamstring late in the first half against Millsaps College. So, Daishon hadn't played very much, but when he's on the floor, his shot-making ability changes the complexion of our team. His shooting spreads the floor and creates driving angles. So, it's nice to have him back in the lineup."
 
The Warhawks shot 56 percent (14-of-25) from the field in the first half, including 10-of-16 from 3-point range. ULM's bench outscored NSU's reserves, 14-2, in the first 20 minutes.
 
ULM broke the game open by outscoring NSU, 14-4, during a 5:36 stretch in the second half. Brandon Newman's steal and dunk pushed the Warhawks' lead to 30 at 64-34 with 11:47 remaining in the game. Another Newman dunk, this one off a steal by Williams, gave ULM its largest lead at 80-42 with 5:57 left on the clock.
 
Williams, who started the first five games of the season, came off the Warhawk bench to contribute 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a block and three steals in just 20 minutes. ULM also got 11 points and five assists from Jontray Harris. The Warhawks recorded 17 assists on 28 field goals made.
 
"The thing I'm proudest of tonight is how hard we played," Richard said. "We didn't play hard last Friday in Cookeville, Tennessee (a 79-73 loss to Tennessee Tech). We looked like two different basketball teams. After that game, I asked the players to make a pact from that point forward to never take the floor again without at least playing hard. Sometimes a bad loss can be a positive thing, and I hope it is for our team.
 
"JD Williams played extremely hard; harder than I've ever seen him play. He impacted the game tonight with his defense and it led to some transition baskets.
 
"Ball movement was a point of emphasis tonight," Richard continued. "The ball had been sticking too much, and we weren't sharing it like we should. We really worked on ball movement the last two days, in the film room and on the practice floor. We made the extra pass tonight many times, and it was pretty to see. We had 17 assists tonight, and we came in averaging 10 per game. That's the kind of ball movement that our team should have because we have enough guard play out there. If they'll continue to share the ball like they did tonight, we could have a different scoring leader on any given night. We have that capability."
 
LaTerrance Reed led NSU (2-5) with 14 points, followed by DeAndre Love who added 10.
 
The Demons shot 30 percent (19-of-64) from the floor against the Warhawks, including just 6-of-28 from 3-point distance.
 
"We learned a lot over the last week," Richard said. "It's difficult to win any game against Division I competition. We're beginning to build an identity as a team, and again, that's what the non-conference schedule is for. Sometimes you take a step backward in order to take two steps forward. We took a huge stop here tonight and we need to build upon it."
 
ULM concludes its five-game road swing at Ole Miss on Saturday, Dec. 1, with tipoff set for 1 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.
 
"Saturday's game at Ole Miss will be another test for us," Richard said. "I look forward to seeing how much progress we've made in the last week. I hope we can keep tonight's momentum going. Daishon got a little fatigued tonight, but we knew that was going to happen because he's been out so much. It's important for him to continue to improve his game conditioning.
 
"We're still a work in progress, but we're excited about the challenge of playing at Ole Miss."
 
Following Saturday's game at Ole Miss, ULM will play its next four games in Fant-Ewing Coliseum (Dec. 11 vs. Grambling State, Dec. 15 vs. Stephen F. Austin, Dec. 18 vs. Nicholls State and Dec. 21 vs. Coppin State) before completing its non-league schedule at LSU on Dec. 28.
 
 
 
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