Daishon Smith fastbreak vs. Jackson State 2018
75
Winner UL-Monroe ULM 1-0
66
Jackson State JSU_M 0-1
Winner
UL-Monroe ULM
1-0
75
Final
66
Jackson State JSU_M
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UL-Monroe ULM 32 43 75
Jackson State JSU_M 36 30 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

ULM Opens 2018-19 Season with Road Win at Jackson State, 75-66

Three Warhawks scored in double figures, led by Daishon Smith who scored a career-high 24 points in his ULM debut.

JACKSON, Miss. – Daishon Smith scored a career-high 24 points and Jontray Harris netted 12 of his 15 points in the second half to lead ULM to a 75-66 victory at Jackson State Tuesday, Nov. 6 in the season opener for both teams. Smith, who sat out last season after transferring from Wichita State, hit 6-of-8 shots from the floor in his Warhawk debut, including 5-of-6 3-pointers.
 
ULM (1-0) won its season-opening game for the fourth time in the last five years.
 
There were five ties and four lead changes in the first half. Tyree White hit a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to spark an 11-2 run as ULM turned a one-point deficit into an eight-point lead at 25-17 on two free throws by Smith. Jackson State answered with an 8-1 spurt and tied the score at 28-28 on Chris Howell's trey from left wing. The Warhawks went scoreless the last 4:11 while the Tigers closed the first half on an 8-0 run to take a 36-32 lead at the intermission. Smith led all scorers with 12 first-half points but played only nine minutes as he accumulated three fouls.
 
Jackson State (0-1) matched its largest lead at 47-43 on a fast-break layup by Venji Wallis with 13:56 remaining in the second half. ULM responded by outscoring the Tigers, 18-4, over the next 5:50 to build a 10-point lead at 61-51 on a pair of free throws from Michael Ertel with 8:06 left. Jackson State pulled to within seven at 66-59 on a dunk from Jayveous McKinnis with 3:39 on the clock, but the Tigers failed to close the margin any further. Smith's three-point play with 1:19 left gave ULM its largest lead at 12, 73-61.
 
"Daishon Smith had it going there, especially in the first half, but he got into early foul trouble," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "I'm really proud of the way the other guys responded with him on the bench, and their collective efforts basically won the game. When Daishon reentered the game with six minutes left, those other guys had built a nine-point lead.
 
"The bottom line is: we did what we had to do and picked up a good road win. I don't think we played very smart in this game. We finished with 15 turnovers and committed a lot of foolish fouls. We didn't play with any poise in the first half. Our offense resembled chaos in the first half because Jackson State sped us up. But Jontray Harris made some big shots for us down the stretch in the second half. That's the beauty of this team: we have enough guys that somebody can step up on any given night and spur us on to victory."
 
The Warhawks shot 56 percent (15-of-27) from the field in the second half, including 7-of-13 from beyond the 3-point arc. Harris knocked down 4-of-6 3-point field-goal attempts in the second half. For the game, ULM outrebounded Jackson State, 36-32.
 
Ertel added 12 points while Travis Munnings contributed six points, a game-high 11 rebounds and a career-high eight assists.
 
"Travis Munnings took only five shots and scored six points, but I thought he played great," Richard said. "Jackson State doubled him every time he got the ball in the post, so it was hard for him to get open shots. Travis really played under control throughout this game. His eight assists tell you that he's become a really good all-around player."
 
Three Tigers also scored in double figures, led by McKinnis who connected on 8-of-11 field-goal attempts and finished with 16 points. Jackson State also got 15 points from Howell and 11 from Jontrell Walker.
 
ULM opens its regular-season home schedule against Millsaps College on Saturday, Nov. 10 at noon. Saturday is Military Appreciation Day, so retired and active military, who present a valid I.D., will receive two complimentary general admission tickets.

 
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