Dallas, Texas – The ULM women's basketball team rallied from an early deficit to pull as close as two points, but SMU slowly built its lead in the second half and picked up a 49-38 season opening win over the Warhawks.
"Although we're obviously disappointed with the end result, we were really pleased with the grit and determination we played with for the entire 40 minutes," said head coach Jeff Dow. "Defensively, we were outstanding. To hold a talented team to 49 points and 35 percent from the field on their home court certainly speaks volumes about our effort. With their length, we knew they were going to try to pound it inside and put foul pressure on us, so it's encouraging to see that we were disciplined enough to hold them to 12 free throws for the game."
The Warhawks struggled at times on the offensive end, finishing with 26 turnovers and shot just 29.2% from the field.
"Their length and bulk gave us problems on the offensive end," Dow said. "We probably forced too many passes and attempted too many tough shots. I thought we were trying to do the right thing in terms of attacking the basket, but on several occasions we probably would have been better served had we kicked it out to get a better shot."
A pair of early buckets from Lauren Fitch gave ULM (0-1) a 4-3 lead in the first two minutes of the game. However, the Warhawks would not score for nearly seven minutes as SMU (1-0) mounted a 10-0 run to build a 13-4 advantage and a 15-8 lead after a quarter.
ULM chipped away at the lead in the second quarter, as they held the Mustangs scoreless for the first 5:30 of the quarter. The Warhawks closed within two at 15-13 on a layup by Arsula Clark. Again, SMU answered with a run of their own to build an eight-point lead, but Whitney Goins knocked down a three-pointer in the final minute of the half to bring the Warhawks within five at halftime, 23-18.
The Warhawks cut the deficit to three early in the second half on free throws by Jamie Means, but SMU rattled off six straight points to push the lead out to 29-20. A three ball from Destini Lunsford and a layup by Fitch pulled the Warhawks within four again at 29-25 with just over five minutes left in the frame. SMU used a 7-1 spurt to push the lead to double digits for the first time. A three-pointer from Ariana Whitfield gave the Mustangs a 39-29 lead to end the third quarter.
The Warhawks would get no closer than seven down the stretch on a Fitch lay-in with 6:45 to play to make it 41-34. SMU scored the next seven points to put the game away with the 49-38 win.
Fitch had 13 points to lead the way in her ULM debut while shooting an efficient 6-for-8 from the field. She was the only Warhawk to score in double figures. Fitch, Amber Thompson and Diamond Brooks shared the team lead in rebounding with six boards each.
The Warhawks shot 29.2% from the field as a team, and were 3-for-18 from three-point range at 16.7%. SMU had a slight edge in rebounding with 38 boards to ULM's 34.
"We were pleased with how well we battled on the boards," Dow said. "To be dead even on second chance points and have only two fewer offensive rebounds was encouraging given the size of their front line."
SMU was paced by Alicia Froling's double double, as she scored 19 points and pulled in 12 rebounds. Whitfield also found double figures with 10 points.
"They have a future pro in Alicia Froling, and she alone was probably the difference today," Dow said. "She's a very difficult player to match up with because she can score in so many ways."
The Warhawks are back on the floor Sunday when they visit Texas Tech for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock.
