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ULM Opens Four-Game Homestand Against Grambling State

ULM Opens Four-Game Homestand Against Grambling State

Men's Basketball Dec 11
Game 8: Grambling State (4-5) vs. ULM (3-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 11 | 7 p.m.
Monroe, La. | Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000)
 
ULM Basketball Notes: Game 8 vs. Grambling State
 
STORYLINE: After five consecutive road games, ULM returns to Fant-Ewing Coliseum for the first time in more than a month to open a four-game homestand against Grambling State on Tuesday, Dec. 11 (7 p.m. tipoff). It marks the Warhawks' second home game of the season and their first since Nov. 10.
 
ULM's starting lineup features four double-figure scorers, in 6-foot-1 guard Daishon Smith (17.3 points per game; 16 3-pointers), 6-6 forward Travis Munnings (13.3 ppg., 7.6 rpg.), 6-4 guard JD Williams (12.7 ppg.), and 6-2 guard Michael Ertel (11.7).
 
THE STARTING FIVE –
• ULM's 2018-19 schedule features eight games against opponents that appeared in the 2018 postseason, including four NCAA Tournament participants (Texas, Michigan State, Stephen F. Austin and Georgia State) and two National Invitation Tournament participants (LSU and ULL). In total, ULM will play 10 games against opponents that won 20 or more games last season.
 
• Ninth-year ULM head coach Keith Richard welcomes back four lettermen, including double-figures scorers Travis Munnings and Michael Ertel, from last year's team that finished 16-16 overall, fifth in the Sun Belt (9-9) and participated in the CollegeInsiders.com Tournament. It marked ULM's third trip to postseason play in the last four years. Munnings, a preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year candidate, led ULM in scoring (15.9 points per game) and rebounding (7.3 per game) in 2017-18, while Ertel was named the conference's Freshman of the Year after ranking third on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game.
 
ULM's 2018-19 roster also features eight newcomers, including Wichita State transfer Daishon Smith.
 
• Three-point field goals have accounted for 35 percent of ULM's scoring (58 3-pointers made; 174 of 496 points) in 2018-19. The Warhawks have attempted at least 20 3-pointers in four of their first seven games.
 
In 2017-18, ULM set a school single-season record with 288 3-pointers made (previous record: 287 made, 2006-07).
 
• ULM leads the Sun Belt in 3-point field-goal percentage (.395) and ranks among the league leaders in
scoring defense (second at 68.1 points per game), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (second at .287), field-goal percentage defense (third at .407), free-throw percentage (fourth at .740), assist-to-turnover ratio (fourth at 1.0), 3-point field goals made (fifth at 8.3 per game) and scoring margin (sixth at +2.7 points per game).
 
• ULM is 11-1 in its last 12 games when shooting 50 percent or better from the field (dating back to the 2017-18 season), with its only loss came in the regular-season finale against Arkansas State (.509).
 
THE LAST TIME OUT –
Ole Miss 83, ULM 60 (Dec. 1, 2018, in Oxford, Miss.): Breein Tyree led a well-balanced scoring attack with 20 points to lead Ole Miss to an 83-60 non-conference victory over ULM at The Pavilion. Tyree hit 8-of-15 field-goal attempts, including 4-of-9 three pointers, as the Rebels never trailed while remaining unbeaten at home (4-0) this season.
Ole Miss (5-2) jumped out to a 7-0 lead as Dominik Olejniczak converted a hook shot in the lane and Tyree followed with a pull-up jumper inside the top of the circle and connected on a 3-pointer from the right wing. Blake Hinson buried a 3 from the right wing as the Rebels moved out to a 14-5 lead with 16:01 left in the first half. ULM (3-4) cut its deficit to 14-9 as Tyree White scored on a layup and JD Williams hit a 15-foot jumper from the right baseline. Ole Miss answered with a 10-2 run and built a 13-point advantage at 24-11 on Hinson's trey from the left wing with 11:31 to play in the opening half. A 3-pointer from the left wing by Williams sparked an 8-2 spurt and the Warhawks pulled to within 29-22 on Michael Ertel's pull-up jumper from the left baseline with 8:01 on the clock. The Rebels outscored ULM, 7-1, over the last 2:18 and took a 44-31 lead to the locker room.
 
Ole Miss shot 63 percent (17-of-27) from the field in the first half, including 6-of-14 from 3-point range, and outrebounded ULM, 19-9. Hinson netted 14 first-half points, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor including 3-of-4 3-pointers.
 
Travis Munnings hit a 3-pointer out of the left corner and followed with a 17-foot jumper from the left wing as ULM managed to cut its deficit to 11 at 61-50 with 11:10 remaining in the second half, but the Warhawks failed to close the margin any further. Ole Miss took its largest lead at 25 points, 77-52, as Terence Davis rebounded his own missed shot.
 
For the game, the Rebels shot 52 percent (33-of-63) from the floor, including 11-of-29 3-pointers. Ole Miss recorded 25 assists on 33 made field goals and outmuscled the Warhawks on the backboards, 41-24. ULM hit just 38 percent (20-of-52) of its field-goal attempts, including 7-of-21 from behind the 3-point arc.
 
Two other Rebels scored in double figures as Hinson finished with 17 points and Davis added 15.
 
Munnings paced ULM with 17 points while Williams contributed 12 points to go along with a career-high seven rebounds. Daishon Smith, who came into Saturday averaging 20.0 points per game, hit just 2-of-11 shots from the field and finished with a season-low nine points.
 
GRAMBLING STATE SCOUTING REPORT –
Grambling State, the preseason favorite to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference title, is off to a 4-5 start under second-year head coach Donte' Jackson, including a 1-4 record in road games. The Tigers won three of their first five games to open the season but have lost three of their last four, including a 70-45 setback at Central Florida last Saturday.
 
GSU's starting lineup features three double-figure scorers, in 6-foot-7 forward Dallas Polk-Hilliard (12.8 points per game), 6-3 guard Lasani Johnson (11.2 ppg.) and 6-0 guard Ivy Smith Jr. (10.0 ppg.). Johnson scored a career-high 30 points in the Tigers' 81-57 victory over Centenary, hitting 11-of-15 shots from the floor including 7-of-10 3-pointers. Smith, a preseason All-SWAC first-team selection, leads the league in assists (5.0 pg.) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.75).
 
Grambling State leads the SWAC in five different statistical categories: field-goal percentage (.464), field-goal percentage defense (.398), 3-point field-goal percentage (.402), rebound margin (+1.4 pg.) and blocked shots (4.56 pg.). In addition, the Tigers rank among the conference leaders in scoring offense (second at 74.7 ppg.), scoring defense (second at 71.7 ppg.), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (third at .316) and assists (third at 13.2 pg.).
 
ULM/GRAMBLING STATE SERIES NOTES –
Tuesday's game marks the 13th meeting between ULM and Grambling State. The Warhawks lead the all-time series 9-3, including a 7-1 record in games played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. ULM has won the last seven meetings, but four of those games have been decided by 10 points or less.
 
THE LAST MEETING –
ULM 59, Grambling State 57 (Dec. 12, 2017, in Monroe, La.): Jordon Harris took an inbounds pass from Brandon Newman, sprinted the length of the floor in 4.3 seconds to score the game-winning layup at the buzzer as ULM defeated Grambling State, 59-57, in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Warhawks snapped a two-game losing skid and extended their series winning streak to seven-straight games over Grambling State.
 
ULM (4-5) never trailed and led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but the Tigers went on a 29-16 run over the next 12:51 and tied the game at 57-57 on Devante Jackson's layup with 4.3 seconds left on the clock. The Warhawks called a 30-second timeout and head coach Keith Richard diagramed the game-winning play.
 
ULM scored the first 10 points of the game as Grambling State went scoreless for nearly seven minutes. The Warhawks built a 12-point lead at 14-2 on Sam McDaniel's jumper with 11:32 left in the first half. The Tigers responded with an 11-3 run and pulled to within 17-13 on Kareem Wright's three-pointer with 4:31 remaining in the opening half. The Warhawks scored 12 points off Grambling State's eight first-half turnovers and took a 24-18 lead to the locker room. ULM and Grambling State struggled offensively in the first half, as the two teams shot a combined 12-of-44 (.273) from the field, including 4-of-23 (.174) from three-point range.
 
The Warhawks opened the second half with a 7-2 spurt and took a 31-20 on a layup by Travis Munnings with 17:02 left. A three-pointer from Michael Ertel gave ULM its largest lead at 41-28 with 12:55 remaining. Grambling State answered with a 9-0 run and cut its deficit to 41-37 as Axel Mpoyo converted 1-of-2 free-throw attempts with 8:54 left. McDaniel drove the left baseline for a dunk with shot clock winding down to give ULM a 49-43 lead with 4:34 to play in regulation. Munnings buried a three-pointer out of the left corner as the Warhawks took a 55-49 lead with 2:18 remaining. The Tigers put together an 8-2 run and managed their only tie of the game at 57-57 on Jackson's layup.
 
Grambling State (3-7) shot 65 percent (13-of-20) from the floor in the second half, while ULM hit 52 percent (14-of-27) of its field-goal attempts.
 
Munnings (game-high 19 points) and McDaniel (17) combined to score 36 points. Munnings, who also collected a game-high eight rebounds, scored 15 second-half points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. McDaniel made 5-of-9 field-goal attempts after halftime and finished with 13 second-half points.
 
Three Tigers scored in double figures, led by Jackson who contributed 14 points off the bench. Grambling State also got 11 points from Ivy Smith Jr. and 10 from Mpoyo.
 
ULM PICKED FOURTH IN PRESEASON SUN BELT COACHES POLL –
Ninth-year ULM head coach Keith Richard welcomes back four lettermen from last year's team that finished 16-16 overall, tied for fifth in the Sun Belt (9-9) and participated in the CollegeInsiders.com Tournament. It marked ULM's third trip to postseason play in the last four years. The Warhawks, who were picked to finish 12th in the 2017-18 preseason poll, got off to a 1-6 start in conference play, but ULM won eight of its last 11 league games to climb into a tie for fifth place in the final standings.
 
Sun Belt head coaches have voted ULM to finish in a fourth-place tie with Troy (89 points each) in their preseason poll. Georgia State is the preseason favorite to win the league championship after receiving all 12 first-place votes and the maximum 144 points, followed by Georgia Southern and ULL, which tied for second with 125 points each.
 
"I really like this basketball team, especially our athleticism and versatility," Richard said. "Our expectations are high for the upcoming season, but with so many newcomers on the roster, I also understand it will take some time for this team to gel. Our goal is to steadily improve throughout the season, so that we're playing meaningful games in late February and early March. The only standings that truly matter are the ones at the end of the regular season."
 
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