Michael Ertel jumper vs. Stephen F. Austin 2018
Miles Jordan
58
Stephen F. Austin SFA 5-4
74
Winner ULM ULM 5-4
Stephen F. Austin SFA
5-4
58
Final
74
ULM ULM
5-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Stephen F. Austin SFA 27 31 58
ULM ULM 40 34 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Ertel, Williams Lead ULM to Impressive Win Over SFA, 74-58

MONROE, La. – Michael Ertel and JD Williams combined for 40 points to lead ULM to a 74-58 non-conference victory over Stephen F. Austin Saturday, Dec. 15 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Warhawks led from start to finish while remaining unbeaten at home (3-0) this season.
 
ULM (5-4) scored the first 11 points of the game and built its largest lead of the game at 23-5 as Williams finished the fast break with an emphatic dunk with 12:01 to play in the opening half. SFA (5-4) put together a 7-0 spurt to cut its deficit to 10 points at 31-21 on Davonte Fitzgerald's 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 4:56 remaining. Behind 16 first-half points from Ertel, the Warhawks enjoyed a 40-27 halftime lead.
 
ULM shot 48 percent (13-of-27) from the field in the first 20 minutes, including 7-of-17 from 3-point range, while the Lumberjacks went 9-of-33 (27 percent) from the floor, including just 2-of-9 3-pointers.
 
SFA outscored ULM, 11-3, over the first 4:10 of the second half to pull to within 43-38 on Fitzgerald's 18-foot jumper from just inside the top of the circle. The Lumberjacks closed the margin to four points at 50-46 on a 3-pointer by Shannon Bogues from the left wing with 11:15 left. Back-to-back 3s from Williams and Daishon Smith sparked a 6-0 run as ULM regained control at 61-49 with 7:59 remaining in the game.
 
"I'm really proud of our team," ULM head basketball coach Keith Richard said. "This is a great win for our team against a really talented team that's picked to win the Southland Conference. We needed to beat a good team to feel good about ourselves. It's an important win because I feel like we're a good team.
 
"We did a lot of good things this afternoon. Once again, we played tremendous defense in the first half. We probably lead the country in first-half defense right now. The team also did a nice job with Travis (Munnings) and Andre (Washington) on the bench with two fouls each in the first half. Those two guys didn't play very much in the first half, but yet we were able to build a 13-point halftime lead.
 
"The way SFA plays its man-to-man defense … really extending out into the passing lanes … it takes some north-south dribbling to score against them," Richard continued. "Daishon Smith and JD Williams both did a nice job penetrating the defense and kicking the ball back out to Mike for some open 3s. With the way Mike was shooting, Daishon and JD kept trying to finds ways to get the ball to him.
 
"We kind of had to grind our way through the second half. SFA has a good team, and we knew they were going to make a couple runs. They cut our lead to four with 11 minutes to go, but we responded and pushed the lead back out to nine. SFA had another spurt and got back to within six points, but bam, bam JD and Daishon hit back-to-back 3s to get the lead back out double digits. That's the sign of a good team … understanding the importance of that moment there. We made some key plays at a critical moment in the game. With a double-figure lead in the closing minutes, it turned into a different game because now we could spread the floor. I was really proud of the way our team responded with the game on the line."
 
Ertel hit 8-of-16 field-goal attempts, including 5-of-9 3-pointers, en route to a season-high 21 points. His five 3s represent a career high.
 
"Mike helped us get off to a great start," Richard said. "It was great to see him make some shots because he has struggled a little bit early this season. Obviously, Mike played a great first half. He put the ball on the ground, made some mid-range jumpers and knocked down some open 3s."
 
"We got off to a great start because we were able to get a lot of stops that helped us get out in transition," Ertel said. "We looked up at the scoreboard and all of a sudden we're up 18 points. Our defense led to offense because we got stops, which allowed us to get out and run.
 
"I had been struggling (scoring) the last four games, so it felt good to see the ball go in the basket early in the game. I made my first couple of shots and as a result felt really comfortable out there.
 
"We have a lot of experience on our team, so nobody freaked out when SFA made those second-half runs," Ertel continued. "We came together and showed a lot of composure. We didn't force anything offensively, and defensively, we strung together some stops and all of a sudden we had the lead back up to 12 again."
 
Williams scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half and collected a career-high nine rebounds.
 
"JD is just beginning to scratch the surface because I'm not sure he even realizes how good he can be," Richard said. "He's an elite, electric athlete, and you saw glimpses of that this afternoon. I didn't realize until I looked at the box score that he played all 40 minutes, but he played an excellent all-around game. JD made some important shots in the second half, drew some fouls on drives to the basket and grabbed some big rebounds.
 
"We're just trying to get him to play with his motor running all the time, so he can really showcase his athleticism. If JD consistently does that, our fans are going to see some unbelievable plays here over the next year and a half."
 
ULM also got 14 points and a career-best seven assists from Smith.
 
"It's all about Daishon Smith being healthy, and his hamstring is feeling much better," Richard said. "He's more than just a dangerous 3-point shooter. With his speed and quickness, Daishon makes a lot of plays off the dribble, getting fouled driving to the rim or creating for others. He passed the ball well today, especially finding Mike for open looks in the first half."
 
Three Lumberjacks scored in double figures, led by Bogues who finished with 18 points, followed by Kevon Harris who added 17 and Fitzgerald who tossed in 16.
 
ULM outscored SFA, 19-12, from the free-throw line, and after being outrebounded, 20-18, in the first half, the Warhawks finished even on the glass, with each team grabbing 35 boards.
 
"We went to the free-throw line 23 times this afternoon, and that's a good sign, especially since we don't have a consistent scorer in the post," Richard said. "But we have guards like Daishon and JD who can drive and it and get fouled. They both took advantage when we spread the floor in the second half and made frequent trips to the foul line.
 
"I'm really proud of our rebounding effort. SFA is a hard team to keep off the glass because they're so aggressive and their noses always point toward the rim. They had nine offensive rebounds at the half. We challenged our players to rebound with them, defend them and match their toughness. Our team was up to the challenge, and we held our own on the backboards."
 
ULM continues its four-game homestand against Nicholls State (5-5) on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.
 
ULM BASKETBALL: REMAINING HOLIDAY PROMOTIONS
 
Holiday Toy Drive: Tuesday, Dec. 18 vs. Nicholls State (7 p.m. tipoff)
Bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Dec. 18 game against Nicholls State and receive a free reserved seat ticket ($15 value). Donated toys will be distributed to children in the local community by the Salvation Army.
 
Buy One Get One Free: Friday, Dec. 21 vs. Coppin State (7 p.m. tipoff)
Purchase a courtside ($25), reserved seat ($15) or general admission ($10) ticket and receive a second one of the same value for free to the Dec. 21 game against Coppin State.
 
 
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