Game 16: ULM (9-6, 2-1) vs. GEORGIA STATE (12-4, 3-0)
Saturday, Jan. 12 | 1 p.m. ET
Atlanta, Ga. | GSU Sports Arena (3,854)
ULM Basketball Notes: Game 16 vs. Georgia State
STORYLINE –
After suffering a 79-78 loss on a 3-pointer at the buzzer at Georgia Southern Thursday, ULM (9-6, 2-1) concludes its Sun Belt road swing at Georgia State (12-4, 3-0) on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 1 p.m. The Warhawks (.410/9.9 per game) and Panthers (.393/9.6 pg.) rank 1-2 in the league in 3-point field-goal shooting, respectively.
ULM's starting lineup features four double-figure scorers, in 6-foot-1 guard Daishon Smith (21.6 points per game; 44 3-pointers), 6-2 guard Michael Ertel (14.8 ppg.), 6-6 forward Travis Munnings (13.2 ppg., 6.8 rpg.), and 6-4 guard JD Williams (12.5 ppg.).
THE STARTING FIVE –
• At 9-6, ULM has matched its best 15-game start since the 2014-15 season. The Warhawks finished the 2014-15 campaign with an overall record of 24-14 and advanced to the finals of the 2015 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
• ULM is 7-1 this season when limiting its opponents to 69 points or less. The Warhawks have held four opponents to a field-goal percentage below 39 percent. Only three opponents (Ole Miss .524, LSU .525 and Little Rock .620) have managed to shoot better than 50 percent from the field against ULM.
The Warhawks also have made as many free throws (248) as their opponents have attempted (248) this season. Through the first 15 games, ULM has outscored its opponents, 248-163, from the free-throw line.
• ULM ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders in 3-point field-goal percentage (seventh at .410), free-throw percentage (eighth at .770) and 3-point field goals made (No. 26 at 9.9 per game). The Warhawks lead the Sun Belt in those three statistical categories: 3-point field-goal percentage, 3-point field goals made and free-throw percentage. ULM also ranks among the league leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 1.2), scoring margin (tied for third at +6.3 ppg.), scoring defense (fourth at 70.1 points per game), turnover margin (fourth at +2.3), scoring offense (sixth at 76.4 ppg.), field-goal percentage defense (sixth at .434) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (sixth at .330).
• ULM has compiled a 9-3 record with senior guard Daishon Smith in the starting lineup (sidelined for three games with a hamstring injury; DNP in road games at Texas, Michigan State and Tennessee Tech). Smith ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders in 3-point field-goal percentage (fifth at .506), 3-point field goals made (ninth at 3.67 per game) and scoring (No. 19 at 21.6 points per game). He leads the Sun Belt in four different statistical categories: scoring, 3-point field-goal percentage, 3-point field goals made and free-throw percentage (.871). Smith also ranks among the league leaders in field-goal percentage (fourth at .524), steals (fourth at 1.9 pg.), assist-to-turnover ratio (eighth at 1.4) and assists (10th at 3.2 pg.).
The Jacksonville, Florida, native has scored in double figures in 11 games, including seven 20-point outings. Smith has scored in double figures in eight-straight games, averaging 23.8 points during that span.
• ULM senior guard Daishon Smith, who averaged 33.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game while leading the Warhawks to a home sweep over Little Rock (97-84) and Arkansas State (85-75) to open Sun Belt Conference play, was named National Mid-Major Player of the Week by the Lou Henson Award and College Sports Madness.
The 6-foot-1 transfer from Wichita State shot 66 percent (21-of-32) from the field, including 70 percent (14-of-20) from 3-point range, and 91 percent (10-of-11) from the free-throw line.
Smith scored a career-high 42 points in ULM's 97-84 victory over Little Rock in the Sun Belt opener for both teams. He hit 14-of-19 field-goal attempts against the Trojans, including a school-record 10 3-pointers.
Smith netted a game-high 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc, in ULM's 85-75 win over Arkansas State.
THE LAST TIME OUT –
Georgia Southern 79, ULM 78 (Jan. 10, 2019, in Statesboro, Ga.): Quan Jackson buried a 3-pointer from the left wing at the buzzer to give Georgia Southern a 79-78 victory over ULM Thursday in Hanner Fieldhouse. The Eagles erased a 14-point second-half deficit by outscoring the Warhawks, 40-25, over the final 15:30.
The comeback also gave Mark Byington his 100th win in six seasons as head coach at Georgia Southern.
Daishon Smith's pull-up jumper to the right of the lane sparked a 13-4 run, and his steal and layup lifted ULM to a 21-11 lead with 12:35 left in the first half. Georgia Southern scored eight-straight points and pulled to within 21-19 as Tookie Brown's steal resulted in Calvin Wishart's layup with 9:29 to play in the opening half. The Warhawks outscored the Eagles, 10-2, over the next 3:34 and pushed their lead back to 10 at 31-21 on Andre Washington's rebound dunk with 5:35 remaining. ULM extended its lead to 13 at 37-24 on back-to-back 3s from Smith and JD Williams. The Eagles got a putback from Montae Glenn at the first-half horn to cut their deficit to 41-30 at the intermission.
ULM (9-6, 2-1 Sun Belt) got 18 first-half points from Michael Ertel, who made 7-of-10 field-goal attempts including 4-of-6 3-points. As a team, the Warhawks shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from the floor in the opening half, including 8-of-16 3-pointers.
Smith's three-point play gave ULM its largest lead at 53-39 with 15:43 remaining in the second half. Trailing 57-47, Georgia Southern put together a 15-6 run and cut its deficit to one at 63-62 as David-Lee Jones Jr. connected on a line-drive 3-pointer from the left wing with 7:00 on the clock. ULM pushed its lead to 72-67 on Smith's trey from the right corner with 3:43 left. The Eagles answered with an 8-2 spurt and took their first lead of the game at 75-74 on Brown's layup with 1:15 left. Georgia Southern had possession and a chance to extend its lead, but Smith converted a steal into a layup as ULM regained the lead 76-75 with 25 seconds to play. The Eagles tied the score at 76-76 as Wishart hit 1-of-2 free-throw attempts with 12 seconds on the clock. Smith calmly sank both ends of a one-and-one with 4.8 seconds remaining as ULM reclaimed the lead at 78-76. Following a timeout, Brown took the inbounds pass and raced to the middle of the lane before passing the ball to Jackson on the left wing for the game-winning 3.
Georgia Southern (10-6, 2-1) shot 53 percent (18-of-34) from the field in the second half, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range.
Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by Brown who netted 22 points with 16 coming in the second half. Isaiah Crawley produced a double-double with 17 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Georgia Southern also got 12 points from Jackson and 10 from Glenn.
Smith scored 17 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to pace the Warhawks. Ertel matched his career high with 22 points while Williams contributed 11 points.
GEORGIA STATE SCOUTING REPORT –
Georgia State (12-4 overall, 3-0 Sun Belt) has won five-straight games and seven of its last eight overall, with its only loss coming at No. 24 Kansas State (71-59). The Panthers opened Sun Belt play with road wins at UT Arlington (63-58) and Texas State (73-69) and posted an 89-76 victory over the Ragin' Cajuns Thursday night.
GSU's 12-4 start matches the second-best 16-game start in program history. The Panthers are ranked No. 20 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll (released Jan. 7).
GSU is seeking its third-straight Sun Belt regular-season title along with its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.
Georgia State's starting lineup features five double-figure scorers, in 6-foot-3 guard D'Marcus Simonds (18.8 points per game), 6-6 forward Malik Benlevi (12.9 ppg.), 6-4 guard Devin Mitchell (12.4 ppg.), 6-5 forward Jeff Thomas (11.4 ppg.) and 6-3 guard Kane Williams (10.4 ppg.).
Simonds, who was selected Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year, ranks among the league's Top 10 in minutes played (second at 35.5 mpg.), blocked shots (tied for third at 1.2 pg.) and scoring (seventh). He has scored in double figures in 15 games, including nine 20-point efforts. Simonds scored a team-high 21 points in Thursday's win over ULL. He ranks No. 18 among active NCAA Division I players with his 17.9 career scoring average (1,430 career points).
Benlevi is listed among the league leaders in four different statistical categories: blocked shots (tied for third at 1.2 pg.), 3-point field goals made (tied for fifth at 2.4 mpg.), rebounding (12th at 5.6 rpg.) and scoring (tied for 20th). He has scored in double figures in 12 games, including four 20-point outings. Benlevi hit 8-of-13 field-goal attempts, including 5-of-8 3-pointers, in a 22-point performance at Texas State.
Mitchell, who missed the first seven games of the 2018-19 season with an injury, has netted double figures in his last five games.
Thomas, who ranks tied for ninth in the Sun Belt while averaging 2.1 3-pointers per game, added 17 points against the Ragin' Cajuns, connecting on 5-of-9 3s.
Williams is listed among the conference's Top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 2.1), steals (third at 2.0 pg.) and assists (sixth at 3.8 pg.).
GSU ranks among the Sun Belt leaders in steals (first at 8.8 pg.), 3-point field-goal percentage (second at .393), 3-point field goals made (second at 9.6 mpg.), turnover margin (second at +3.1 pg.), blocked shots (second at 4.9 pg.), field-goal percentage (third at .471), scoring offense (fourth at 77.6 ppg.), scoring margin (fifth at +4.4 ppg.) and field-goal percentage defense (fifth at .428).
ULM/GEORGIA STATE SERIES NOTES –
Saturday's game marks the 15th meeting between ULM and Georgia State. The all-time series is tied, 7-7, but the Panthers have won seven of the last nine meetings. ULM has a 3-4 record in games played in Atlanta.
Last season, ULM won the only regular-season meeting, 90-82, in overtime in Atlanta.
THE LAST MEETING –
ULM 90, Georgia State 82 – overtime (Feb. 10, 2018): Sam McDaniel and Michael Ertel combined for 44 points to lead ULM to a 90-82 overtime victory at Georgia State, ending the Panthers' 10-game winning streak. It marked ULM's second overtime win in three days, as the Warhawks completed their first Sun Belt road sweep since February 2016.
ULM (11-12, 5-7 Sun Belt) put together a 9-0 run to take a 17-7 lead on a 3-pointer by Travis Munnings from the left corner with 12:07 left in the first half. Roderick Taylor scored a layup, off a terrific feed from Marvin Jean-Pierre, as the Warhawks moved out to a 14-point lead at 30-16 with 6:27 remaining in the opening half. ULM dominated the first 20 minutes and led 47-36 at the intermission.
McDaniel scored 15 first-half points, hitting 6-of-8 field-goal attempts including 3-of-5 three pointers. As a team, ULM shot 75 percent (18-of-24) from the floor in the first half, including 60 percent (9-of-15) from behind the 3-point arc, and outrebounded the Panthers, 15-10.
McDaniel's 3-pointer from the top of the circle gave ULM its largest lead at 57-41 with 16:40 left in the second half. The Warhawks matched their biggest lead at 60-44 as Jean-Pierre connected on a 3 from the top of the circle with 15:41 to play. A put-back by D'Marcus Simonds, off his own missed shot, sparked a 13-2 spurt as Georgia State (19-7, 10-3) cut its deficit to five at 62-57 on a jumper by Isaiah Williams from the left side of the lane with 9:17 remaining. ULM made just 1-of-8 field-goal attempts and committed two turnovers during that 6:24 stretch. The Panthers rallied to tie the score at 73 on Devin Mitchell's 3-pointer from the left wing with 42 seconds left in regulation. McDaniel buried a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 31 seconds on the clock to give the Warhawks a 76-73 lead, but Simonds answered five seconds later with a layup and made 1-of-2 free throws with 10 seconds remaining to tie the score at 76. Jordon Harris missed a potential game-winning layup with 1 second left.
ULM took the lead for good at 80-78 on Ertel's pull-up jumper in the lane with 3:38 to play in overtime. Ertel followed with a 3-pointer from the top of the circle as the Warhawks extended their lead to 83-78 with 3:15 on the clock. Harris delivered a 3 from the right wing as ULM built an 89-82 lead with 1:07 left in the extra session. The Warhawks hit 5-of-7 shots from the field in overtime, including 3-of-5 3-pointers, while outscoring Georgia State, 14-6. The Panthers went 2-of-8 from the floor in overtime, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range.
ULM improved to 7-0 on the season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, hitting 57 percent (34-of-60) against Georgia State, including 17-of-38 3-pointers (45 percent). The Warhawks featured a balanced scoring attack, as four players reached double figures. ULM also outrebounded the Panthers, 37-34.
McDaniel recorded his second double-double of the season and eighth of his career, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds. He connected on 9-of-14 field-goal attempts, including 5-of-10 from behind the 3-point arc. His nine field goals marked a career high.
Ertel, who scored eight of his 21 points in overtime, hit 8-of-13 shots from the floor, including 3-of-6 3-pointers. He also added five rebounds and a season-high six assists.
Munnings turned in another solid all-around performance with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 45 minutes while Harris came off the bench to match his season high with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3.
Jean-Pierre contributed nine points, five rebounds and a career-high eight assists.
Simonds paced Georgia State, setting career highs for points (39) and rebounds (12). He made 15-of-27 shots from the field and 8-of-12 free-throw attempts. Simonds scored 22 second-half points.
Jordan Session also posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, the Panthers got 11 points from Malik Benlevi and 10 from Isaiah Williams.
Smith Earns National, Sun Belt & LSWA Player of the Week Honors –
ULM senior guard Daishon Smith, who averaged 33.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game while leading the Warhawks to a home sweep over Little Rock (97-84) and Arkansas State (85-75) to open Sun Belt Conference play, was named National Mid-Major Player of the Week by the Lou Henson Award and College Sports Madness.
In addition, Smith was selected Player of the Week by the Louisiana Sports Writer's Association for his performances against Little Rock and A-State.
The 6-foot-1 transfer from Wichita State shot 66 percent (21-of-32) from the field, including 70 percent (14-of-20) from 3-point range, and 91 percent (10-of-11) from the free-throw line.
Smith scored a career-high 42 points in ULM's 97-84 victory over Little Rock Thursday in the Sun Belt opener for both teams. His 42 points are tied for the 12th-highest single-game total in NCAA Division I this season and tied for the eighth-highest single-game total in ULM history.
Smith hit 14-of-19 field-goal attempts against the Trojans, including 10-of-12 3-pointers. His 10 3-pointers set the school single-game record (previous: 9 by Larry Carr vs. UT Arlington, 1994) and fell just one shy of the Sun Belt record for a league game (Lamar's Keith Veney: 11 made vs. Little Rock, Feb. 11, 1993). In addition, Smith's 10 3s are tied for the fourth-best single-game total in NCAA Division I this season.
He scored 30 second-half points against Little Rock, hitting 10-of-11 shots from the floor including 8-of-9 from 3-point range.
Smith netted a game-high 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc, in ULM's 85-75 win over Arkansas State Saturday. He went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and recorded three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native also was chosen Sun Belt Player of the Week after averaging 26.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game while leading ULM to a 4-1 record in games played since Dec. 18. Smith hit 42-of-67 field-goal attempts (63 percent), including 20-of-35 3-pointers (57 percent), and 26-of-30 free-throw attempts (87 percent). He led the Warhawks in scoring in four of those five games, including four 20-point efforts.
Smith finished with a game-high 22 points at LSU, hitting 7-of-12 field-goal attempts including 2-of-5 3s, and matched his season-high with three steals. He turned in a solid all-around performance against Coppin State with 19 points, a career-high six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Smith connected on 8-of-10 shots from the field, including 3-of-4 3-pointers, en route to a game-high 23 points against Nicholls State.
DIALED IN FROM 3-POINT RANGE –
Three-point field goals have accounted for 39 percent of ULM's scoring (148 3-pointers made; 444 of 1,146 points) in 2018-19. The Warhawks have attempted at least 20 3-pointers in 11 of their first 15 games.
In 2017-18, ULM set a school single-season record with 288 3-pointers made (previous record: 287 made, 2006-07).
ULM TOUGH TO BEAT WHEN SHOOTING 50 PERCENT OR BETTER FROM THE FIELD –
ULM is 14-1 in its last 15 games when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, with its only loss coming in the 2017-18 regular-season finale against Arkansas State (.509). The Warhawks are a perfect 5-0 when hitting 50 percent or better from the floor in 2018-19, with wins over Millsaps (.516), Northwestern State (.509), Nicholls State (season-best .559), Coppin State (.500) and Little Rock (.556).
WARHAWKS REMAIN UNBEATEN IN FANT-EWING COLISEUM –
ULM is a perfect 7-0 at home this season, averaging 85.3 points per game while shooting 48 percent (192-of-400) from the field including 43 percent (77-of-181) from behind the 3-point arc. In addition, the Warhawks have limited their opponents to 66.7 points per game while shooting at a 43-percent clip (171-of-401) from the floor, including 36 percent (53-of-149) on 3-pointers. ULM also has a turnover margin of +6.6 per game at home.
The Warhawks have consistently gotten off to a quick start at home, outscoring their opponents by 80 points in the first half, 280-200. In its seven home games, ULM has trailed for 12:18 out of a possible 280 minutes.
RICHARD REACHES COACHING MILESTONES –
With an 80-63 victory over Coppin State on Dec. 21, Keith Richard reached two coaching milestones by recording his 100th win at ULM and his 250th career win.
2018-19 ULM STARTING LINEUPS –
Different Starting Combinations (5):
Ertel, Smith, Williams, Munnings, Washington: 9 (7-2)
Ertel, Smith, Williams, Munnings, T. White: 2 (1-1)
Ertel, Harris, Williams, Munnings, T. White: 2 (0-2)
Ertel, Smith, Harris, Munnings, Washington: 1 (1-0)
Ertel, Harris, Williams, Munnings, Washington: 1 (0-1)
2018-19 WARHAWK STATISTICAL TRENDS –
Games played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 7-0
Games played on the road: 2-6
Games played in November: 3-3
Games played in December: 4-2
Games played in January: 2-1
When leading at halftime: 8-2
When trailing at halftime: 1-4
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When shooting .500 or better from the field: 5-0
When shooting less than .500 from the field: 4-6
When opponent shoots .500 or better from the field: 2-2
When opponent shoots less than .500 from the floor: 7-4
When outrebounding opponent: 4-1
When outrebounded by opponent: 4-5
When rebounding totals are equal: 1-0
When hitting more free throws than opponent: 8-3
When hitting fewer free throws than opponent: 0-1
When hitting the same number of free throws as opponent: 1-2
When committing fewer turnovers than opponent: 8-1
When opponent commits fewer turnovers: 1-4
When turnover totals are equal: 0-1
When ULM scores 50-59 points: 0-2
When ULM scores 60-69 points: 0-2
When ULM scores 70-79 points: 3-2
When ULM scores 80-89 points: 3-0
When ULM scores 90-99 points: 3-0
When opponent scores 50-59 points: 3-0
When opponent scores 60-69 points: 4-1
When opponent scores 70-79 points: 1-2
When opponent scores 80-89 points: 1-3
When opponent scores 90-99 points: 0-0
Games decided by five points or less: 1-1
Games decided by 6-10 points: 2-2
Games decided by 11-19 points: 3-1
Games decided by 20 points or more: 3-2
Last five games: 3-2
Last 10 games: 7-3
Largest deficit overcome to win: 6 (6-0 vs. Little Rock, Jan. 3)
Largest lead surrendered in a loss: 14 (53-39 at Georgia Southern, Jan. 10)
