MONROE, La. – The ULM women's basketball team struggled with turnovers and were unable to put together a run in a 65-52 loss to Southeastern Louisiana Sunday afternoon at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
"I thought Southeastern played really well," head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "I thought we played well at times. We've got to limit our turnovers. We've got to go back to work and put our players in a better situation to score."
The Warhawks picked up a pair of strong performances in the loss. Senior Amber Thompson stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 15 points while tracking down seven rebounds, dishing out four assists and blocking two shots.
"Amber had another game with a lot of poise and confidence," Williams said. "She played a lot of minutes. Amber is getting better every single day. Her maturity is showing. I thought she handled their pressure well. She attacked their pressure well. She's becoming our go-to kid. I thought she did a great job of playing multiple positions, defending their better players, and did an all-around good job on both ends."
Junior Kierra Crockett narrowly missed her first career double-double, scoring 14 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
"Kierra just brings so much to the floor," Williams said. "She gets a touch on almost every rebound. She brings athleticism and length. Kierra will continue to grow and get better as she continues to step on the floor. We've only had her for three games."
The first half was tightly contested, with neither team leading by more than SLU's five-point halftime advantage. The game featured 11 lead changes and seven ties, all in the first 20 minutes of action.
ULM led 10-7 with 4:05 left in the first quarter on a 3-pointer by Thompson. After five straight points by SLU put the Lady Lions up 12-10, sophomore Sheniqua Coatney connected on a hook shot from the left block to tie the game. Moments later, Thompson drove the lane, drawing in the defense, and found Crockett open on a cut to the basket for a layup and the 14-12 lead after a quarter.
In the second quarter, SLU battled back to take an 18-17 lead. Freshman Gara Beth Self finished a jumper in the lane to put the Warhawks back up 19-18, but SLU regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Alexius Horne, marking the seventh and final lead change of the game, to go up 21-19 with 4:18 left in the half. Thompson tied the game at 21 on a jumper with 3:26 left in the quarter, but it was the last time the game was tied. Hailey Giaratano hit a 3-pointer for SLU to put the Lady Lions on top for good at 24-21 with 2:42 left before the break. SLU led 28-23 at halftime.
The Warhawks would never be closer than the five-point halftime deficit in the second half. SLU stretched the lead to nine at 36-27 early in the third quarter. ULM would hold the Lady Lions scoreless for the next 4:57, but the Warhawks mustered just four points in that span to cut the gap to five at 36-31. SLU rebuilt the lead to 42-34 at the end of the quarter.
In the final frame, the Warhawk offense picked up its pace at times, but ULM couldn't string together a run. Crockett opened the quarter with back-to-back buckets, but SLU answered each one with baskets by Charliee Dugas. Free throws by Morgan Carrier stretched the lead to double digits for the first time at 48-38 with 6:55 remaining. A layup by Crockett kept ULM within 10 with 5:45 left, but five straight points by SLU, including a 3-pointer by Carrier, pushed the lead out to 15 at 55-40. SLU led by as much as 17 down the stretch before picking up the 65-52 win.
ULM shot 40.4% (19-of-47) from the field, 38.5% (5-of-13) from 3-point range and 69.2% (9-of-13) from the free throw line. Southeastern Louisiana finished 38.2% (21-of-55) from the floor, 42.1% (8-of-19) from 3, and 78.9% (15-of-19) at the free throw line. ULM outrebounded SLU 36-29, but the Warhawks committed 23 turnovers to 14 for SLU. The Lady Lions also dominated bench play, getting 43 of their 65 points off the bench, while ULM had 12 bench points.
"We just need to go back to work," Williams said. "We'll look at film, get better and go back to work."
The Warhawks are off until 2 p.m. Sunday when they visit McNeese State. Links to live video, audio and stats are available at ULMWarhawks.com.
