Boone, N.C. - The ULM women's basketball team opens its final road trip of the 2018-19 season on Thursday by visiting Appalachian State. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. CST from the Holmes Convocation Center.
ULM Game Notes
Thursday's game is the ninth all-time meeting between ULM and Appalachian State. The Warhawks and Mountaineers have met at least once per season since App State joined the Sun Belt Conference for the 2014-15 season. The teams had one prior non-conference meeting, won by App State 52-47 in Tampa, Fla., in 1996. App State won the first meeting this season 80-58 in Monroe on Feb. 2.
UT Arlington scored nine of the last 12 points of overtime to hold off ULM 60-56 on Saturday afternoon in Monroe, dropping ULM to 8-17 overall and 2-12 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Warhawks have now lost three straight games.
Junior guard
Lauren Fitch has given the Warhawks a much neeeded lift over the last four games. Fitch has scored in double-figures in four straight games, including 14 points for the second straight game on Saturday against UT Arlington. Fitch has reached double-figures in five of the last six games to improve her scoring average by more than a full point, from 8.5 to 9.6 points per game. Fitch is also stuffing the stat sheet, pulling in at least four rebounds in each of the last four games, and has come up with at least one steal in seven consecutive games.
Sophomore guard/forward
Whitney Goins is finding her shooting touch. Goins has scored in double-figures in three of the last four games, including a career-high 14 points two times, first against Georgia Southern and then again Saturday vs. UT Arlington. Goins has seven double-figure games on the season, with six coming in Sun Belt Conference play.
Sophomore guard
Arsula Clark continues to pace the Warhawks in scoring at 13.5 points per game and rebounding at 7.3 boards per contest. Clark just missed her fifth double-double of the season on Saturday, leading ULM with 16 points and nine rebounds. Clark has collected at least five rebounds in 17 of the last 18 games.
The Warhawks are playing their first road game since snapping a 25-game Sun Belt Conference road losing streak in an 80-62 win at Georgia Southern. ULM has never defeated Appalachian State.
Appalachian State sits at 13-12 overall and 7-7 in the Sun Belt Conference after picking up a 70-52 win at Georgia Southern on Saturday. The Mountaineers have gone 2-3 since defeating ULM 80-58 in Monroe just over three weeks ago.
Senior guard Madi Story leads the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game and is third on the team in rebounding at 4.5 rebounds per game. Story exited the game early on Feb. 16 at Coastal Carolina and did not play in either game last week. Story scored 16 points in the win at ULM on Feb. 2.
Sophomore guard Lainey Gosnell is the only other App State player averaging double figure scoring. Gosnell is averaging 10.3 points per game and is tied for fourth on the team in rebounding at 4.1 per game.
The Mountaineers have five other players averaging at least 6.0 points per game. Junior point guard Ashley Polacek is third on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game and leads the team in assists with 4.4 per game to rank second in the Sun Belt Conference. Junior forward/center Bayley Plummer is the top rebounder in the Sun Belt Conference, averaging 12.0 rebounds per game. Plummer also adds 7.4 points per game, and scored 16 points with 10 rebounds to pick up a double double on Feb. 2 at ULM.
Links to live video, audio and stats are available at ULMWarhawks.com.
