Game 23: GEORGIA SOUTHERN (14-9, 6-4 Sun Belt) vs. ULM (12-10, 5-5 Sun Belt)
Friday, Feb. 8 | 7 p.m.
Monroe, La. | Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000)
ULM Basketball Notes: Game 23 vs. Georgia Southern
Friday's Ticket Promotion: National Boy Scouts Day
Boy Scout members 18 and under will receive a free general admission ticket to the Feb. 8 game against Georgia Southern.
STORYLINE –
Fresh from its 82-76 victory over first-place Georgia State, ULM (12-10, 5-5 Sun Belt) welcomes Georgia Southern (14-9, 6-4) to Fant-Ewing Coliseum Friday at 7 p.m. The Warhawks trail the Eagles by one game in the current Sun Belt standings. ULM is 10-1 at home this season while averaging 84.1 points per game.
ULM's starting lineup features four double-figure scorers, in 6-foot-1 guard Daishon Smith (21.0 points per game; 68 3-pointers), 6-2 guard Michael Ertel (15.5 ppg., 49 3-pointers), 6-6 forward Travis Munnings (13.4 ppg., 7.4 rpg.) and 6-4 guard JD Williams (12.8 ppg.).
THE STARTING FIVE –
• ULM ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders in free-throw percentage (third at .789), 3-point field-goal percentage (14th at .395) and 3-point field goals made (21st at 9.9 per game).
The Warhawks lead the Sun Belt in 3-point field goals made per game and free-throw percentage. ULM also ranks among the league leaders in 3-point field-goal percentage (second), assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 1.2), scoring offense (fourth at 77.8 points per game), scoring margin (fourth at +4.1 ppg.), turnover margin (fifth at +1.2), scoring defense (sixth at 73.7 ppg.) and assists (sixth at 13.5 pg.).
• Three-point field goals have accounted for 38 percent of ULM's scoring (217 3-pointers made; 651 of 1,712 points) in 2018-19. The Warhawks have made double-digit 3-pointers in 11 games, including seven of their first 10 Sun Belt games. ULM is averaging a league-best 10.9 3-pointers per game in Sun Belt play.
The Warhawks tied the school single-game record with 17 3s in the 2019 conference opener against Little Rock. (ULM also made 17 3-pointers in a 90-82 overtime win at Georgia State on Feb. 10, 2018). ULM has attempted at least 20 3-pointers in 18 of their first 22 games.
In 2017-18, ULM set a school single-season record with 288 3-pointers made (previous record: 287 made, 2006-07).
• ULM is 8-1 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 six opponents (Ole Miss .524, LSU .525, Little Rock .620, South Alabama .527, Coastal Carolina .529 and Appalachian State .564) have managed to shoot better than 50 percent from the field against ULM.
Through the first 22 games, ULM has outscored its opponents, 377-260, from the free-throw line.
• ULM has compiled an 12-7 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 goals made (11th at 3.58 per game), free-throw percentage (13th at .900), 3-point field-goal percentage (28th at .433), scoring (31st at 21.0 points per game) and steals (38th at 2.11 pg.). He leads the Sun Belt in 3-point field goals made per game, 3-point field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage. Smith also ranks among the league leaders in scoring (tied for second), steals (third), assist-to-turnover ratio (fifth at 1.7), assists (sixth at 3.7 pg.), field-goal percentage (ninth at .460) and minutes played (ninth at 32.8 pg.).
The Jacksonville, Florida, native has scored in double figures in 18 games, including 10 20-point outings. Smith has scored in double figures in 15-straight games, averaging 22.0 points during that span. He is averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in Sun Belt play.
• With his offensive rebound with 1:17 left in the first half against the Ragin' Cajuns, ULM senior forward Travis Munnings became just the fourth player in school history to score at least 1,000 career points and collect at least 800 career rebounds.
Members of ULM's 1,000/800 Club include Calvin Natt (1975-79: 2,581 points and 1,285 rebounds), Henry Steele (1968-72: 1,933 points and 1,161 rebounds), Bill Snellings (1966-71: 1,215 points and 1,093 rebounds) and Munnings (2015-19: 1,487 points and 845 rebounds).
In addition, Munnings became the 20th player in Sun Belt history to reach the 800-rebound career milestone.
LOOSE BALLS –
Seven of ULM's last eight games have been decided by six points or less (3-4 record). ... ULM has led at the half in 14 of its 22 games and outscored its opponents, 811-732, in the first half this season. ... The Warhawks have made 20 or more free throws in nine games. ULM has shot better than 80 percent from the free-throw line in 12 of 22 games, including eight of its last 11 contests. …
ULM has outrebounded eight of its last nine opponents, and its +10 rebound margin (37-27) in Wednesday's 82-76 victory over Georgia State marked its second-largest edge of the season. ... ULM ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders in fewest fouls committed (No. 26 at 345). The Warhawks have been whistled for fewer fouls than their opponents in 16 of 22 games. … ULM ranks third in the Sun Belt in average home attendance (2,647 per game) and second in attendance for league home games (3,502 avg.).
THE LAST TIME OUT –
ULM 82, Georgia State 76 (Feb. 6, 2019, in Monroe, La.): With a meaningful 82-76 win over first-place Georgia State in the books Wednesday night, the ULM basketball team had one final order of business.
A happy band of Warhawks headed off the court and high-fived the student section along with fans seated courtside at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Travis Munnings even climbed over the rail to shake hands in the seats as he got up close and personal with some of the 2,391 in attendance.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for ULM (12-10, 5-5) and paid back a controversial road loss to the visiting Panthers last month. It wasn't easy, but the Warhawks closed out the game with a 9-3 run over the final two minutes for a statement win.
Daishon Smith scored 36 points with eight rebounds, seven assists, five 3-pointers and was 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. He was great late too, just when ULM needed him most.
Georgia State (16-7, 7-3) had just taken a 74-73 lead with 2:04 left in the game on a 3 by Jeff Thomas. The game featured seven times and eight lead changes.
Smith, who was animated throughout the night, hit back-to-back 3-pointers and was fouled on the second make. His 4-point play pushed ULM ahead 80-74 with 1:07 remaining.
After a missed layup and Munnings rebound, ULM played keep away until Georgia State fouled Michael Ertel and he hit a pair of free throws for an 82-74 advantage with 29 seconds left. The Panthers managed just one basket, a layup with 22 seconds remaining, while surrendering the lead.
Munnings, Ertel and JD Williams had 12 points each for the Warhawks. Munnings also had nine boards as ULM outrebounded Georgia State, 37-27.
ULM led 40-34 at halftime after shooting 48 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line. Smith led all scorers with 14 points while Williams added 10 in the half. Ertel and Andre Washington grabbed six first-half rebounds each.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN SCOUTING REPORT –
Georgia Southern (14-9) improved to 6-4 in the Sun Belt Conference standings with a 103-86 victory at the Ragin' Cajuns on Wednesday. The Eagles have won four of their last six league games.
Georgia Southern's starting lineup features four double-figure scorers, in 5-foot-11 guard Tookie Brown (17.2 ppg.), 6-4 guard Quan Jackson (16.0 points per game), 6-7 forward Isaiah Crawley (11.3 ppg., 5.7 rebounds per game) and 6-8 forward Montae Glenn (10.0 ppg., 7.4 rpg.).
Jackson has scored in double figures in 18 of 21 games, including seven 20-point efforts. He hit 4-of-6 3-pointers and finished with 23 points at ULL Wednesday. Jackson leads the Sun Belt and ranks No. 24 in NCAA Division in steals, averaging 2.2 per game.
Brown ranks eighth among active NCAA Division I players in scoring with 2,114 career points. He also ranks eighth among all-time leading scorers in Sun Belt history. Brown scored a season-high 32 points at the Ragin' Cajuns, hitting 9-of-16 field-goal attempts including 4-of-4 3-pointers, and matched his career-best with 10 rebounds.
Crawley has recorded four double-doubles, including three in league play.
Glenn ranks among the Sun Belt's Top 10 in offensive rebounds (first at 3.2 pg.), blocked shots (tied for seventh at 1.0 pg.) and rebounding (eighth).
Georgia Southern leads the Sun Belt in field-goal percentage (.499), scoring (84.3 ppg.) and steals (7.9 pg.). The Eagles also rank among the NCAA Division I leaders in both field-goal percentage (No. 5) and scoring (No. 14).
In addition, Georgia Southern is listed among the league leaders in scoring margin (second at +6.6 ppg.), turnover margin (second at +2.6 pg.), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (fourth at .332), rebound margin (sixth at +0.1 pg.) and blocked shots (sixth at 3.8 pg.).
ULM/GEORGIA SOUTHERN SERIES NOTES –
Friday's game marks the 21st meeting between ULM and Georgia Southern. The Warhawks lead the all-time series, 11-9, including a 6-2 record in games played in Monroe, La. The Eagles have won four of the last five meetings and seven of the last 10 games overall. Five of the last six games in the series have been decided by eight points or less.
THE LAST MEETING –
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 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 netted 22 points while Williams contributed 11 points.
WARHAWKS START 10-1 IN FANT-EWING COLISEUM –
ULM is 10-1 at home this season, including a 5-1 record in Sun Belt play, while averaging 84.1 points per game and shooting 47 percent (301-of-643) from the field including 40 percent (115-of-289) from behind the 3-point arc. In addition, the Warhawks have limited their opponents to 71.4 points per game while shooting at a 45-percent clip (287-of-642) from the floor, including 36 percent (85-of-235) on 3-pointers. ULM also has a turnover margin of +4.3 per game at home.
The Warhawks have frequently gotten off to quick starts at home, outscoring their opponents by 106 points in the first half, 438-332. In its 11 home games, ULM has trailed for 36:50 out of a possible 440 minutes. The Warhawks trailed Troy for 10:46 in the first half before taking a 31-27 lead at the intermission. Despite leading for just 8:27, South Alabama ended ULM's nine-game home winning streak, 78-72, thanks to a 12-6 run over the final 2:07.
MUNNINGS JOINS EXCLUSIVE 1,000/800 CLUB –
With his offensive rebound with 1:17 left in the first half against the Ragin' Cajuns, ULM senior forward Travis Munnings became just the fourth player in school history to score at least 1,000 career points and collect at least 800 career rebounds.
Members of ULM's 1,000/800 Club include Calvin Natt (1975-79: 2,581 points and 1,285 rebounds), Henry Steele (1968-72: 1,933 points and 1,161 rebounds), Bill Snellings (1966-71: 1,215 points and 1,093 rebounds) and Munnings (2015-19: 1,487 points and 845 rebounds).
In addition, Munnings became the 20th player in Sun Belt history to reach the 800-rebound career milestone.
DIALED IN FROM 3-POINT RANGE –
Three-point field goals have accounted for 38 percent of ULM's scoring (217 3-pointers made; 651 of 1,712 points) in 2018-19. The Warhawks have made double-digit 3-pointers in 11 games, including seven of their first 10 Sun Belt games. ULM is averaging a league-best 10.9 3-pointers per game in Sun Belt play.
The Warhawks tied the school single-game record with 17 3s in the 2019 conference opener against Little Rock. (ULM also made 17 3-pointers in a 90-82 overtime win at Georgia State on Feb. 10, 2018). ULM has attempted at least 20 3-pointers in 18 of their first 22 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 14-2 in its last 16 games when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, with its only losses coming at Appalachian State (.527) last Saturday and against Arkansas State (.509) in the 2017-18 regular-season finale. The Warhawks are 5-1 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) and a loss at Appalachian State (.527).
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.
WARHAWK STAT LEADERS –
Double-figure scoring games (74): Michael Ertel 18, Daishon Smith 18, JD Williams 16, Travis Munnings 14, Jontray Harris 3, Brandon Newman 2, Andre Washington 2, Tyree White 1. Opponents: 74.
20-point games (22): Daishon Smith 10, Michael Ertel 6, Travis Munnings 4, JD Williams 2. Opponents: 14.
30-point games (3): Daishon Smith 2, Travis Munnings 1. Opponents: 2.
40-point games (1): Daishon Smith 1. Opponents: None.
Double-figure rebounding games (7): Travis Munnings 3, Andre Washington 3, Jontray Harris 1. Opponents: 11.
Double-doubles (1): Travis Munnings 1. Opponents: 10.
Games leading ULM in scoring: Daishon Smith 11, Travis Munnings 6, Michael Ertel 4, JD Williams 2.
Games leading ULM in rebounding: Travis Munnings 12, Andre Washington 7, JD Williams 3, Jontray Harris 1, Tyree White 1.
Games leading ULM in assists: Daishon Smith 12, Michael Ertel 6, Travis Munnings 5, Brandon Newman 4, Jontray Harris 2, JD Williams 2.
2018-19 ULM STARTING LINEUPS –
Different Starting Combinations (5):
Ertel, Smith, Williams, Munnings, Washington: 15 (10-5)
Ertel, Smith, Williams, Munnings, T. White: 3 (1-2)
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: 10-1
Games played on the road: 2-9
Games played in November: 3-3
Games played in December: 4-2
Games played in January: 4-4
Games played in February: 1-1
When leading at halftime: 11-3
When trailing at halftime: 1-7
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When shooting .500 or better from the field: 5-1
When shooting less than .500 from the field: 7-9
When opponent shoots .500 or better from the field: 2-5
When opponent shoots less than .500 from the floor: 10-5
When outrebounding opponent: 7-4
When outrebounded by opponent: 4-6
When rebounding totals are equal: 1-0
When hitting more free throws than opponent: 10-5
When hitting fewer free throws than opponent: 1-3
When hitting the same number of free throws as opponent: 1-2
When committing fewer turnovers than opponent: 9-1
When opponent commits fewer turnovers: 3-8
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: 4-4
When ULM scores 80-89 points: 4-2
When ULM scores 90-99 points: 4-0
When opponent scores 50-59 points: 3-0
When opponent scores 60-69 points: 5-1
When opponent scores 70-79 points: 2-4
When opponent scores 80-89 points: 1-4
When opponent scores 90-99 points: 1-1
Games decided by five points or less: 2-3
Games decided by 6-10 points: 4-3
Games decided by 11-19 points: 3-2
Games decided by 20 points or more: 3-2
Last five games: 2-3
Last 10 games: 5-5
Largest deficit overcome to win: 6 (2x) (8-2 vs. Troy, Jan. 24); (6-0 vs. Little Rock, Jan. 3)
Largest lead surrendered in a loss: 14 (53-39 at Georgia Southern, Jan. 10)
