CIT Notebook: Fans Turn Out in Droves to Support ULM Basketball; Local DJ Had Students Hyped

Men's Basketball Mar 24

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist

MONROE, La. – If you thought Fant-Ewing Coliseum was rocking even more than usual last week, you were right.

A season-high crowd of 5,742 turned out to watch ULM's 87-77 win over Kent State in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. By far, the Lou Henson Classic attendance figure the was the largest in all the CIT first-round games and gave the Warhawks a competitive advantage, particularly midway through the second half when local promoter and former radio personality B.J. Bell whipped the student section into a frenzy.

"Using the platform that I have here in this community and the love for ULM, I was out to support the Warhawks in the tournament, and it was a nice crowd for the home team," Bell said. "But I didn't think our great student section was loud enough, so I spoke with Patti Thurmon and her assistants to see what we can do to get them involved in the second half. I just did what I am known for doing and that is using my talents to START THE PARTY! I think our fans made the difference in the second half and our players fed off their energy."

Indeed, Kent State coach Rob Senderoff voiced his respect to ULM fans for giving their team a jolt when it mattered most. The energy in the building was rising during a 16-2 run in the second half that broke open a close game.

"Our guys fought, but these (postseason tournament) games are sometimes hard," Senderoff said in his postgame remarks. "They had a great crowd, were excited. They made some 3s and it went from there."

The postseason continues this week as ULM (19-15) earned a second-round bye as a top-three seed and will host a CIT quarterfinal game on Thursday at 7 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.

Even before the announcement, ULM coach Keith Richard was lobbying Interim Athletics Director Scott McDonald for another chance to host while conducting his postgame radio interview.

"This is kind of fun," ULM coach Keith Richard quipped when McDonald came over. "Why go on the road when we could do this for a while?"

Around the CIT, Marshall drew 3,725 for its first-round win over IUPU while St. Francis College Brooklyn at Hampton attracted 3,124. Green Bay at East Tennessee State (2,817) and Grambling State at UT Rio Grande Valley (2,071) were other top attended games.

ULM's growing support is an extension of the connection the team has made with their community this season. Players routinely make victory laps to high-five fans and have even gone into the stands to shake hands.

"The fans were super loud and we feed off of their energy," said ULM senior forward Travis Munnings, who scored 28 points with nine rebounds and four assists against Kent State. "It was nice. We're really thankful for them to come out and support us and take their time out. For us to go over and give them a lap showed how much we appreciate them. We're doing this for them and coming out here every night trying to put on a show."

Fans have gone home happy and entertained from ULM games this year. The Warhawks improved to 14-2 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum while averaging better than 85 points per game. ULM has trailed for just 86:59 out of a possible 640 minutes at home this season.

"We've got a winning team that is fun to watch," ULM fan John Patrick said. "Richard has the most postseason wins in ULM history."

The 14 home wins are tied for the second most in Fant-Ewing Coliseum history (sixth time since the facility opened prior to the 1971-72 season). The Warhawks posted a single-season record 15 home-court victories in 1978-79 (15-1).

Meanwhile, Bell said he's coming back to hype up the crowd again.

"That is the big question that everybody is asking and my answer is 'OF COURSE!'" Bell said. "This time we will be in full effect the ENTIRE game and we are asking our fans and the community to come out in FULL FORCE because our players need it and more importantly they DESERVE IT! As an award-winning radio on-air personality from Monroe, Louisiana, I will do my best to help get more excitement at the Nest!"

Top seeds: Along with ULM, Marshall (20-14) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (22-12) were installed as the other top seeds in the CIT and get a bye into the quarterfinals.

Marshall is scheduled to host the winner of Sunday's Presbyterian (19-15)/Robert Morris (18-16) game on Tuesday, March 26.

The other three quarterfinal matchups, including ULM's game, are Thursday, March 28.

Munnings stacking the stats: The senior set a school record when he played in his 133rd game against Kent State, one more than former point guard Nick Coppola.

A four-year letter winner at ULM, Munnings is moving up the all-time charts in numerous categories. With 1,700 points, he ranks sixth in career scoring and is just 16 behind No. 5 scorer Jerry Jingles (1,716, 1972-76).

His 205 3-pointers are No. 3 behind Paul Marshall (256) and Tony Hooper (236). Munnings ranks fifth in career rebounds with 946 and is No. 10 in career assists with 275.

Munnings is one of just four players in school history with more than 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. The other members of ULM's 1,000/900 Club include Calvin Natt (1975-79: 2,581 points and 1,285 rebounds), Henry Steele (1968-72: 1,933 points and 1,161 rebounds) and Bill Snellings (1966-71: 1,215 points and 1,093 rebounds).

Tail feathers: Daishon Smith made an early exit with cramps and needed an IV afterward. But ULM's leading scorer said he was fine after the game. Smith scored 16 points in 33 minutes… ULM guard Michael Ertel (14 points vs. Kent State) has scored in double figures 28 times. … ULM shot 57 percent (32-of-56) from the floor while making 11-of-18 (61 percent) shots from 3-point range. Kent State shot 43 percent (28-of-65) from the field and went 37.5 (12-of-32) from beyond the arc.

TO GO
Tickets for ULM's upcoming CIT quarterfinal game are priced at $25 for courtside, $12 for reserved seats, $10 for faculty/staff reserved seats, $8 for general admission and $5 for ULM students and youth (18 and under). CIT quarterfinal tickets went on sale Sunday, March 24 at noon on ULMWarhawks.com. Order your CIT quarterfinal tickets online.

Attention ULM basketball season-ticket holders: Your season-ticket locations are being held. Please contact the ULM Ticket Office (318-342-HAWK) by Tuesday, March 26 at 5 p.m. to confirm your ticket order for Thursday's CIT quarterfinal game.

AND ONE
If you can't attend Thursday's CIT quarterfinal game, you can still have an impact on the game. We invite you to purchase $5 tickets to cover the admission for ULM students. It's the Athletics Department's goal to cover the admission cost for every ULM student who wants to attend Thursday's CIT quarterfinal game. To participate in the "And One" student-ticket sales promotion, click here.

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CIT Notebook: Fans Turn Out in Droves to Support ULM Basketball; Local DJ Had Students Hyped