MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama outscored ULM 26-14 in the fourth quarter, as the Jaguars rallied past the Warhawk women's basketball team for the 72-63 win Saturday afternoon at the Mitchell Center.
"I thought we played really well for three quarters, and just kind of wore down a little bit," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "I'm proud of our kids' effort. You can see our growth. You can see it each and every outing. We're just continuing to get better."
The two sides went back-and-forth early. Amber Thompson knocked down a 3-pointer, and after a basket inside by Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year Antoinette Lewis, Whitney Goins followed with a trey of her own to give ULM (2-13 overall, 0-4 Sun Belt) its first lead at 12-11 with 4:46 left in the first quarter. USA (7-9, 2-2) took a brief lead at 15-13 late in the quarter before Thompson hit a runner in the lane to tie the game at 15 after a quarter.
In the second quarter, ULM held South Alabama to 2-of-13 shooting from the field and took advantage on the offensive end. Thompson drove the lane and knocked down another tough shot in traffic to give ULM the lead again at 17-15. South Alabama closed within a point at 18-17, but Diamond Brooks converted a layup and Thompson drained another 3-pointer to put ULM up 23-17. The Jaguars scored four straight points to get within two at 23-21. Gara Beth Self answered back for ULM, knocking down back-to-back treys to extend the lead to eight at 29-21. Kierra Crockett scored on a put-back to give the Warhawks their largest lead of the quarter at 10, 31-21, with 1:33 left in the second quarter. The Jaguars connected on four free throws by Shaforia Kines to close the half, bringing USA within six at the break, 31-25.
ULM opened the second half strong. After Thompson made one-of-two free throws, Goins drilled her second 3-pointer of the night, this time from the top of the key, to push the lead back to 10 again at 35-25 with 8:36 left in the third quarter. After a South Alabama timeout, the Jaguars scored the next eight points to close to within two at 35-33 on a basket by Lewis. But ULM punched back, as Self and Thompson turned a pair of steals into fast-break layups and a 41-35 advantage. South Alabama scored eight of the next nine points to take a brief 43-42 lead on more free throws by Kines, but ULM answered. With the game tied at 44, Self completed a traditional 3-point play and Jamie Means buried a pair of free throws to close the quarter, as ULM led 49-46 to the fourth quarter.
In the final quarter, ULM extended the lead to five on free throws by Brooks, but South Alabama quickly went on a 6-0 run to take the lead, tying the game on a 3-pointer by Damaya Telemaque and taking the lead on a free throw by Lewis. The two teams traded points for a few moments, but with the game tied at 54, the Jaguars embarked on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good. Kines completed a 3-point play, Lewis and Jala Buster scored inside and Telemaque knocked down another trey for the 64-54 advantage with 3:22 remaining. ULM got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
"I thought they made some really good adjustments," Williams said. "They've got several weapons that are just tough to guard. I thought our defensive scheme was really good. If we would have stayed consistent with it, I think we maybe would have had a better opportunity. They're tough to guard. Their coaching staff did a really good job of coming out of half and making some really good adjustments and going right into Lewis. We just couldn't quite recover."
Thompson and Self led ULM with 18 points each. For Self, it marks a new career-high. Self knocked down 3-of-5 3-point attempts on the day, after hitting just four 3-pointers on the season entering the game. Crockett posted her second double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Williams said Thompson continues to an offensive spark.
"Amber is doing what we expect seniors to do," Williams said. "She's leading in so many categories. She's leading our team vocally. She's leading our team in point production. She's leading our team in consistency right now. We need her to be that consistent offensive threat. She's been that the last several games."
Self, a freshman, played nearly 39 minutes and had a tough assignment, Williams said.
"She's just getting better by the minute," Williams said. "We've thrown her into the fire. She had to do two things today: she had to guard a really good point guard and run the show for us. She did both very well."
Kines led South Alabama with 17 points, while Telemaque scored a season-high 16 points and Lewis added 15.
ULM visits Texas State for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Thursday. Links to live video, audio and stats are available at ULMWarhawks.com.
