MONROE, La. – The ULM women's basketball team will face a 16-game Sun Belt Conference schedule in the 2020-21 season as announced by the SBC office Thursday afternoon.
"We are excited about the Sun Belt committing to our conference schedule as well as our administrators and league office working diligently to navigate through the planning stages of this incredibly challenging situation," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "We are thrilled at simply the opportunity to get on the court with this new team and compete."
The Warhawks will play nine home games and seven road games in conference play. ULM will host Troy on Dec. 31 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum to open SBC play. South Alabama visits Monroe to open 2021 on Jan. 2.
ULM then goes to the Carolinas to face Coastal Carolina on Jan. 7 and Appalachian State on Jan. 9 before returning home to take on Texas State on Jan. 14 and UT Arlington on Jan. 16.
The following weekend, the Warhawks travel to Lafayette for its first meeting of the season with the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 23.
ULM continues the road swing the next week with games at Little Rock on Jan. 28 and Arkansas State on Jan. 30 before coming back to Fant-Ewing Coliseum to open February against Georgia Southern on Feb. 4 and Georgia State on Feb. 6.
The Warhawks embark on their final road trip of the regular season on Feb. 11 when they visit UT Arlington and Feb. 13 at Texas State.
ULM opens a three-game homestand to close the regular season with the Ragin' Cajuns on Feb. 20. Arkansas State visits Monroe on Feb. 25 and Little Rock closes the regular season on Feb. 27.
The Warhawks will then travel to Pensacola, Florida, for the Sun Belt Conference Championship starting March 5.
Williams' squad returns seven players from last season, including reigning Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Gara Beth Self. Self averaged 9.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game, and scored in double figures 15 times, including 12 times inside of conference play. She tallied a season-high 28 points at Coastal Carolina on Feb. 27.
In addition to Self, ULM has three seniors on the 2020-21 roster in Diamond Brooks, Kierra Crockett and Whitney Goins. Maddi Gatte and Jamie Means return for their junior seasons and Linda van Schaik is back for her sophomore season.
The group of seven returners is joined by seven freshmen: Qua Chambers (Plain Dealing, Louisiana / Benton HS), Hannah Edwards (Birmingham, Alabama / Oak Mountain HS), Morgan Hill (Houston, Texas / Cypress Creek HS), Tasionna McDowell (Delhi, Louisiana / Delhi HS), Kyren Whittington (Folsom, Louisiana / Northlake Christian School), Gracen Williams (McKinney, Texas / Homeschool of Dallas) and Sadie Williams (Gonzales, Louisiana / East Ascension HS). Junior Kierra Brimzy (Natchitoches, Louisiana) joins the team as a transfer from Tyler Junior College.
"We have eight new faces taking the floor this season," Williams said. "The staff has done a great job of patiently coaching and working our student-athletes back into practice and playing condition. Practices have been competitive and fun. We have a great deal of respect for the talented players and coaches we will face in the Sun Belt Conference on a daily basis and look forward to competing. We are confident about the returners and newcomers combined that we have in our Warhawk program and the direction we are headed. We want to build the Warhawk women's basketball brand into one of the toughest teams in the region and in our league. We can't wait to take the court."
The 2020-21 women's basketball non-conference schedule will be announced at a future date.
