Koreem Ozier 3-pointer vs. SFA 2020
Skylar Henry / ULM Photo Services
55
SFA SFA 3-2,0-0 Southland
66
Winner La.-Monroe ULM 2-2,0-0 Sun Belt
SFA SFA
3-2,0-0 Southland
55
Final
66
La.-Monroe ULM
2-2,0-0 Sun Belt
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
SFA SFA 26 29 55
La.-Monroe ULM 29 37 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Ozier, Gonzales Lead ULM to Impressive Home Win Over SFA, 66-55

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist

MONROE, La. – Aiming for the first home win on Saturday, ULM shooters were on the mark.

Koreem Ozier led the Warhawks with 28 points with four 3-pointers in a 66-55 victory over Stephen F. Austin at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

ULM (2-2) shot 53 percent from the field and took control with a 16-2 run late that broke open a tight game. The contest featured 11 lead changes and nine ties before the Warhawks found another gear and made six of their last seven field-goal attempts to close it out.

ULM bounced back after squandering a nine-point lead to Lamar and losing on a buzzer beater on Wednesday night.

"I'm extremely proud of our team here today," ULM coach Keith Richard said. "Extremely proud of them. We responded from our debacle on Wednesday night where we blew a nine-point lead to lose the game. We really prepared hard. The mentality was right and the toughness was right. This game was about toughness."

Elijah Gonzales added 16 points with three 3-pointers and seven assists, and Russell Harrison reached double figures for the fourth time in four games with 11 points and six rebounds.

As a team, ULM shot 55 percent from beyond the arc while making 11-of-20 3-pointers.

Ozier's breakout performance came with crisp shooting as he made 9-of-13 from the field and was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers.

"He's played well at times but hasn't really shot it well," Richard said. "He shot it well today and that was an important part of us winning."

Ozier also was an early catalyst for the Warhawks.

ULM held a 17-15 lead through the first 10 minutes. Ozier, who scored 10 of ULM's first 17 points with two 3-pointers, helped the Warhawks keep pace despite six turnovers during that stretch.

Overall, the first half featured 23 total turnovers, six ties and seven lead changes. ULM took a 29-26 advantage into halftime, thanks to Ozier's 15 points. ULM offset 12 turnovers by shooting 53 percent from the field with five 3-pointers in the half.

ULM pushed its lead up to seven to open the second half before a field goal drought allowed SFA to creep back within 35-33.

Marco Morency's 3-pointer at the 14:12 mark broke the stretch without a bucket and helped the Warhawks maintain their lead.

SFA cut the deficit back to 41-40 with a 5-0 run as ULM endured a scoring drought over three minutes. The Warhawks made three turnovers during the stretch.

The Lumberjacks grabbed their first lead of the second half at 42-41 when Roti Ware scored with 8:58 remaining. Ozier's layup and free throw on the other end stopped the freefall and put ULM back on top 44-42.

David Kachelries, who led his team with 14 points, buried a 3-pointer at the 7:55 mark to match SFA's biggest lead of the game to that point, 47-44. But ULM owned the final seven minutes.

Gonzales was active down the stretch as he stroked a 3 to tie the game for the eighth time, then hit another with 5:47 to go. Richard praised his point guard for controlling the game against a tough defense. Gonzalez made just three turnovers.

"To me he's the player of the game," Richard said. "Koreem scored 28 points but what Elijah did out there against that pressure for 35 minutes, you know how hard that is? All the passes are being denied and you have to have good guard play."

Ozier followed with back-to-back 3-pointers during a 9-0 run that quickly had the Warhawks on top 58-49 at the 4:17 mark.

The Lumberjacks went more than five minutes without scoring as the Warhawks pulled away.

"Another area that was big, they only got seven offensive rebounds," said Richard, noting ULM's 24 defensive boards. "They're tough inside. Post touches, driving it and rebounding it. I thought we did a really good job on the defensive glass as well."

Tail feathers: After shining as the sixth man through three games, Josh Nicholas made his first start vs. SFA. … Finishing the three-game homestand, ULM is scheduled to play host to Grambling State on Wednesday (Dec. 16). Tip-off is 6 p.m.  … Ozier (15 points), Harrison (7) and Gonzalez (7) were the only three players who scored for ULM in the first half.
 
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