Russell Harrison drives lane vs. Louisiana Tech 2020
Siddharth Gaulee/ULM Photo Services
62
La.-Monroe ULM 0-1,0-0 Sun Belt
78
Winner Louisiana Tech LATech 3-0,0-0 C-USA
La.-Monroe ULM
0-1,0-0 Sun Belt
62
Final
78
Louisiana Tech LATech
3-0,0-0 C-USA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
La.-Monroe ULM 31 31 62
Louisiana Tech LATech 45 33 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

ULM Shows Promise in Season-Opening Loss at LA Tech

RUSTON, La. – Kalob Ledoux and Cobe Williams combined for 29 points to lead a well-balanced scoring attack as Louisiana Tech improved to 3-0 on the season with a 78-62 win over I-20 rival ULM Thursday at the Thomas Assembly Center. It marked the season opener for the Warhawks.
 
Williams buried three 3-pointers in the first 4:17 as LA Tech raced out to a 12-2 lead. After a 30-second timeout by ULM, Erie Olonade's 3 from the left wing sparked a 16-7 run as the Warhawks cut their deficit to one at 19-18 on Josh Nicholas' trey from the left corner. Russell Harrison accounted for eight of ULM's 16 points during that stretch.
 
The Bulldogs responded with a 21-6 spurt and built a 16-point lead at 40-24 on Amorie Archibald's step-back jumper from the right side of the lane with 3:03 left in the first half. LA Tech led by 14 at the intermission, 45-31.
 
Louisiana Tech shot 53 percent (18-of-34) from the field in the first half, including 40 percent (6-of-15) from behind the 3-point arc. The Bulldogs made 11 of 14 field-goal attempts during one stretch. LA Tech also outrebounded ULM, 25-9, in the first 20 minutes.
 
"Give Louisiana Tech credit because they played extremely well and shot the ball well," ULM head basketball coach Keith Richard said. "They're a good team and played very aggressively. They're a long, physical team, and they were active on the offensive boards. They got the ball inside and we had a hard time defending that at times.
 
"They made a lot of contested shots too, with a hand in their face. They were a little longer and thicker than us at every spot, and that's why they were able to make those contested shots over us.
 
"We didn't do a very good job on the defensive glass in the first half," Richard continued. "We gave up nine offensive rebounds, but again, this is a great learning lesson for us. We had a couple good defensive positions when it was a tight game in the first half, but they were more aggressive and came up with offensive rebounds. It's great for our team to understand this is the level we want to get to (as a program) and ultimately we will. This wasn't like one of those COVID practices we've had for the last three months; this was the real deal."
 
The Warhawks were unable to cut the margin to single digits in the second half. A pair of free throws from Jacolby Pemberton gave LA Tech its largest lead at 74-51 with 7:31 remaining in the game.
 
"It's their third game and we had some jitters early, which I expected in our season opener," Richard said. "But I'm not disappointed in our team at all. This is real competition that we played tonight, and you feel it in the first game. It was a great learning lesson for our team, and we'll get some great film work in tomorrow. Unfortunately, we didn't win, but this a good start for us because it provides an opportunity for us to build our team.
 
"We've only been together as a (complete) team since Tuesday, so fatigue became a factor in the second half. We still knew the plays and knew what we wanted to run tonight, but Tech's physical presence wore on us, but we'll get in better playing shape as the season goes along."
 
Five Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Ledoux who netted all 15 of his points in the second half. LA Tech also got 14 points from Williams, 12 from Pemberton, 11 from Archibald, while Kenneth Lofton Jr. came off the bench to record a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
In his ULM debut, Harrison played a solid all-around game, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals. Newcomer Marco Morency contributed 10 points and four assists while Nicholas added 10 points off the bench. Nine different Warhawks scored in the game.
 
ULM returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 6 for a non-conference game at Northwestern State, with tipoff set for 2 p.m.
 
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