ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. - ULM remains at home at 6 p.m. Thursday to face off with I-20 foe Grambling State at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. It is the first meeting between ULM and GSU since Nov. 13, 2017, and the first meeting between the two in Monroe since Nov. 15, 2016.

Thursday's game will be televised on ESPN+ with Chris Harris (play-by-play) and Mike Vining (analyst) on the call. The game will air on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield IMG College on 99.7 FM KRJO, 997thelegend.com and the TuneIn app with Mike Hammett calling the action.

Junior Kierra Brimzy made her long-awaited ULM debut Sunday, leading the Warhawks with 15 points while adding a rebound and an assist against Louisiana College. Brimzy sat out the 2019-20 season after being ruled ineligible upon her arrival from Tyler Junior College. She missed Thursday's season-opener against Arkansas after suffering an injury in practice last week.

ULM scored 96 points in Sunday's win over Louisiana College. It's the most points scored by a Warhawk team since putting 97 on the board in the season-opener of the 2010-11 season against New Orleans on Nov. 12, 2010.

The Warhawks displayed a balanced offense on Sunday. Five players finished in double figure scoring, led by Brimzy's 15 points. Senior Diamond Brooks and sophomore Linda van Schaik added 11 points each, while freshmen Morgan Hill and Kyren Whittington had 10 points each. Three more Warhawks just missed out on double figures, as sophomore Gara Beth Self had nine points and freshmen Tasionna McDowell and Sadie Williams had eight points each.

ULM also doubled up Louisiana College on the glass Sunday. The Warhawks outrebounded the Wildcats 58-29. McDowell tallied 12 rebounds, including six offensive boards, while fellow freshman Hannah Edwards had 11 rebounds. Edwards also had three blocked shots.

Grambling State (0-2) comes into Wednesday's game after a nine-day layoff. The Tigers opened the season with a 90-47 loss at Florida on Nov. 25 before losing at Louisiana Tech, 79-69, on Nov. 30. GSU had a game vs. Northwestern State, scheduled for Friday, canceled due to COVID-19 concerns inside the Lady Demon program.

Junior Candice Parramore leads the Tigers in scoring through the first two games of the season, averaging 12.5 points per game. Parramore led the team in scoring with 12 points at Florida on Nov. 25 and added 13 points at Louisiana Tech on Nov. 30. Parramore averaged 9.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season.

Senior Alexus Holt is the other Tiger averaging double figure scoring at 10.0 points per game. She led the Tigers with 17 points at Louisiana Tech. Holt averaged 9.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season.

GSU is paced by senior Ariel Williams and junior Leah Morrow on the glass with 5.5 rebounds per game.

BALANCE RULES THE DAY VS. WILDCATS    
ULM had five players score in double figures and three more just missed out on a double figure day in Sunday's 96-48 win over Louisiana College. Junior Kierra Brimzy paced the Warhawks with 15 points, while senior Diamond Brooks and sophomore Linda van Schaik had 11 points apiece and freshmen Morgan Hill and Kyren Whittington added 10 points. Sophomore Gara Beth Self had nine points, while freshmen Tasionna McDowell and Sadie Williams chipped in eight points. It is the first time ULM has had five double figure scorers since a 93-62 win over LSU-Alexandria on Nov. 15, 2018 (Tiara Malone 24, Amber Thompson 17, Destini Lunsford 12, Logan Oestreich 11, Whitney Goins 10). All 12 players that suited up for Sunday's game scored for the Warhawks.

HOT SHOTS    
The Warhawks shot 50.0% from the field (31-of-62) in Sunday's win over Louisiana College. It is the first time ULM has topped 50% or better from the field since shooting 55% from the floor in a win at Coastal Carolina on March 2, 2019.

FREEBIES    
ULM stepped to the free throw line 39 times on Sunday and knocked down 31 free throws for a 79.5% rate from the stripe. The 39 free throw attempts matches last season's high of 39 attempts vs. Mississippi Valley State (12/29/19). The 31 made free throws are the most made in a single game by ULM over the past two seasons.

CLEANING THE GLASS    
ULM pulled down 58 rebounds on Sunday against Louisiana College. It's the most rebounds for ULM in a single game since grabbing 63 boards against Centenary on Nov. 11, 2016. Freshmen Tasionna McDowell and Hannah Edwards led the Warhawks on the glass with 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively. McDowell had six offensive rebounds.

BLOCK PARTY    
The Warhawks came up with nine blocked shots on Sunday against Louisiana College. The Warhawks were led by senior Whitney Goins and freshman Hannah Edwards with three blocks each. Sophomores Linda van Schaik and Gara Beth Self and freshman Morgan Hill had the other blocks for ULM.

FRESH PERSPECTIVE    
Six freshmen have seen minutes early in the season for ULM. Hannah Edwards, Morgan Hill, Tasionna McDowell, Kyren Whittington, Gracen Williams and Sadie Williams each picked up at least 12 minutes against Louisiana College, and all six made their season debuts at Arkansas on Thursday. Through two games, Whittington leads the freshmen at 9.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. McDowell has 8.0 rebounds per game. Edwards is averaging 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Gracen Williams is averaging 4.0 points and 4.0 assists per game.

SELF IMPROVEMENT    
Sophomore Gara Beth Self saw her numbers drastically improve after taking over the starting point guard position for the remainder of the 2019-20 season in the final non-conference game of the year vs. Mississippi Valley State. Self was handed the reigns after senior point guard Lauren Fitch suffered a season-ending injury at Texas Tech. Self flourished inside of Sun Belt Conference play, averaging 12.8 points and 2.5 assists over 34.5 minutes per game. She scored in double figures in 12 of 18 conference games, including an eight-game streak from Jan. 8 to Feb. 5. Self scored a career-high 28 points on the strength of 5-of-11 3-point shooting and added two rebounds, three assists and five steals at then-Sun Belt leading Coastal Carolina on Feb. 27. Self was named Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and Honorable Mention All-Louisiana by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

FROM DOWNTOWN    
Senior Whitney Goins had a strong start to the 2020-21 season from deep, hitting 3-of-6 attempts from long distance and finishing with a team-high 11 points at Arkansas. She added six points, including a 3-pointer, against Louisiana College. She has connected on at least one 3-pointer in eight straight games. Last year, Goins paced the Warhawks from 3-point range. Goins shot a career-best 33.1% from behind the arc last season and knocked down 45 3-pointers. She set a career-high with five 3-pointers, including four in the fourth quarter, against Troy on Jan. 8. She was one of two Warhawks with more than 10 3-point field goal attempts to shoot over 30 percent from deep on the season (Amber Thompson, 30.1%).

DIAMOND IN THE POST
Senior Diamond Brooks saw a significant increase in her role in the post in 2019-20. Brooks moved into the full-time starting center position, playing in all 29 games while starting 28 last season. She nearly tripled her scoring average to 8.0 points per game while increasing her rebounding average by 2.3 boards per game to 5.9. Brooks averaged 26.0 minutes per game as a junior after averaging just 13.9 minutes per game as a sophomore. She scored 11 points in just eight minutes vs. Louisiana College on Sunday.

BRIMZY SHINES IN ULM DEBUT
Junior Kierra Brimzy made her ULM debut on Sunday vs. Louisiana College, leading the team with 15 points while adding a rebound and an assist. She sat out the 2019-20 season following a transfer from Tyler Junior College. The Natchitoches, Louisiana, native averaged 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a sophomore with the Apache Ladies in 2018-19. She averaged 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2017-18. Brimzy was unavailable at Arkansas Thursday due to injury.