Michael Ertel drive vs. Arkansas State 2020
David Stout
66
Winner ULM ULM 8-18, 4-13 SBC
52
Arkansas State ASU 15-13, 7-10 SBC
Winner
ULM ULM
8-18, 4-13 SBC
66
Final
52
Arkansas State ASU
15-13, 7-10 SBC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
ULM ULM 41 25 66
Arkansas State ASU 26 26 52

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

ULM Cruises Past Arkansas State, 66-52; Records First Win in First National Bank Arena

JONESBORO, Ark. – Tyree White and Michael Ertel combined to score 35 points to lead ULM to a 66-52 victory at Arkansas State Wednesday (Feb. 19) night, as the Warhawks led from start to finish while winning for the first time in 15 games at First National Bank Arena. It also marked ULM's first win in Jonesboro, Arkansas, since March 5, 1985, snapping a 17-game losing streak.
 
"Jonesboro has been a hard place for us to win," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "Tonight, this team did something that none of my previous ULM teams had done. We've had some good teams come in here and lose over the last six years. It was a good win, and I'm very proud of them."
 
White opened the game with back-to-back 3-pointers and hit a fall-away jumper from the left baseline as ULM (8-18, 4-13 Sun Belt) raced out to an 8-0 lead. The Warhawks made six of their first seven field-goal attempts, including all five 3-point attempts, and rolled to a 17-4 lead on Michael Ertel's 3 from the left corner with 15:55 remaining. ULM put together a 9-0 run midway through the first half and took an 18-point lead at 32-14 on White's 15-foot jumper from the right baseline with 7:16 on the clock. During a stretch of 5:16, Arkansas State (15-13, 7-10) went 1-of-7 from the floor and committed five turnovers. The Red Wolves scored six-straight points late in the opening half and cut their deficit to 11 at 37-26 on a steal and fast-break layup from Caleb Fields with 2:02 left. White hit a 10-foot jumper in the lane and assisted on Elijah Ifejeh's slam dunk as Warhawks enjoyed a 41-26 lead at the intermission.
 
ULM's 41 first-half points marked a season high.
 
The Warhawks got 12 points each from White and Ertel in the first half while shooting 59 percent from the field (17-of-29), including 50 percent (6-of-12) from behind the 3-point arc. ULM parlayed A-State's 10 first-half turnovers into 13 points.
 
"In the first half, we played as well as we've maybe played all year," Richard said. "I was worried at halftime and told my staff that I hoped that wasn't all we had (in the tank) because we had put a lot out there in the first 20 minutes.
 
"We made a bunch of shots in the first half, and it was nice to see. It wasn't just Mike (Ertel); the scoring was spread around. Tyree (White) made some shots. Erie (Olonade) made some (shots). Langston made a couple and so did Chris (Efretuei). The balanced, team scoring is something we've been missing all year."
 
Marquis Eaton outscored ULM, 7-2, to open the second half as A-State pulled to within 10 at 43-33 with 17:17 remaining. The Warhawks responded with a 12-0 spurt to regain control at 55-33 on Ertel's 3-pointer from the right wing with 12:35 left. ULM led by as many as 23 points twice in the second half.  
 
"In the second half, our defense really came into play," Richard said. "Our defensive effort was good in the first half too, but we really defended in the second half. We had to because our scoring was down in the second half.
 
"Heading into this game, we talked about the importance of playing good defense without fouling because Arkansas State leads the country in free-throw attempts. They only shot 15 free throws tonight, and that was a big part of our defensive strategy. Early in the game, we got whistled for a couple of fouls right away. We got on our guys during the next timeout because they weren't following the scouting report. Once we settled down and stopped fouling that became a big plus for us."
 
White hit 7-of-13 field-goal attempts, including 2-of-4 3s, and finished with a game-high 18 points to pace ULM. Ertel added 17 points while Erie Olonade, who scored in double figures for the fourth time in his last five games, chipped in with 12 points. Olonade connected on 5-of-7 shots from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
 
Efretuei, who made 4-of-6 shots from the field, contributed eight points and eight rebounds.
 
"I had a coach tell me the other day – and I believe him – that Chris Efretuei may be one of the most improved players in the league over the last 10 or 11 games," Richard said. "He's really helped us down the stretch. As Chris has played a little better, we're playing a little better as a team. He had back-to-back putbacks early in the second half, and those were big buckets as we extended the lead."
 
Ifejeh was one of ULM's unsung heroes Wednesday night.
 
"A couple of our bigs got in early foul trouble, and Elijah Ifejeh came in and really did a nice job on the defensive end in particular," Richard said. "He stayed down and didn't take the shot fakes. Elijah made guys shoot over the top of him. He played extended minutes and did a really good job."
 
Eaton, who scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, was the only A-State player to reach double figures.
 
ULM, which went 2-1 on its recent three-game Sun Belt road swing, returns home to Fant-Ewing Coliseum Saturday, Feb. 22 for a match-up against the Ragin' Cajuns at 2:30 p.m.
 
All general admission tickets are just $5 for Saturday's doubleheader. Prior to the men's game, the ULM women's team entertains the Ragin' Cajuns, with tipoff set for noon.
 
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