CONWAY, S.C. - The ULM women's basketball team opens their final road trip of the 2019-20 season at 5 p.m. Thursday at Coastal Carolina. ULM has lost nine straight games after Saturday's 62-49 home loss to the Ragin' Cajuns. Coastal Carolina has won eight straight games and is tied for first in the Sun Belt with Troy after defeating Georgia State, 66-50, on Saturday. This is the only meeting of the season between ULM and Coastal.
PROJECTED STARTERS (based on previous game)
#2
Gara Beth Self, 5-8, Fr., G: 8.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.0 apg
#1
Amber Thompson, 5-9, Sr., G: 10.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 apg
#11
Whitney Goins, 6-0, Jr., G/F: 6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.1 apg
#4
Kierra Crockett, 6-0, Jr., F: 5.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg
#24
Diamond Brooks 6-2, Jr., C: 8.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg
STARTING FIVE
1. Junior center
Diamond Brooks continues to grow in the post for ULM. Brooks has been especially strong down the stretch for the Warhawks. Over her last eight contests, Brooks is averaging 9.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Brooks has four double-figure scoring games and three double-figure rebounding games in that stretch, including her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Ragin' Cajuns in Lafayette on Jan. 25. Brooks has also played more than 37 minutes in two of the last three games, including her first career 40-minute effort vs. Georgia State on Feb. 15.
2. After battling illness in the middle portion of conference play, senior guard
Amber Thompson has bounced back over the last five games. Thompson is averaging 14.2 points per game over the last five contests, including a 20-point effort at Troy on Feb. 5. Thompson tallied 16 points with three rbounds and four assists while playing over 37 minutes in Saturday's loss to the Ragin' Cajuns.
3. ULM continued to display its ability to battle back and challenge its opponents in Saturday's loss to the Ragin' Cajuns. The Cajuns scored the first 10 points of the game while holding ULM without a shot in the first three minutes. However, after a timeout, the Warhawks slowly chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the game at 16 at the end of the quarter, and taking a lead in the second quarter. After trailing by 13 in the second half, ULM closed within five points several times, the last of which coming with 6:16 to play, before ULM failed to score for over five minutes and the Cajuns pulled away for the 62-49 win.
4. ULM has stepped up its defensive pressure over the last two games. The Warhawks held Georgia State to 52 points on Feb. 15, a season-low for points allowed by the Warhawks. ULM held the Cajuns to 62 points on Saturday, which is five points below ULM's season average for points allowed.
5. The Warhawk defense has stepped up its ability to steal the ball over the last three games. ULM came up with a season-high 12 thefts against Georgia Southern on Feb. 13, and has followed it up with six against Georgia State and seven vs. the Ragin' Cajuns. ULM was averaging just 4.0 steals per game in the four games prior to the stretch.
PREVIEWING COASTAL CAROLINA
Thursday's game is the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools. The two teams have alternated wins in the short series, with ULM winning 60-57 in Conway last season and Coastal taking a 79-54 win in Monroe. This is the only meeting of the season between the two schools.
The Chanticleers are the hottest team in the Sun Belt Conference. Coastal has won eight straight games and is tied for first in the Sun Belt with Troy. The Chanticleers lead the Sun Belt in several categories, including scoring margin (+17.5), free throw percentage (75.0), field goal percentage (43.9), field goal percentage defense (34.8), 3-point field goal percentage (33.2) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.3). In addition, Coastal ranks second in the league in scoring offense (78.0), scoring defense (60.5), rebounding (44.9), defensive rebounding (35.4), rebounding margin (+9.5), offensive rebounds per game (15.0), defensive rebounds per game (29.2) and 3-point field goals made per game (6.4).
Senior guard D.J. Williams is a front-runner for Sun Belt Player of the Year. She leads the league in scoring at 18.8 points per game, which is over two points ahead of UT Arlington's Marie Benson in second place. Williams also leads the conference in steals (2.5 per game), seventh in rebounding (7.4), fifth in field goal percentage (43.6), second in assists (4.8), eighth in free throw percentage (78.0), 12th in blocks (0.5), seventh in assist to turnover ratio (1.2), third in defensive rebounds (5.7), and 13th in minutes played (31.0). Williams has scored in double figures 21 times this season, and has seven double figure rebounding games and three double figure assist games. She has seven double-doubles on the season, including one points and assists double-double and a rebounds and assists double-double, as well as a triple-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists vs. South Alabama on Feb. 15. She scored a career-high 51 points vs. Troy on Feb. 13. She has 12 20-plus point games, and has topped 30 points two times.
Sophomore forward Aja Blount has come off the bench in all but one game this season, and is second on the team and fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring at 14.7 points per game. Blount leads the conference in field goal percentage (56.0) and free throw percentage (87.6), is 14th in rebounding (6.2), and 11th in offensive rebounding. Blount has 20 double figure scoring games and three double figure rebounding games, all going for double-doubles. Blount has topped 20 points in each of the last two games and has five such games this season, including a career-high 38 points at South Alabama on Jan. 4.
Senior center Naheria Hamilton is tough on the glass as well. Hamilton is second in the Sun Belt with 9.9 rebounds per game, fifth in offensive rebounds (2.8) and leads the league in defensive rebounds (7.1). Hamilton is averaging 9.3 points per game and has 13 double figure scoring games and 13 double figure rebounding games with 10 double-doubles. She had a streak of five straight double-doubles from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8.
Coastal has multiple threats from the 3-point arc. Senior guard Caitlin Roche is sixth in the league in 3-point field goals made (1.6), junior guard Zacharyia Esmon is seventh (1.6) and senior guard Torrie Cash is 15th (1.3).
