ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. - ULM and Arkansas State meet up for the first time in 2020-21 when the Warhawks entertain the Red Wolves on Friday and Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

The two teams were scheduled to face off to open Sun Belt Conference play with a pair of games at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro on Jan. 1 and 2, but the contests were postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Warhawk program. Both squads opened Sun Belt Conference play last weekend, with ULM dropping a pair of games at UT Arlington, 82-37 and 61-37, and Arkansas State sweeping Texas State in Jonesboro, 54-53 and 70-54.

While ULM struggled offensively in both contests at UTA, the Warhawks put forth a strong defensive effort in Saturday's loss. ULM limited the Mavericks to 33% shooting from the field and 22% (5-of-23) from 3-point range. Junior Kierra Brimzy led ULM with 16 points on Friday night and added eight points on Saturday at UTA. The Natchitoches, La., native continues to pace the Warhawks on the season at 14.7 points per game. Senior Kierra Crockett had a strong performance on Saturday, scoring eight points and pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds. Crockett had six points and eight rebounds on Friday night at UTA. Crockett leads the Warhawks at 9.8 rebounds per game.

A-State has won seven consecutive games after dropping its season-opener vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 85-68, on Nov. 27. Friday's game will be A-State's first road contest of the 2020-21 season.

The Red Wolves have been strong on both ends of the floor. A-State is scoring an average of 79.3 points per game while giving up just 54.6 points per game. The Red Wolves are shooting over 45% from the field, while opponents are hitting just 34% of its shots.

Jada Stinson leads the Red Wolves in scoring at 11.9 points per game. Stinson also averages 3.4 assists per game. Peyton Martin follows right behind at 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Jireh Washington is also averaging double figures at 10.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Morgan Wallace leads the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg.) and assists (4.3 apg.). Seven different Red Wolves average at least four rebounds per game.

WARHAWKS RETURN FROM LAYOFF
The Jan. 8 game against UT Arlington marked ULM's first game in 22 days due to COVID-19 concerns within the Warhawk women's basketball program. It was the longest in-season layoff for ULM since a 23-day break in the nonconference schedule in the 1994-95 season (Dec. 6 – Dec. 29). ULM had three games postponed due to COVID-19: McNeese State (Dec. 21) and at Arkansas State (Jan. 1-2).

FORMER SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE COACHES COLLIDE
ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams and Arkansas State head coach Matt Daniel each previously led programs in the Southland Conference. Williams is the winningest coach in McNeese State history after spending nine seasons (2007-16) with the Cowgirls, leading them to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in 2011 and 2012, four appearances in the Women's Basketball Invitational and four 20-win seasons in her last six years. Daniel spent four seasons at Central Arkansas (2008-12), leading the Bears to a Southland Conference regular season championship and a berth in the WBI and WNIT. Both coaches are currently in their second season at their respective school.

GETTING DEFENSIVE        
Through the first eight games of the season, ULM is one of the top teams in the Sun Belt Conference and NCAA Division I in field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense.

The Warhawks rank second in the SBC in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 24.7%, good for 31st nationally. ULM is fourth in the conference and 91st in DI in field goal percentage defense at 37.6%. The Warhawks limited UT Arlington to 33.3% from the field in Saturday's loss.

CROCKETT CONTINUES TO CONTROL THE BOARDS    
Senior Kierra Crockett continues to be one of the top rebounders in the Sun Belt Conference and NCAA Division I. Crockett is averaging 9.8 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the Sun Belt and 45th in the nation. She ranks third in the SBC in offensive rebounds (3.5 pg.) and defensive rebounds (6.3 pg.). She has tracked down at least seven rebounds in all eight games this season.

Crockett collected a career-high 15 rebounds, including 11 in the first half and seven in the first quarter, to go with eight points on Saturday at UT Arlington. Crockett opened the weekend series with the Mavericks with six points and eight rebounds at UTA on Friday.

Crockett pulled down seven rebounds Dec. 17 at Louisiana Tech and eight boards Dec. 15 vs. Mississippi Valley State, including six offensive rebounds. Crockett has tallied at least seven rebounds in all six contests and has at least four offensive rebounds in three of the last four games.

Crockett posted her first double-double of the season and the third of her ULM career Dec. 12 at Northwestern State. She scored a career-high 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and made all six of her free throw attempts. She added 13 rebounds, with eight on the offensive end, in 32 minutes of action. She had nine rebounds against Grambling State and added seven boards against Louisiana College. She collected a game-high 11 rebounds in 27 minutes in the season-opener at Arkansas.

She is also known for posting social media videos showcasing her musical talent. Crockett took violin lessons while growing up and is a self-taught piano and guitar player.

CLEANING THE GLASS        
Through eight games, ULM is one of the top rebounding teams in the Sun Belt Conference and in NCAA Division I. The Warhawks rank fourth in the SBC and 37th nationally with 43.0 rebounds per game. ULM is third in the Sun Belt and 30th nationally in defensive rebounds with 30.2 per game. The Warhawks also rank sixth in the SBC and 85th in DI in rebounding margin (+4.0 rpg.).

The Warhawks pulled down 58 rebounds on Dec. 6 against Louisiana College, which was the highest rebounding total for ULM in a single game since grabbing 63 boards against Centenary on Nov. 11, 2016. 

Senior forward Kierra Crockett leads the team at 9.8 rebounds per game, while senior Diamond Brooks and freshman forward Tasionna McDowell averages 4.6 rebounds per game. 10 of the 12 Warhawks to play this season are averaging at least 2.3 rebounds per game.

BRIMZY'S BURST        
Junior guard Kierra Brimzy has led ULM in scoring in five of her first seven career games as a Warhawk. The Natchitoches, Louisiana, native led the Warhawks with 16 points on Friday at UT Arlington. 

Brimzy scored in double figures in her first six games of the season. She paced the Warhawks with 16 points at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 17. She scored 13 points against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 15. Brimzy played in her hometown on Dec. 12, scoring a season-high 24 points while pulling down five rebounds and handing out an assist against Northwestern State. Brimzy scored eight points in the first quarter to help the Warhawks to an early 18-6 lead and had 22 points over the first three quarters. 

Brimzy led ULM with 11 points against Grambling. She made her ULM debut on Dec. 6 vs. Louisiana College, leading the team with 15 points while adding a rebound and an assist.

Brimzy leads the team in scoring at 14.7 points per game. She ranks sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring.

Brimzy sat out the 2019-20 season following a transfer from Tyler Junior College. She 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. 

BLOCK PARTY        
The Warhawks are one of the top shot blocking teams in the Sun Belt. ULM is fourth in the SBC at 3.5 blocks per game, and ranks third in the conference with 28 blocked shots.

ULM blocked five shots in the series opener at UT Arlington on Friday. Sophomore Maddi Gatte had a pair of blocked shots in her season debut.

ULM had four blocks Dec. 12 at Northwestern State, led by two from senior forward Kierra Crockett. The Warhawks had three rejections against Grambling State on Dec. 10. ULM came up with nine blocked shots on Dec. 6 against Louisiana College. The Warhawks were led by senior Whitney Goins and freshman Hannah Edwards with three blocks each.

Edwards is part of a tie for fifth in the SBC at 1.0 blocks per game and has swatted six shots this season. Freshman Morgan Hill is 14th at 0.7 blocks per game while senior Whitney Goins is 15th at 0.6 blocks per game.

GATTE RETURNS    
Junior guard Maddi Gatte made her 2020-21 season debut in the series at UT Arlington. Gatte missed the first six games of the season while recovering from offseason surgery. 

Gatte played five minutes in her season debut Friday night at UT Arlington, coming up with three rebounds and two blocked shots. On Saturday, Gatte played six minutes, scoring her first points of the season on a baseline jumper while adding a steal.

Gatte suffered the loss of her 16-year-old brother Brennon on Nov. 16 due to complications from hydrocephalus. He was a junior at Iota (La.) High School, where he played football, ran track, was involved in powerlifting, maintained an A average and was in the honors program. To honor Brennon's life, the ULM women's basketball team wears his football jersey number, 45, on the back of its shooting shirts.

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 Dec. 3. Through eight games, Whittington leads the freshmen at 5.0 points per game and scored a season-high 13 points at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 17. McDowell is grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game. Gracen Williams is handing out 2.0 assists per game. Edwards is averaging one blocked shot per game.

VAN SCHAIK PROVIDES SPARK OFF BENCH        
Sophomore guard Linda van Schaik played a huge role in ULM's rally on Dec. 15 vs. Mississippi Valley State. Van Schaik entered the game for the first time at the 4:08 mark of the third quarter with ULM trailing 42-27. The native of South Holland, Netherlands, proceeded to score 16 of ULM's final 24 points to lead the team in scoring on the night. She shot 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Van Schaik knocked down two 3-pointers and three free throws in the third quarter to help bring ULM within five at the end of the quarter, 45-40. In the fourth quarter, van Schaik hit a third trey and had a pair of layups that brought ULM within two points of MVSU each time.

Van Schaik has scored in double figures twice this season after scoring 11 points vs. Louisiana College on Dec. 6. Through eight games, she is averaging 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

BALANCE RULES THE DAY VS. LOUISIANA COLLEGE    
ULM had five players score in double figures and three more just missed out on a double figure day in the Dec. 6 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 the Dec. 6 game scored for the Warhawks.

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.

Self broke into double figures for the first time in 2020-21 at Northwestern State, scoring 12 points, seven in the fourth quarter, and handing out five assists against the Lady Demons. She followed it up with 14 points and four assists vs. Mississippi Valley State Dec. 15.

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 and added four points and six rebounds vs. Grambling.

Brooks scored 11 points in just eight minutes vs. Louisiana College on Dec. 6. She matched her season-high with 11 points and added five rebounds at Northwestern State on Dec. 12. She set a new season-high with nine rebounds vs. Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 15. She led the team with 10 points in the weekend finale at UT Arlington on Jan. 9.