ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. - After a 22-day layoff between games due to COVID-19 concerns within the ULM women's basketball program, the Warhawks return to the court for their Sun Belt Conference-opening series at UT Arlington on Friday and Saturday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday at the College Park Center in Arlington.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Sun Belt Conference altered the 2020-21 basketball schedules. Each team will play divisional opponents only, with ULM facing Arkansas State, Little Rock, Texas State and UT Arlington four times each and the Ragin' Cajuns twice in a home-and-home weekend. Each weekend of conference play will involve a two-game series against the same opponent.

The Warhawks have had each of their last three scheduled games postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the ULM program. The Warhawks finished 2-4 in nonconference play after the game against McNeese State on Monday, Dec. 21, was postponed. ULM also had its first two Sun Belt Conference games at Arkansas State postponed on Jan. 1-2. ULM last played on Dec. 17 in a 63-45 loss at Louisiana Tech.

The Warhawks limited the Lady Techsters to just 2-for-22 shooting from 3-point range (9.1%). ULM ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference in 3-point field goal percentage defense, allowing opposing teams to shoot just 23.0% from deep over the first six games of the season.

ULM junior guard Kierra Brimzy has led the Warhawks in scoring in four of her five career games. Brimzy paced the Warhawks again at LA Tech with 16 points.

UT Arlington (3-3 overall, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference) is coming off a split of its conference-opening series against Little Rock, bouncing back to take Saturday's finale, 59-54, after dropping Friday's opener, 57-56, at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

The Mavericks are led by first-year head coach Shereka Wright. Wright spent the previous two seasons as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Vanderbilt. Prior to that, she spent five seasons on the staff of Kristy Curry, a ULM alumna, at Alabama. Wright and ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams spent two seasons together in Tuscaloosa from 2016-18.

Shyia Smith leads the Mavericks through six games with 16.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Smith ranks sixth in the SBC in scoring and fourth in field goal percentage (.557). Bre Wickware is the only other Maverick averaging double figures at 12.7 points per game and is second on the team at 5.7 rebounds per game. Katie Ferrell averages 5.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and a team-best 4.5 assists per game, which is fourth in the SBC. UTA ranks third in the SBC in both scoring defense (62.2 ppg.) and field goal percentage defense (.368).

WARHAWKS RETURN FROM LAYOFF        
Friday's game against UT Arlington marks ULM's first game in 22 days due to COVID-19 concerns within the Warhawk women's basketball program. It is 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).

WILLIAMS WITH WRIGHT CONNECTION        
ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams and UT Arlington head coach Shereka Wright spent two seasons together on ULM alumna Kristy Curry's coaching staff at Alabama from 2016-18. Williams joined Curry's staff prior to the 2016-17 season and spent three seasons with the Crimson Tide before accepting the head coaching position at ULM prior to the 2019-20 season. Wright joined the staff in Tuscaloosa prior to the 2013-14 season and remained for five seasons before accepting the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator position at Vanderbilt before the 2018-19 season. Wright is in her first season as head coach at UTA.

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

The Warhawks lead the SBC in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 23.0%, good for 17th nationally. ULM is second in the conference and 72nd in DI in field goal percentage defense at 36.7%. ULM is sixth in the SBC allowing 64.7 points per game.

BRIMZY'S BURST        
Junior guard Kierra Brimzy has led ULM in scoring in four of her first five career games as a Warhawk. The Natchitoches, Louisiana, native paced the Warhawks again on Dec. 17 with 16 points at Louisiana Tech. 

Brimzy has scored in double figures in all five games. 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 15.8 points per game. She ranks seventh in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring and is seventh in free throw attempts with 22.

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.

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 9.2 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and 72nd in the nation. She ranks fifth in the SBC in offensive rebounds (3.7 pg.) and defensive rebounds (5.5 pg.).

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 matched a career-high with 13 rebounds, with eight on the offensive end, in 32 minutes of action Saturday. 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.

Crockett made an immediate impact in her first season at ULM in 2019-20. She started the final 25 games of the season and led the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. She had a pair of double-doubles with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Mississippi Valley State and 11 points and 13 rebounds at South Alabama. Crockett secured 10 or more rebounds in seven games. She ranked fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding, sixth in offensive rebounding and seventh in defensive rebounding. 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 six 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 32nd nationally with 44.5 rebounds per game. ULM is third in the Sun Belt and 28th nationally in defensive rebounds with 30.7 per game. The Warhawks also rank fifth in the SBC and 57th in DI in rebounding margin (+6.8 rpg.).

ULM had 47 rebounds Dec. 12 at Northwestern State and came up with 49 rebounds Dec. 10 against Grambling. 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 9.2 rebounds per game, while freshman forward Tasionna McDowell averages 5.3 rebounds per game. Senior Diamond Brooks averages 4.5 boards per game. 10 of the 12 Warhawks to play this season are averaging at least 2.0 rebounds per game.

FREE THROW OPPORTUNITIES FADE
ULM has stepped to the free throw line 118 times through six games this season, but the opportunities have been few and far between over the last two games. 105 of ULM's 118 free throw attempts came over the first four contests of the season. The Warhawks have shot just 13 free throws over the last two contests, including a season-low three attempts at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 17. 

ULM stepped to the free throw line 39 times on Dec. 6 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. 

Freshman guard Kyren Whittington is a perfect 14-of-14 at the free throw line this season.

BLOCK PARTY
The Warhawks are one of the top shot blocking teams in the Sun Belt. ULM is third in the SBC at 3.8 blocks per game, and still ranks fifth in the conference with 23 blocked shots despite playing just six games.

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. Goins is 10th at 0.8 blocks per game while freshman Morgan Hill is 11th, also at 0.8 blocks per game.

FROM DOWNTOWN
Three Warhawks have hit at least seven 3-pointers in the 2020-21 season. Junior Kierra Brimzy leads the team with eight treys (25.8%). Senior Whitney Goins (28.0%) sophomore Linda van Schaik (31.8%) have hit seven each.

Brimzy collected four of her 3-pointers in the Dec. 12 68-55 win at Northwestern State while shooting 4-of-10 from long distance. She added two more treys Dec. 17 at Louisiana Tech.

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. Goins reached double figures again with 10 points, including a pair of treys, vs. Grambling.

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%).

Van Schaik buried three of her six 3-pointers this season on Dec. 15 vs. Mississippi Valley State, with all of them coming in the second half as ULM tried to erase a 15-point deficit. Van Schaik also hit a pair of 3-pointers at Arkansas on Dec. 3.

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 six games, Whittington leads the freshmen at 5.5 points per game after scoring a season-high 13 points at Louisiana Tech on Thursday. McDowell is grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game. Gracen Williams is handing out 2.5 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 five games, she is averaging 7.0 points and 2.0 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 Sunday's 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 Saturday. She set a new season-high with nine rebounds vs. Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 15.