ARLINGTON, Texas – Despite a renewed effort on the defensive end, the ULM Warhawks dropped the second game of the weekend series at UT Arlington, 61-37, Saturday afternoon at College Park Center.
"We were a totally different team this afternoon," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "We battled. We controlled the tempo offensively. We showed incredible toughness getting consecutive stops and holding UTA to only 10 points in the third quarter. We are proud of this group for competing against a very good UTA team today."
UTA jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead on the strength of a pair of 3-pointers from Bre Wickware. ULM slowly built momentum, using free throws from Linda van Schaik and Kierra Crockett to pull within three at 9-6. Diamond Brooks finished a layup and Kierra Brimzy knocked down a jumper from the left elbow to cap an 8-0 run, giving ULM a 10-9 lead with 3:21 left in the first quarter. However, UTA answered with a 10-0 run to close the quarter, with four more points from Wickware, to lead 19-10.
After the Mavericks extended the lead to 13 in the second quarter, ULM started to build momentum again. Brooks connected on a jumper in the lane, Kyren Whittington turned a steal into a layup and van Schaik knocked down a scoop shot to pull within seven at 27-20 with 4:37 left in the half.
UTA reclaimed the momentum when Brooks was whistled for a personal foul and picked up an intentional foul after she was tangled up with UTA's Misty Dossey. The Mavericks converted three free throws and went on a 7-0 run to take a 15-point lead at 35-20. UTA led 37-22 at halftime.
ULM locked down the Mavericks early in the second half, keeping UTA off the board for the first 5:45 of the third quarter. However, ULM was able to cut the deficit by only six points as Brooks hit a layup, Crockett sank a pair of free throws and Brimzy knocked down a jumper to pull within nine at 37-28.
UTA broke the drought with a fast break layup by Jordynn Hernandez with 4:15 left in the quarter. The Mavericks extended the lead out to 17 at 47-30 and led 47-32 after three quarters.
In the final frame, ULM struggled to score, posting just five points. UTA slowly pulled away and picked up the 61-37 win.
Brooks led the Warhawks with 10 points while Crockett had eight points and a career-high 15 rebounds, with 11 coming in the first half. Wickware paced UTA with a career-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Shyia Smith tallied 10 points.
UTA shot 33% from the field (21-of-63) and 22% from 3-point range (5-of-23). ULM shot 28% from the field (14-of-50) and was 0-of-9 from 3-point range. The Warhawks shot 1-of-27 from beyond the arc in the two-game set.
ULM entertains Arkansas State at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. For tickets, call 318-342-HAWK or visit ULMWarhawks.com. For links to live video, audio and stats, visit the women's basketball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.
