ULM Visits I-20 Rival LA Tech Wednesday

Men's Basketball Nov 24

Game 5: ULM (2-2, 0-0 SBC) vs. Louisiana Tech (3-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Lanky Wells Classic
Wednesday, Nov. 24 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Thomas Assembly Center (8,000) | Ruston, La.
CUSA.TV | KLIP 105.3 FM

2021-22 ULM Basketball Notes: Game 5 vs. Louisiana Tech

THE STORYLINE –
ULM plays its second of three games away from Fant-Ewing Coliseum Wednesday night with the second game of the Lanky Wells Classic against Louisiana Tech in Ruston.

The Warhawks and Bulldogs, with campuses located just 30 miles apart on I-20, played a home-and-home series during the 2020-21 season. Both games were held during December, 19 days apart, and both went LA Tech's way.

ULM head coach Keith Richard spent nine seasons (1998-2007) in the same capacity at Louisiana Tech, winning 150 games and the 1999 Sun Belt regular-season championship. The Bulldogs were 19-9 that year with 10 league wins. Richard guided LA Tech to three 20-win campaigns and two postseason appearances (National Invitation Tournament (2002, 2006). His 150 career wins rank third on LA Tech's all-time list.

THE STARTING FIVE –
• For the second-straight game, ULM had six Warhawks scoring in double figures with Boston, Gee, Jones and Ozier picking up 10+ in both games. The last time ULM had six in the scoring column with 10 or more points was in a three-overtime contest on Dec. 22, 2015, against Canisius (L, 96-108).

• Prior to these last two victories, ULM last had two 90-plus point games in its first four contests during the 2000-01 season. The Warhawks topped Tougaloo 100-62 (Nov. 20, 2000) and then defeated TCU on the road 94-90 (Nov. 25, 2000).

• The last time ULM defeated Louisiana Tech in Ruston was on Jan. 17, 1982, 76-66, in Memorial Gymnasium. ULM would go on to win the 1982 TAAC championship with three-straight wins in the tournament for its first of seven NCAA Tournament appearances. The Warhawks finished that season 19-11.

• The Warhawks have compiled a 116-148 record (.439) against current members of Conference USA (2-6 vs. Florida Atlantic, 4-4 vs. FIU, 36-54 vs. Louisiana Tech, 6-9 vs. Middle Tennessee, 30-23 vs. North Texas, 2-0 vs. Rice, 15-23 vs. Southern Miss, 1-2 vs. UAB, 0-2 vs. UTEP, 19-13 vs. UTSA and 1-12 vs. Western Kentucky). ULM has not played Charlotte, Marshall or Old Dominion.

ULM went 0-3 in games against C-USA opponents in 2020-21 after being swept in a home-and-home series by LA Tech (78-62 in Ruston and 68-57 in Monroe) and a road loss at Southern Miss (60-47).

• After this week's games in Ruston, the Warhawks play at SMU on Sunday, Nov. 28. ULM opens the month of December with three consecutive games back at home, beginning with Centenary on Dec. 1, the 50th anniversary of the first game in Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS –
5 — In addition to recording his first career double-double against his hometown team, Northwestern State, freshman forward Thomas Howell also set career highs in five categories: minutes (29), points (13), rebounds (11), field goals made (6) and field goals attempted (8).

12.0 — ULM leads the Sun Belt and is tied for 10th nationally with 12.0 steals per game. Junior guard Elijah Gonzales is averaging 2.5 per game to top the individual Sun Belt Conference rankings, good for 42nd in the NCAA Division I rankings. Three Warhawks, junior guard Elijah Gonzales (1-2.5), junior guard Koreem Ozier (2-2.0) and graduate guard Andre Jones (10-1.75) are ranked in the Top 10 of the league's individual rankings for steals per game.

24 — The Warhawks' 24 assists vs. Northwestern State were the most since ULM had 25 vs. Millsaps on Dec. 18, 2017. Junior guard Elijah Gonzales' 10 assists are the most by a Warhawk since Nick Coppola had 11 vs. Georgia State (3/5/16), the second time Coppola hit that mark that season.

50.9% — ULM is shooting 50.9 percent from the field in the first half of its games with the top performance, percentage-wise, 58.8 percent, coming against Northwestern State Monday afternoon. The Warhawks have had better field-goal percentages in the first half of three of their four games while recording a higher field-goal percentage in the second half of the game at No. 22 Auburn.

100% — ULM went 6-6 (100%) from the field over a 2:04 stretch late in the first half vs. NSU with two dunks (Andre Jones), a layup and a 3-pointer (Nika Metskhvarishvili), a layup (Trey Boston) and dunk (Thomas Howell). The Warhawks finished the half 8-10 (80%) with back-to-back baskets by Reginald Gee and Metskhvarishvili and opened the second half making their first three field goals.

LA TECH SCOUTING REPORT –
Head Coach: Eric Conkol (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 2000)
Record/Seasons at LA Tech/Career Record/Seasons: 132-66 (7th season)/Same
Konkol's Record vs. ULM: 2-0
Bulldogs' top scorer & rebounder: Freshman F Kenneth Lofton, Jr. (13.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg)

Louisiana Tech shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the 83-64 victory over Northwestern State last Friday night. The Bulldogs used an early 15-0 run to get a jump on the Demons and build a 20-point lead by halftime. LA Tech's leading scorer and rebounder Kenneth Lofton Jr. finished the night with his second-straight double-double. Lofton Jr. was one of four in double figures and scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half. It was the third-straight win for LA Tech after a 93-64 season-opening loss at No. 14 Alabama.

Kenneth Lofton Jr., Amorie Archibald and Keaston Willis are all averaging double figures in scoring for the Bulldogs. Willis, who has 15 points three times this season, made his first start as a Bulldog vs. Northwestern State. Archibald (11-25, 42.5%) and Willis (7-14, 50%) have combined to make 18 of the Bulldogs' 33 treys. Freshman forward David Green has six on the season.

LA Tech was picked to finish second in the Conference USA Preseason Poll, receiving six first-place votes. It is the highest the Bulldogs have been picked since 2014 when they were chosen to finish first. The 2021-22 team returns four starters off last year's team that won 24 games, a C-USA West Division title and reached the NIT Final Four.

The Bulldogs ranked first in C-USA and Top 30 in the country in both field-goal percentage defense
(.403) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (.304) in 2020-21. They were one of only eight teams in the country to rank in the Top 30 in field-goal percentage defense in 2019-20 and 2020-21. LA Tech held 25 of its 32 opponents in 2020-21 to under 70 points, including 10 opponents to under 60.

ULM/LOUISIANA TECH SERIES NOTES –
Wednesday's game marks the 91st meeting between ULM and Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 54-36 (.600), including a 33-11 record in games played in Ruston. LA Tech is a perfect 15-0 against the Warhawks in games played in the Thomas Assembly Center. ULM's last win in Ruston came on Jan. 28, 1982, 76-66, in Memorial Gymnasium.

Overall, LA Tech has won the last eight games in the series (2008-13; 2020-21), including a home-and-home sweep in 2020-21 (78-62 in Ruston and 68-57 in Monroe). ULM's last win in the series came on Jan. 28, 1991, a 100-89 victory in Fant-Ewing Coliseum, as the Warhawks posted their highest point total against the Bulldogs in a regulation game.

ULM/LA TECH COACHING CONNECTION –
ULM head coach Keith Richard previously spent nine seasons (1998-2007) in the same capacity at Louisiana Tech, where he compiled a 150-117 record (.562). In his first season, Richard led the Bulldogs to a 19-9 record, including the 1999 Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship (10-4). He guided LA Tech to three 20-win seasons and two postseason appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (2002 and 2006). His 150 career wins rank third on LA Tech's all-time list.

2020-21 SERIES RECAP –
Game 1 | LA Tech 78, ULM 62 (Dec. 3, 2020, in Ruston, La.): Kalob Ledoux and Cobe Williams combined for 29 points to lead a well-balanced scoring attack as Louisiana Tech improved to 3-0 on the season with a 78-62 win over I-20 rival ULM at the Thomas Assembly Center. It marked the season opener for the Warhawks.

Williams buried three 3-pointers in the first 4:17 as LA Tech raced out to a 12-2 lead. After a 30-second timeout by ULM, Erie Olonade's 3 from the left wing sparked a 16-7 run as the Warhawks cut their deficit to one at 19-18 on Josh Nicholas' trey from the left corner. Russell Harrison accounted for eight of ULM's 16 points during that stretch.
The Bulldogs responded with a 21-6 spurt and built a 16-point lead at 40-24 on Amorie Archibald's step-back jumper from the right side of the lane with 3:03 left in the first half. LA Tech led by 14 at the intermission, 45-31.

Louisiana Tech shot 53 percent (18-of-34) from the field in the first half, including 40 percent (6-of-15) from behind the 3-point arc. The Bulldogs made 11 of 14 field-goal attempts during one stretch. LA Tech also outrebounded ULM, 25-9, in the first 20 minutes.

The Warhawks were unable to cut the margin to single digits in the second half. A pair of free throws from Jacolby Pemberton gave LA Tech its largest lead at 74-51 with 7:31 remaining in the game.

Five Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Ledoux who netted all 15 of his points in the second half. LA Tech also got 14 points from Williams, 12 from Pemberton, 11 from Archibald, while Kenneth Lofton Jr. came off the bench to record a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

In his ULM debut, Harrison played a solid all-around game, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals. Newcomer Marco Morency contributed 10 points and four assists while Nicholas added 10 points off the bench. Nine different Warhawks scored in the game.

Game 2 | LA Tech 68, ULM 57 (Dec. 22, 2020, in Monroe, La.): ULM came close, but couldn't close out Louisiana Tech, fading down the stretch in a 68-57 loss to the Bulldogs at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Louisiana Tech finished the game on a 19-7 run to beat ULM for second time in the home-and-home series. Overall, the game featured six lead changes and five ties. ULM held its last lead at 50-49 with 8:52 left in regulation. The Warhawks started fast and stayed in control for much of the game before their late drought.

Chris Efretuei paced ULM with 12 points, but only two in the second half. Koreem Ozier scored 11 with seven rebounds and Russell Harrison added 10 for ULM, which shot 38 percent overall and made just 4-of-10 free throws. Cobe Williams and Kaleb Ledoux led Tech with 13 points each. The Bulldogs shot 44 percent from the floor but supplemented their scoring with 14-of-21 free-throw shooting.

ULM opened the game with a 7-0 rush as Tech missed its first five shots and took almost four minutes to score. Exavian Christon tallied nine of Tech's first 12 points, hitting three 3-pointers. The Bulldogs used the long ball to claw back, drawing within 22-20 with 7:52 remaining on Ledoux's 3-pointer.

ULM led until the 6:33 mark, when Tech tied the score at 24-24 on a layup by Williams. The Bulldogs claimed their first lead at 28-26 on Ledoux's 3-pointer with 3:48 to go before the half.

After falling behind by six points 32-26, ULM responded with a 6-0 run to tie the game for the second time. Tech's JaColby Pemberton knocked down a pair of free throws with 30 seconds showing and the visitors went into halftime leading 34-32. Efretuei delivered a strong first half with 10 points and three rebounds. ULM outscored Tech, 20-8, in the paint and led for 14:26 of the first half.

A 12-2 run to ignite the second half catapulted ULM to its biggest lead at 44-36, when Luke Phillips hit a 3-pointer with 14:41 left in the game. But Tech regained the lead at 49-47 as ULM suffered through a scoring drought that lasted almost four minutes.

ULM claimed a brief edge at 50-49 on Marco Morency's 3-pointer, but the Bulldogs responded with a 10-0 run. ULM went more than five minutes again without scoring and made five turnovers as the deficit grew.

LAST TIME OUT –
ULM 96, Northwestern State 66 (Nov. 22, 2021, in Ruston, La.): Six ULM basketball players scored in double figures for the second-straight game en route to a 96-66 win over Northwestern State Monday afternoon. The Warhawks topped NSU in their first game of the Lanky Wells Classic in Ruston, Louisiana, as sophomores Trey Boston and Nika Metskhvarishvili and junior Koreem Ozier shared game-high scoring honors with 15 points each. Freshman forward Thomas Howell recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs.

The Warhawks turned in another exceptional team effort, overwhelming the Demons with a season-best 56.5 percent shooting from the field with 24 assists on 35 baskets. Junior guard Elijah Gonzales directed the Warhawk offense and tied his career best with 10 assists along with six points and three of the team's 15 steals. Northwestern State shot only 41 percent from the field with several unproductive stretches and was hampered by 25 turnovers and foul trouble for three of its top four scorers.

Boston and Metskhvarishvili combined for 30 of ULM's 42 points off the bench. Metskhvarishvili added six rebounds, one shy of his career best, to his game totals. Graduate guards Andre Jones and Reginald Gee finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively, and each had three assists. ULM had 52 points in the paint and split its six 3-pointers with three in each half.

ULM, up 50-29 at halftime, picked up in the second half right where it ended the first. ULM connected on its first three attempts from the floor and extended its lead to 57-32 on Ozier's first 3-pointer of the season. Ozier scored all 15 of his points in the second period and tied his career best with four steals. The Warhawks led by as many as 33, benefitting from four of six made baskets to end the game after a stretch of four-straight made buckets earlier to go up by 29.

The Warhawks bolstered their lead in the first half with six-straight made field goals and closed the half 8-of-10 from the floor. Northwestern State went without a field goal for 8:37 until the Demons' only 3-pointer of the first period came after Larry Owens stole the ball and tossed up a 30-foot desperation shot as the clock hit zero.

The first seven minutes of the game saw five ties and two lead changes before the Warhawks took the lead for good on Metskhvarishvili's second layup for a 14-12 score. Back-to-back baskets by Howell put ULM up by double figures before NSU cut the lead to nine with 6:14 to play in the first half. Six different Warhawks scored in a 17-5 run over five minutes to extend the lead to 41-24.

Cedric Garrett fouled out of the game, but had the top point total for NSU with 13. Kendal Coleman scored eight of his 10 points in the second half and pulled down six rebounds.

QUOTING KEITH RICHARD –
Louisiana Tech Scouting Report
"This Louisiana Tech team really has three things going for it. First, this is an experienced team, with four returning starters. Second, this roster combines good skill with good athleticism. Some teams have skilled players. Others have good athletics, but rarely, do you see this combination. And third, this team plays hard on the defensive end of the floor and pays attention to detail.

"It all starts with the big kid inside, Kenneth Lofton Jr., who is an all-conference player. And he's complemented at the top by an extremely talented guard, in Amorie Archibald. This team is built around these two really skilled and productive players."

On first-half success in Monday's game vs. Northwestern State
"We played really well in the first half. The same kind of M.O. that when we played well so far this year, (we had) an aggressive, active defense, that will cause some havoc a little bit within the half court and man to man, and not turning the ball over on offense, only five turnovers in the first half. We got a little sideways on some rebounding defensively, but we corrected it, and we stopped it, and the defense turned into transition offensive points."

On Warhawks executing the game plan
"I thought our guys did a good job of listening to what we wanted to do in this game on the offensive end, we wanted to get inside and we wanted to have a lot of layups, and we did. The guys came off the bench and kind of did the same thing. We had a few threes in the first half, but we only shot seven in the first half, so that tells me they're listening. We're making a little progress and I'm not saying we're there, but we're making some progress in the listening aspect. Again, an outstanding first half."

Ball movement
"We really shared the basketball well against Northwestern State (24 assists on 35 field goals made). No one minded making the extra pass for a better shot.

"I'm really happy with the ball movement because we've been emphasizing moving the ball from side to side. We don't want perimeter players putting their heads down and driving to the basket. The ball didn't stick a lot against Northwestern State. It always appeared to be moving, and we'll need ball movement like that as we face better and better defensive teams throughout the season."

On defensive leadership from Jones and Gonzales in first half vs. Demons
"Defensively, I thought Andre Jones and Elijah Gonzales were all over the court in the first half. They were helping, they were stealing and they were stabbing and they were staying in front of the ball, doing a lot."

On the cornerstone of how ULM wants to play this season
"We're working on ourselves. From the Auburn first half, we keep using that half as a kind of a cornerstone of how we want to play, and we're working on it. We're working on it in practice, we're working on it in the film room, and now we're working on it in games. It's how we want to look, even when we make mistakes. It's how we want to look and play. I think our guys are starting to feel it, understand it. Now they just have to learn how to do it over more minutes, but certainly another step in the right direction (vs. Northwestern State)."

2021-22 ULM STARTING LINEUPS –
Nov. 9 at LSU: Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 12 at Auburn: Gonzales, Boston, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 16 vs. Champion Christian: Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 22 vs. Northwestern State: Gonzales, Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Howell

Different Starting Combinations (3):
Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell: 2 (1-1)
Gonzales, Boston, Gee, Harrison, Howell: 1 (0-1)
Gonzales, Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Howell: 1 (1-0)

2021-22 WARHAWK STATISTICAL TRENDS –
Games played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 1-0
Games played on the road: 0-2
Games played at a neutral site: 1-0

Games played in November: 2-2
Games played in December: 0-0
Games played in January: 0-0
Games played in February: 0-0
Games played in March: 0-0

When leading at halftime: 2-1
When trailing at halftime: 0-1
When tied at halftime: 0-0

When shooting .500 or better from the field: 2-0
When shooting less than .500 from the field: 0-2
When opponent shoots .500 or better from the field: 0-1
When opponent shoots less than .500 from the floor: 2-1

When outrebounding opponent: 2-0
When outrebounded by opponent: 0-2
When rebounding totals are equal: 0-0

When hitting more free throws than opponent: 2-0
When hitting fewer free throws than opponent: 0-2
When hitting the same number of free throws as opponent: 0-0

When committing fewer turnovers than opponent: 2-0
When opponent commits fewer turnovers: 0-2
When turnover totals are equal: 0-0

When ULM scores less than 50 points: 0-1
When ULM scores 50-59 points: 0-0
When ULM scores 60-69 points: 0-1
When ULM scores 70-79 points: 0-0
When ULM scores 80-89 points: 0-0
When ULM scores 90+ points: 2-0

When opponent scores less than 50 points: 0-0
When opponent scores 50-59 points: 1-0
When opponent scores 60-69 points: 1-0
When opponent scores 70-79 points: 0-0
When opponent scores 80-89 points: 0-0
When opponent scores 90+ points: 0-2

Games decided by five points or less: 0-0
Games decided by 6-10 points: 0-0
Games decided by 11-19 points: 0-0
Games decided by 20 points or more: 2-2

Largest deficit overcome to win: 2 (9-7 vs. Champion Christian, Nov. 16; 4-2 and 6-4 vs. Northwestern State, Nov. 22)
Largest lead surrendered in a loss: 8 (30-22 and 32-24 at Auburn, Nov. 12)

Print Friendly Version

ULM Warhawks

Related News

ULM Visits I-20 Rival LA Tech Wednesday