Thomas Howell dunk vs SMU 2021-22
Ellman Photography
67
La.-Monroe ULM 2-4,0-0 Sun Belt
74
Winner SMU SMU 5-3,0-0 AAC
La.-Monroe ULM
2-4,0-0 Sun Belt
67
Final
74
SMU SMU
5-3,0-0 AAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
La.-Monroe ULM 36 31 67
SMU SMU 34 40 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Late Turnovers Prove Costly as ULM’s Upset Bid Falls Short at SMU, 74-67

DALLAS – SMU outscored ULM, 24-7, over the final 5:45 to turn a 10-point deficit into a 74-67 victory Sunday afternoon as the Mustangs improved to 5-0 in Moody Coliseum this season. Emmanuel Bandoumel (11) and Kendric Davis (10) combined to score 21 points during the decisive stretch.
 
There were two ties and four lead changes in the first half.
 
A reverse layup by Andre Jones in transition sparked a 13-6 run as ULM moved out to a 24-16 lead on Thomas Howell's hook shot from inside the lane with 7:51 remaining in the first half. A pull-up jumper from Elijah Gonzales in the lane gave the Warhawks a 10-point advantage at 28-18 with 6:24 on the clock. The Mustangs went more than six minutes without a field goal, missing four consecutive shots. SMU put together a 16-6 spurt and tied the score at 34-all on Bandoumel's 3-pointer from straightaway with 49 seconds to go in the opening half. The Warhawks took a 36-34 lead into the locker room on Luke Phillips' layup, off an assist from Jones, with :06 to go.
 
ULM (2-4) shot 54 percent (15-of-28) from the field in the first half, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range. Howell netted 12 first-half points, hitting 6-of-7 shots from the floor, and collected four rebounds. Seven different Warhawks scored in the first 20 minutes.
 
With the scored tied at 44-all, Gonzales connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to fuel a 16-6 run as ULM matched its largest lead at 10 points, 60-50, on Russell Harrison's turnaround jumper off the right block with 7:19 left in the second half. SMU, which experienced a scoring drought that lasted 3:57, hit only 1-of-7 field-goal attempts during one stretch. Bandoumel connected on back-to-back 3s – one from the top of the circle and another from the right wing – to key the comeback. The Mustangs reeled off 11-straight points and took their first lead since 6-5 (18:07 mark in the first half) at 61-60 on a deep trey by Davis from the top of the circle with 3:15 remaining. SMU's run reached 13-0 as Bandoumel's rebound basket pushed the lead to 63-60. ULM cut its deficit to 63-62 on Trey Boston's pull-up jumper from the right baseline with 2:29 on the clock, but that was the closest the Warhawks could get down the stretch. The Mustangs iced the game by converting 5-of-6 free-throw attempts in the final 19 seconds and the final score marked their largest lead.
 
The Warhawks led for 33:27 in the game.
 
"I'm very proud of our team, especially the way they competed from start to finish on both ends of the floor," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "This is the same type of team that has blown us out in the first five games, but we didn't let go of the rope today. We defended for 40 minutes, tried to run good offense and tried to make plays and shots down the stretch. I told the team after the game to walk out of here with their heads held high for this performance."
 
SMU (5-3) scored 22 points off ULM's 15 turnovers, with 17 of those coming off 12 second-half miscues. The Mustangs outscored the Warhawks from the free-throw line, 17-5, and outrebounded the visiting team, 43-33, including a 17-4 edge on the offensive glass.
 
"We lost because you can't turn the ball over in crunch time in particular on the road," Richard said. "We had three or four turnovers in a row down the stretch, which led to layups on the other end. So, we didn't even get a chance to defend them in those transition situations. We have to become more conscious about time and score. This has been a little bit of an issue for our team since way back in the summer. It's something that we have to keep working on because those turnovers stopped us from winning this game today.
 
"The basketball gods punish you when you turn the ball over. We'll keep working on it and harping on it in practice. Sometimes, it takes a game like this for it to really sink in with your players that you have to be tight with the ball late in the game, especially when you've got the lead. Offensively, we were a little too helter-skelter, trying to make plays. Hopefully, this will be a learning experience for us because SMU is a good team. We played well to be in this game late in the second half. SMU was picked third in the American Athletic Conference, and we went toe-to-toe with them most of the game. We took a big step forward in our play from last Wednesday (at LA Tech), and we'll try to really draw off this effort to get better next week."
 
For the game, ULM hit 48 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 8-of-21 from beyond the 3-point arc (38 percent). The Warhawks recorded 17 assists on 27 made field goals (63 percent).
 
Davis made 7-of-15 field-goal attempts, including 4-of-9 3s, and all eight free-throw attempts to finish with a season-high 26 points to pace the Mustangs. He also added seven rebounds and seven assists. Bandoumel scored a career-best 21 points, hitting 6-of-13 shots from the floor including 4-of-8 3-pointers.
 
Koreem Ozier, who fouled out with 3:55 left in the game, led the Warhawks with 15 points on 5-of-9 field-goal shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Howell, who hit 6-of-9 field-goal attempts, matched his career high with 13 points to go along with eight rebounds and a career-best five assists. ULM also got 13 points and a season-high five assists from Jones.
 
"There's no question about it; Thomas Howell is improving," Richard said. "He's made great strides from last year to this season, and you can see he's improving in these high-profile games. Thomas has been getting a real learning lesson in terms of how competitive Division I basketball is night in and night out. He played at St. Mary's in Natchitoches (Louisiana), a small Class 1A program, where he dominated nearly opponent he faced. Everyday Thomas plays and competes is a good day for him."
 
ULM opens a three-game homestand against Centenary on Wednesday, Dec. 1, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. It marks the 50th anniversary of the first game played (Dec. 1, 1971, against Sam Houston) in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Single-game tickets are priced at $15 for reserved seats and $12 for general admission.

 
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