Russell Harrison drive vs Lamar 2021-22
Luke Richard/ULM Athletics
80
Winner La.-Monroe ULM 8-4,0-0 Sun Belt
77
Lamar University Lamar 2-11,0-0 WAC
Winner
La.-Monroe ULM
8-4,0-0 Sun Belt
80
Final
77
Lamar University Lamar
2-11,0-0 WAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
La.-Monroe ULM 35 45 80
Lamar University Lamar 43 34 77

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

ULM Scores 45 Second-Half Points at Lamar; Extends Winning Streak to 6 Games

BEAUMONT, Texas – Andre Jones, Russell Harrison and Thomas Howell combined to score 37 of ULM's 45 second-half points as the Warhawks rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit for an 80-77 victory at Lamar Monday night while extending their winning streak to six-straight games. It marks ULM's longest-winning streak since the 2015-16 season when the Warhawks won 10-straight Sun Belt Conference games.
 
It also marked ULM's eighth non-conference victory of the 2021-22 campaign – the most since the 1987-88 team won 10 non-league games.
 
In addition, the Warhawks snapped a five-game losing skid in the series against Lamar and recorded their first win in Beaumont, Texas, since Feb. 28, 2004, 77-65.
 
The game featured nine lead changes and three ties, with six of those lead changes coming in the first half.
 
Lamar (2-11) controlled most of the first half, leading for more than 14 of the first 20 minutes. Harrison's 3-pointer gave ULM an early 6-4 lead with 17:43 on the clock. The Cardinals answered with a 10-2 spurt and took a 14-8 lead on C.J. Roberts' pull-up 3 in transition with 13:36 remaining. Trailing 18-11, Nika Metskhvarishvili's layup sparked a 7-0 run as ULM rallied to tie the score at 18-all on Howell's traditional three-point play with 8:29 left in the opening half. Jordyn Adams connected on back-to-back 3s as Lamar built its largest lead of the night at 42-32 with 1:28 to play. Adams (13) and Roberts (12) combined for 25 first-half points and the Cardinals went to the locker room with a 43-35 advantage at the intermission.
 
The Cardinals shot 51 percent (18-of-35) from the field in the first half, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Lamar dominated the glass in the opening 20 minutes, outrebounding ULM, 24-13, including an 11-2 edge on the offensive boards. Corey Nickerson collected seven rebounds in the first half, including six off the offensive glass. Surprisingly, the Cardinals also enjoyed a 22-18 edge in points from the paint. Harrison carried the scoring load for the Warhawks in the first half, netting 12 points.
 
"It was a gritty win by the Warhawks tonight," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "In the second half, we really got down and dirty with them, and we had to because Lamar outtoughed us in the first half. They outmuscled us on the backboards. They were simply the more physical team in the first half. That's all we talked about at halftime that we had to win those types of plays. They're toughness was the difference in the first half."
 
ULM (8-4) responded like a veteran team to open the second half, outscoring Lamar, 18-2, in the first 5:04 and took its biggest lead at 53-45 as Harrison buried a 3 from the right wing, off a cross-court pass from Jones. Harrison delivered eight points during the run, including back-to-back triples, as the Warhawks grabbed their first lead since 8-7. The Cardinals reeled off nine-straight points and regained the lead at 54-53 on Nickerson's three-point play with 12:58 on the clock. ULM took the lead for good at 55-54 on Harrison's jumper from the lane, off another feed from Jones. The Warhawks matched their eight-point lead at 67-59 with 6:40 remaining, as Jones scored six-straight points on a turnaround jumper from left of the lane, a dunk off a steal by Langston Powell and a layup. Lamar managed to close the margin to one point twice in the final 3:50 – the last time at 78-77 as Kasen Harrison and Adams connected on back-to-back 3s in the final nine seconds. ULM's Elijah Gonzales converted two free throws with a fraction of a second on the clock to provide the final margin, 80-77.
 
"Fast forward to the second half and I really like the way we responded," Richard said. "We did get down and dirty with them. We rebounded the ball much better. We got down on the floor for the loose balls. We didn't let their guards drive in for the mid-range jumpers. It was just a better defensive performance by our team in the second half, which allowed us to go play better offense.
 
"Look at the swing in this game. We're down eight at the half after being outscored, 43-35. We win the second half, 45-34. That big swing tells you how well we played in the second half on both ends of the floor. Lamar had 11 offensive rebounds in the first half and finished with 16. So, they only got five (offensive boards) in the second half. We played a seven-man rotation in the second half and all of those guys played hard.
 
"We led by as many as eight in the second half, but Lamar cut it down to one twice in the last four minutes," Richard continued. "So, our guys knew they had to make shots or plays at the rim to go close out this win on the road. That's another good road win for our team."  
 
After the intermission, Jones (14 points), Harrison (13) and Howell (10) shot a combined 14-of-18 (78 percent) from the field. As a team, the Warhawks made 16-of-28 second-half field-goal attempts (57 percent), including 3-of-9 3s, and 10-of-13 free-throw attempts.  After a minus-11 rebound margin in the first half, ULM was only outrebounded by one after the break, 15-14. Over the final 20 minutes, the Warhawks held a decided advantage in points in the paint, 22-10; points off turnovers, 17-7; and fast-break points, 13-4. Lamar remained within striking distance in the second half, thanks to its 6-of-7 shooting (86 percent) from behind the 3-point arc.
 
"Russell Harrison made some big shots in the second half," Richard said. "Andre Jones made some big plays at the rim too, and Thomas Howell had another career-high scoring night."
 
Four ULM players scored in double figures, led by Harrison who posted his third 20-point performance in his last five games, matching his career high with 25 points. He finished 9-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-8 3s, and collected a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Howell contributed a career-high 17 points, hitting 7-of-9 field-goal attempts, and six rebounds. Jones, who went 6-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, added 16 points and a season-high eight assists. Gonzales, who sat significant minutes with four fouls, tallied 10 points, four assists and matched his career-best with five steals.
 
Five Cardinals posted double figures, led by Adams who netted a season-high 21 points on 7-of-15 field-goal shooting including 4-of-8 3-pointers. Lamar also got 15 points from Roberts, 13 from Kasen Harrison and 12 from Brock McClure, while Nickerson produced his second career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Lamar's bench played a major factor in the game, outscoring ULM's reserves, 37-9.  
 
ULM will take a five-day break for the Holidays before beginning preparation on Sunday, Dec. 26 for Sun Belt Conference play.
 
The Warhawks open Sun Belt action with a road swing to Coastal Carolina on Thursday, Dec. 30 (7 p.m. ET) and App State on Saturday, Jan. 1 (4 p.m. ET).
 
"We haven't lost a game in the month of December, which means we're getting better," Richard said. "We've really improved in the last month. We've settled into what we're doing and how we want to play. This road win tonight at Lamar is a good way to send us into the Christmas break.
 
"If you've been following the team's in our league, there really isn't a top and bottom tier. From top to bottom, the Sun Belt is as even as it has been in a long time. Fans should look forward to a lot of close games and a lot of last-second shots. It should be fun."
 
Andre Jones drive vs Lamar 2021-22

 
Print Friendly Version