MONROE, La. – ULM shot a season-high 57% from the field and connected on a season-best eight 3-pointers, but an equally hot-shooting UT Arlington squad held off the Warhawks, 72-60, Friday night at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
"We played tough tonight," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "We competed against a very talented, veteran UTA team."
The Mavericks put five scorers in double figures as UTA shot 50% from the field (26-of-52) and hit 9-of-16 3-pointers (56%) to ULM's 25-of-44 effort from the floor and 8-of-15 (53%) mark from deep.
"UTA is dangerous," Williams said. "They have so many weapons on the perimeter and in the paint. They stretch you defensively. Our mistakes have to be minimal against a team of their caliber and we made a few too many tonight."
The Mavericks used an early 13-0 run to build a 15-5 lead with 6:11 left in the first quarter on Katie Ferrell's trey. It was UTA's third 3-pointer of the game, following deep balls from Camryn Hawkins and Terryn Milton.
ULM responded with an 8-0 run to get back within a point late in the quarter. Whitney Goins and Kierra Brimzy canned back-to-back 3-pointers while Brimzy's fast-break layup brought ULM within one at 18-17 with 1:20 left in the quarter. UTA's Barbara Benson, playing in her first game of the season, converted a pair of steals into layups to push the Maverick lead back to five, 22-17, after a quarter.
Morgan Hill's layup off an assist by Brimzy brought ULM within three, 22-19, to open the second quarter. ULM would get no closer the rest of the way. UTA pushed its lead back to double digits on the strength of a 6-0 run, including consecutive baskets off turnovers by Bre Wickware and Shyia Smith, to lead 35-23. The Warhawks briefly cut the gap under 10 when Gara Beth Self hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in the half, but Wickware answered with a trey of her own to give UTA a 42-31 halftime lead.
UTA quickly scored the first eight points of the second half as Hawkins and Wickware buried 3-pointers around a fast-break layup for Smith. ULM closed within 12 at 52-40 on layup by Kierra Crockett off an assist by Diamond Brooks with 5:41 left in the third quarter. UTA answered on the next possession with a trey by Smith and pushed the lead to as much as 18. The Warhawks chipped away at the deficit, closing the gap to 13 on a 3-pointer by Brimzy to end the quarter trailing 63-50.
In the final quarter, ULM never let UTA's lead expand past 14, but the Warhawks couldn't cut the gap back to 10 or less. Brimzy's 3-pointer with 1:15 to play cut the gap back to 11.
Brimzy led ULM with 22 points while Goins reached double figures for the third consecutive game with 11 points. Self added 10 points and five assists.
UTA was led by Smith's 16 points, while Hawkins added 14 and hit 4-of-4 from 3-point range. Wickware chipped in 13 points while Milton had 12 and Benson tallied 10 points.
The Warhawks tallied 60 points on Friday night after scoring 37 in each of the two previous games between the squads in Arlington last month.
"Putting 60 points on the board is a big turnaround from the first series in Arlington," Williams said. "We were more efficient on the offensive end. Our shot selection was much improved. I'm happy for our group to see their shots go down after the week they've had in the gym. We are ready to make adjustments and get after it tomorrow."
ULM and UTA wrap up the series at 4 p.m. Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. For tickets, call 318-342-HAWK or go to ULMWarhawks.com. Links to live video, audio and stats are available on the women's basketball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.
