MONROE, La. – UT Arlington used a pair of 11-0 runs to open up the lead and ULM struggled to make shots as the Mavericks pulled away for a 64-39 win Saturday afternoon at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
"Hats off to UTA," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "They were really good today. They are a tough matchup for us inside and out."
ULM shot just 24% (11-of-45) from the field. The Warhawks set a new season-high on Friday night, shooting 57% from the floor in the first game of the series against UTA.
UTA's first 11-0 run put the Mavericks up 11-2 on Bre Wickware's 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the first quarter. Gara Beth Self answered with her own trey to pull ULM within six, but the Mavericks scored the final four points of the quarter to lead 15-5 after the first 10 minutes.
The Warhawks held UTA off the board for the first 4:42 of the second quarter and pulled within four on free throws by Linda van Schaik. The Mavericks snapped out of their slump with its second 11-0 run, grabbing six points at the free throw line in the stretch, to push the lead to 15 points at 26-11. UTA led 26-15 at halftime.
ULM's best quarter was the third quarter. After UTA quickly scored the first six points of the quarter, the Warhawks responded as Van Schaik hit a 3-pointer on three consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 35-24. ULM never had a chance to get within 10 of the Mavericks, as UTA's Emma Halverson finished a layup on the next possession. Tasionna McDowell brought the Warhawks within 11 again on a foul line jumper, but Wickware connected on a floater at the other end on the ensuing possession to push the lead back to 13. The Warhawks tallied 19 points in the frame but trailed 48-34 heading to the fourth quarter.
The final frame belonged to UTA. The Mavericks scored 12 of the first 13 points of the quarter and outscored ULM 16-5 in the quarter to roll to the 64-39 victory.
"I was excited for some of our young ones to get quality minutes today," Williams said. "They came in in the middle of the third quarter and brought some much-needed energy. These experiences are only making them better. We see it daily."
Van Schaik led ULM with 15 points while Kierra Crockett had seven points and 10 rebounds. Wickware paced UTA with 18 points while Camryn Hawkins added 15 points.
ULM heads to Lafayette to face the rival Ragin' Cajuns at 3 p.m. Thursday.
"This week will be a little bit different in our prep as we look ahead and prepare for five games in ten days starting with the Lafayette series on Thursday," Williams said. "We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete and get better."
Links to live video, audio and stats are available on the women's basketball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.
