Nika Metskhvarishvili jump shot vs Texas State 2022
Luke Richard/ULM Athletics
56
La.-Monroe ULM 9-8,1-4 Sun Belt
80
Winner Texas St. TXST 10-4,1-1 Sun Belt
La.-Monroe ULM
9-8,1-4 Sun Belt
56
Final
80
Texas St. TXST
10-4,1-1 Sun Belt
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
La.-Monroe ULM 33 23 56
Texas St. TXST 51 29 80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Short-Handed Warhawks Fall at Texas State, 80-56

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Caleb Asberry recorded his second career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds as Texas State returned to competition after a 14-day COVID break and extended its winning streak over ULM to seven in a row with an 80-56 victory Thursday night. It also marked Texas State's first win since Dec. 18.
 
ULM played the game without two of its starting guards, in Andre Jones and Koreem Ozier, due to COVID protocols. Jones and Ozier combine to average nearly 26 points per game.
 
Texas State (10-4, 1-1 Sun Belt), which never trailed in the game, raced out to a 14-4 lead. The Warhawks answered with a 7-2 run and pulled to within 16-11 on Elijah Gonzales' 3-pointer from the top of the circle, off a steal by Nika Metskhvarishvili, with 13:01 left in the first half. The Bobcats outscored ULM, 13-3, over the next 3:17 and built a 29-14 lead on Asberry's 3 from the left wing with 9:21 on the clock. A pull-up jumper by Gonzales from the free-throw line sparked an 8-2 spurt and the Warhawks cut their deficit to 31-22 on Russell Harrison's 8-foot jumper from the right baseline with 7:02 remaining. Mason Harrell buried back-to-back 3s to fuel a 13-0 run as Texas State moved out to a 48-26 advantage with 2:13 to go. The Bobcats enjoyed an 18-point lead at the intermission, 51-33.
 
In the first 20 minutes, Texas State showed no ill effects from the 2-week layoff, shooting 53 percent (17-of-32) from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range (50 percent), while committing only one turnover. The Bobcats also outrebounded ULM, 24-14, and held a 14-3 edge in second-chance points. Harrell (14) and Asberry (11) combined for 25 first-half points.
 
Harrison opened the second-half scoring with a step-back jumper from the left wing, but Texas State reeled off 11 consecutive points to take a 62-35 lead on Asberry's trey from the left wing with 15:29 left. Dylan Dawson's 3 from the left corner gave the Bobcats' their largest lead at 69-40 with 12:19 on the clock. ULM (9-8, 1-4) went the final 5:51 without a field goal.
 
For the game, Texas State made 28-of-56 field-goal attempts (50 percent), including 9-of-17 3-pointers (53 percent). By comparison, ULM shot 32 percent (18-of-56) from the floor, including 5-of-21 3s (24 percent). The Bobcats, who outrebounded the Warhawks, 42-21, also enjoyed a decided advantage in points in the paint, 32-20, and fast-break points, 16-5.
 
"Without Koreem (Ozier) and Andre (Jones), we ran into a bad matchup tonight," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "The thing that stood out was how much quicker and stronger Texas State's guards were tonight. We simply couldn't guard team. It didn't matter if we were playing man or zone, we really struggled defensively. Since they were quicker and stronger on the perimeter, it meant they got inside on us a lot, which also caused rebounding problems. It also meant that we didn't get very many fast-break opportunities.
 
"The absence of Koreem and Andre also was felt on the offensive end of the floor. We asked Elijah (Gonzales) to do it all. We needed Koreem and Andre to help break down the defense off the dribble and make plays. Those guys can penetrate inside and make people help, so the ball can be kicked back out for open shots. Without them in the lineup, it was hard for us to score a lot of two-point buckets. We got some points in the paint, but not nearly as many as we usually get.
 
"This really shows what COVID can do to a team on a given night," Richard continued. "Minus Koreem and Andre, this was a tough assignment. No question about it, but our guys played hard."
 
Asberry hit 5-of-8 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 3s, and finished with a game-high 19 points. Three other Texas State starters scored in double figures, including Harrell and Shelby Adams, who netted 14 points each, and Isiah Small, who added 13 points and seven rebounds.
 
Metskhvarishvili posted his first career double-double with 15 points to go along with a career-high 11 rebounds (4 offensive boards).
 
"Nika continues to play well for us," Richard said. "With each game, he gets more and more comfortable playing against the athletic forwards we have in the Sun Belt. Nika can score in a variety of ways, as he showed tonight. He probably could have had another 20-point game, but he didn't finish a couple of plays at the rim because of their athleticism on the front line. As the season moves along, Nika will only continue to grow and improve."
 
The Warhawks also got 15 points from Harrison, who has reached double figures in 10 of his last 11 games.
 
ULM concludes the Sun Belt road swing at league-leading UT Arlington (8-8, 4-1) on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. UTA opened its weekend conference homestand with an 83-73 win over the Ragin' Cajuns Thursday night.
 
 
Print Friendly Version