Andre Jones dunk vs. South Alabama 2022
Luke Richard/ULM Athletics
68
Winner South Alabama USA 14-5,4-2 Sun Belt
56
La.-Monroe ULM 10-10,2-6 Sun Belt
Winner
South Alabama USA
14-5,4-2 Sun Belt
68
Final
56
La.-Monroe ULM
10-10,2-6 Sun Belt
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
South Alabama USA 33 35 68
La.-Monroe ULM 35 21 56

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

ULM Can’t Solve USA’s Zone; Drops Third-Straight Home Game, 68-56

By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

MONROE La. – ULM saw one get away Saturday with a second-half swoon as South Alabama captured a 68-56 Sun Belt Conference win at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

The Warhawks (10-10, 2-6 Sun Belt) allowed a two-point halftime lead to evaporate as the Jaguars outscored ULM, 35-21, over the final 20 minutes.

"We struggled against their 2-3 zone and we struggled with turnovers out of it," ULM coach Keith Richard said. "I'm looking down at the stat sheet and there's 27 points off turnovers. The majority of those were against the zone. They're a really fast team and they explode in transition. Those turnovers are undefended points. That was the story of the game."

A pair of imports from the Southeastern Conference led the way for USA as Texas A&M  transfer Jay Jay Chandler scored 21 and LSU transfer Charles Manning Jr. added 20.

"They're good players and they've got a lot of good players on that team," Richard said. "They go the transfer portal route and they hit on some guys."

The Jaguars utilized big advantages in several key statistical categories to put ULM away. South Alabama (14-5, 4-2 Sun Belt) came up with 14 steals and outscored ULM, 27-7, on points off turnovers. The Jaguars also outscored ULM on fast-break points (17-0) and points in the paint (34-18).

"When we didn't turn it over, we actually got some good shots," Richard said. "We've got to do better against the zone."

Nika Metskhvarishvili scored 13 points with seven rebounds while Andre Jones scored 13 with five rebounds and five assists but also committed eight of ULM's 18 turnovers.

After spotting USA an 11-3 lead to start the game, ULM rode an 11-0 run to go ahead 14-11 on Thomas Howell's jumper. The Warhawks kept up the surge and built their largest first-half lead to 25-14 as the run extended to 22-3.

USA would regroup and tied the score at 31-31 on a 3-pointer by Chandler with 1:49 left in the first half. The Jaguars made 6-of-7 shots from the field during their rally.

Metskhvarishvili hit a rainbow 3-pointer at the buzzer to send ULM into the break leading 35-33.  He and Jones scored nine points each to lead the Warhawks in the first half. ULM outrebounded USA, 18-9, in the half while outscoring the Jaguars, 9-2, in second-chance points.

The game featured four lead changes and five ties before USA took control.

Early the second half, USA frustrated ULM with its tight, half-court zone and began to pull away with a 15-2 run that gave the Jags a 52-43 lead at the 11:25 mark. The Warhawks would not recover.

"We struggled on getting inside that defense," Richard said. "They're real long and our passing wasn't good against it, trying to get it in there against them. That turned the game."

Up next: Continuing a four-game homestand, ULM will enjoy two more home dates next week with Georgia Southern (Jan. 27) and Georgia State (Jan. 29) visiting Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Tail feathers: The opening tip was delayed about five minutes due to excess "smoke" lingering on the court from ULM's pregame introductions. …  Andre Jones had ULM's dunk of the game with a two-handed follow slam off a rebound early in the first half. Not a dunk, but Jones also deserved style points for his driving reverse lefty layup early in the second half. … ULM and USA met in the regular season for the first time since Feb. 15, 2020. … Five of ULM's first eight baskets were 3-pointers. … South Alabama won its third straight over ULM and leads the series 15-14 after Saturday's win.
 
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