MONROE, La. – The ULM women's basketball team (2-2) tied Central Arkansas late in the game, but the Sugar Bears escaped with a 60-53 win at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Warhawks held the scrappy UCA team to 31 percent shooting for the game and matched the Sugar Bears with three scorers in double figures, but ULM turnovers produced 17 points for Central Arkansas. 

Parris Atkins had a game-best 15 points for the Sugar Bears and Kierra Prim had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Graduate center Emma Merriweather led ULM with 13 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double, and first start, as a Warhawk. 

"Hats off to Central Arkansas -- they are a tough, well-coached team, as we expected," said ULM head women's basketball coach Brooks Donald Williams. "We weren't tough against Prim today. We knew she was going to be a lot to handle on the boards. She has a will and a knack for rebounding the basketball. We can't allow a team to have that many second-chance opportunities."

The game was tied at 28 at the half after each team had a quarter with nine points and with 19. More than half of UCA's first-half points, 16, and 26 points for the game, came from second-chance opportunities.

For the Warhawks, they battled back from a 19-9 deficit in the first quarter to flip that score to 19-9 in their favor in the second period. Myca Trail and Aasia Sam boosted ULM's offensive production off the bench as the bench scored 15 of the Warhawks' 28 points by the intermission. Trail scored seven of her 11 total points in eight minutes and Sam had five of her points in the second quarter to help the Warhawks knot the game, erasing the Sugar Bears' 12-point early advantage.

Merriweather had a big impact in the first quarter accounting for eight of the Warhawks' points and seven rebounds. 

"Having Emma (Merriweather) on the floor makes a difference for us," Williams said. "It's going to take her some time to get comfortable and in the flow after sitting out for such a long period of time, but she still impacts our team greatly when she's out there."

Points didn't come easily for either team in the first part of the third quarter as both teams combined for seven points through the first five minutes. Olivia Knight connected on a 3-pointer for the Warhawks' first points of the period at the 7:33 mark to pull ULM within one at 32-31. Prim converted the and-one after her driving layup to start and ULM's Myca Trail answered with four-straight points, two free throws and a steal and score to tie the game at 35-all with 4:29 to play.

ULM tied the game at 37 off another Knight bucket, but UCA responded with a quick layup from Kayla Mitchell. Mitchell finished the afternoon with 12 points. Merriweather added a free throw, but the Sugar Bears had two field goals for a four-point lead after three quarters.

 Central Arkansas opened its lead in the fourth quarter, extending it to as many as 12. Sam had four points, including a 3-pointer, and Knight brought the margin to single-digits with the final basket of the game, a trey.

"Central Florida will be a challenge," Williams commented on the Warhawks' upcoming opponent. "They have great size, length and speed across the board. We look forward to the challenge and opportunity to continue to prepare for a tough Sun Belt Conference."

ULM plays its next two games away from the state of Louisiana with a Tuesday, Nov. 22, game at UCF and Tuesday, Nov. 29, game at Mississippi State. The Warhawks return home for a Saturday, Dec. 3 game vs. Champion Christian.