MONROE, La. – ULM used a 15-0 run late in the first half and limited Lamar to just two points in the last 6:40 of the half to build a 21-point halftime lead, before cruising to an 83-59 win over the Cardinals Saturday afternoon at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
ULM head coach Keith Richard was pleased with his team's efficient effort on the day.
 
"I told them I wanted to play really, really hard today," Richard said. "I think in the first half, defensively, we really did."
 
The Warhawks (4-8 overall) were fueled by efficient days from guards Tyreke Locure and Jamari Blackmon. Locure had 17 points on 7-of-9 field-goal attempts and 3-of-4 3-point shooting while adding seven assists and four rebounds with just one turnover in 25 minutes. Blackmon had a season-high 16 points on 5-of-7 field-goal attempts and 3-of-5 3-point shooting, adding four assists, three steals, one block and just two turnovers in 27 minutes.
 
"I didn't like the way Tyreke came out in the first five minutes," Richard said. "The one turnover he had was a sloppy pass and he didn't have the right body language that we were looking for. We took him out, and he sat for about six or seven minutes. When he came in, he got right. I thought he was really good there.
 
"Jamari, early on, had the right tempo we wanted and sense of urgency on the defensive end," Richard continued. "Both those guys did well."
 
Jacob Wilson tallied 12 points off the bench while Savion Gallion had 11 points with four assists to join Locure and Blackmon in double figures. Victor Bafutto added eight points with 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
 
As a team, ULM had 27 assists on 32 made field-goal attempts and had 13 turnovers.
 
"The 27 assists means we shared the ball tremendously, and we didn't have many turnovers until the last couple of minutes," Richard said. "We didn't give up a lot of offensive rebounds until the last couple of minutes. It was in line with the things we were talking about and working on with our team."
 
The Warhawks led by eight, 25-17, with 6:40 to play before halftime. Locure's jumper and a layup by Thomas Howell started the 15-0 run, which was capped by a layup from Langston Powell and a free throw by Gallion. A layup by Lamar's Adam Hamilton ended the run with four seconds left in the half, as ULM led 40-19 at the intermission.
 
ULM limited Lamar (4-8) to 29% (8-of-28) shooting in the first half while hitting 50% (15-of-30) from the field.
 
Lamar closed within 15 with 17:35 remaining before ULM hit a 3-pointer with Locure to stem the Cardinals' momentum. The lead never dipped below 18 again. A jumper in the lane by Devon Hancock pushed the lead over 20 for good at 68-47 with 5:23 left. ULM led by as much as 29 down the stretch.
 
Yuto Yamanouchi led Lamar with a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Nate Calmese, the nation's third-leading scoring freshman, had 12 points while Adam Hamilton added 11.  
 
ULM shot 55% (32-of-58) from the floor and 44% (10-of-23) from 3-point range while hitting 60% (9-of-15) from the free-throw line. Lamar shot 38% (25-of-66) for the game, including 17% (3-of-18) from 3-point range while hitting 67% (6-of-9) at the foul line.
 
ULM closes out non-conference play at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday against Jacksonville.