Myca Trail came off the bench to score a season-high 16 points in ULM's 69-65 win over Alcorn on Monday, Dec. 19.
Luke Richard/ULM Athletics
65
Alcorn Alcorn 4-6,0-0 SWAC
69
Winner ULM ULM 4-7,0-0 Sun Belt
Alcorn Alcorn
4-6,0-0 SWAC
65
Final
69
ULM ULM
4-7,0-0 Sun Belt
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Alcorn Alcorn 17 10 10 28 65
ULM ULM 18 16 16 19 69

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Trail, Self Combine for 27 Points; ULM Holds Off Alcorn, 69-65

MONROE, La. – Myca Trail and Gara Beth Self combined to score 27 points off the bench to help lead ULM to a 69-65 victory over Alcorn Monday afternoon in Fant-Ewing Coliseum, ending the Warhawks' three-game losing streak. Trail hit 5-of-7 shots from the field and 6-of-8 free-throw attempts to finish with a season-high 16 points while Self reached double figures for the first time this season, contributing 11 points.
 
ULM (4-7) led by 13 points, 50-37, at the end of three quarters, but the Braves rallied to tie the score twice in the final 1:29. The Warhawks converted 6-of-8 free-throw attempts in the final 67 seconds to secure the win in the team's final non-conference game of the season.   
 
"It feels good (to win a game like that)," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "I'm really happy for our team. We've had some close games that could have gone either way.
 
"We knew Alcorn was going to be a tough assignment. They've played a strong non-conference schedule. They made a great run at the end of the Louisiana Tech game, beat Central Arkansas and competed against Colorado although the final score might not indicate that. They're a much improved team from a year ago, and Destiny Brown is tough to handle in the low post. I'm really proud of our bunch for closing the game out in the fourth quarter. This is a huge momentum boost for our team, heading into the Christmas break and right before beginning conference play.
 
"We lost a little bit of energy late in the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. We were trying to find somebody to give us a spark. I'm just happy that we finished it off. To have four players score in double figures was huge for us. You love to see that in a game like this one. That's a good victory over a good ballclub."
 
Brown outscored ULM, 5-2, over the first 1:02. The Warhawks took their first lead at 6-5 off a steal and layup from Aasia Sam with 7:53 on the clock. The Braves built their biggest lead at 12-8 on back-to-back baskets by Kiarra Henderson with 3:38 remaining in the opening period. ULM put together a 7-0 run late in the first quarter and took a 15-12 lead on Bre Sutton's left-handed layup with 1:36 to go. Olivia Knight buried a deep 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Warhawks an 18-17 advantage at the end of the first quarter. There were five lead changes and two ties in the first 10 minutes.
 
The Warhawks outscored Alcorn, 16-10, in the second quarter and Trail's 15-foot jumper from the right baseline with 38 seconds left in the first half sent ULM to the locker room with a 34-27 lead at the intermission.
 
ULM opened the third quarter with a 7-2 run and extended its lead to 12 points at 41-29 on Kierra Brimzy's fast-break layup with 7:10 remaining. Self buried her third 3 of the game from the top of the circle to give the Warhawks their biggest lead at 50-37 with 57 seconds left in the period. Katlyn Manuel asserted herself on both ends of the floor in the third quarter, scoring eight points and collecting seven rebounds, including three off the offensive glass.
 
Kailyn Watkins' 3-pointer from the right wing sparked a 14-4 spurt as Alcorn (4-6) cut its deficit to 54-51 when Cayla Obillo hit 1-of-2 free-throw attempts with 4:33 on the clock. The Braves managed to pull even twice in the final 1:29, first at 61-all as Obillo knocked down a pair of free throws and again at 63-all when Brown drove around Butler at the free-throw line for a layup. Knight converted two free throws to give ULM the lead for good at 65-63 with 1:07 to play. Overall, the Warhawks' last eight points came from the free-throw line.
 
Brown led Alcorn's furious fourth-quarter rally, netting 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe over the last 10 minutes. Trail (8) and Knight (7) combined to account for 15 of ULM's 19 fourth-quarter points.
 
For the game, ULM hit 23-of-55 field-goal attempts (42 percent), including 5-of-11 from 3-point range (46 percent). The five 3s matched the Warhawks' season high. ULM also limited Alcorn to 34 percent field-goal shooting (22-of-64), including 4-of-18 3-pointers (22 percent). The Warhawks held a decided advantage in bench scoring, 35-18, with Trail and Self accounting for 27 of those points.
 
"Myca Trail came off the bench in the first quarter and provided an immediate impact for us on the offensive end of the floor, and she certainly did the same thing at the end of the game," Williams said. "She plays with a fearless attitude. As a freshman, Myca has played significant minutes and her performance today will be a big confidence boost for her, heading into conference play. It's exciting to watch her development.
 
"I was happy for GB (Gara Beth Self) to see that first 3-pointer go in and then we saw two more go down."
 
Self, who connected on 4-of-7 shots from the field including 3-of-5 3s, scored in double figures for the first time in 21 games, dating back an 11-point effort on Jan. 15, 2022, at Troy.
 
A total of four Warhawks scored in double figures as Manuel and Knight each contributed 10 points. Manuel narrowly missed posting a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds including four offensive boards.
 
"Katlyn Manuel's stats don't indicate how truly hard she played today," Williams said. "She played very different than she did the other night (against Tennessee Tech). We challenged her somewhat, and she really responded. Katlyn is so skilled, so talented, and sometimes, she just needs a little jolt. She stepped up when the game was on the line. Katlyn played a little tougher on both ends of the floor, with her rebounding on the defensive end and her aggressiveness in attacking the bucket on the offensive end. I'm really proud of her effort.
 
"Olivia Knight is an incredible communicator, and as everyone in the arena can hear, she certainly makes sure her message gets across. And that's huge, especially in close games. You need somebody to set the tone, and she embraces that role of leading the troops."
 
Brown led Alcorn with a game- and season-high 26 points, hitting 9-of-17 shots from the floor while going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. She finished with her second double-double of the season, grabbing 10 rebounds.
 
ULM opens Sun Belt Conference play with a home series against Arkansas State on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m. and Georgia State on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 11 a.m.
 
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