ULM vs. CHAMPION CHRISTIAN
Saturday, Dec. 3 • 12 p.m. CT • Monroe, La. • Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000)
GAME NOTES |
2022-23 SCHEDULE |
2022-23 WARHAWK ROSTER
MONROE, La. – The ULM women's basketball team is happy to be home at Fant-Ewing Coliseum for Saturday's 12 p.m. CT game vs. Champion Christian, and even better, the Warhawks won't leave the state the rest of this year. ULM plays three games in the next two weeks with the last two days of final exams next week and then takes road trips at Northwestern State (Dec. 10) and McNeese (Dec. 14). The Warhawks return to Fant-Ewing Coliseum Dec. 17 vs. Tennessee Tech, the first of four-straight home games to close out the 2022 portion of the schedule.
"We are excited to take the court again together," said ULM head women's basketball coach
Brooks Donald Williams. "This group has handled juggling finals week and prepping for Champion Christian really well. We're anxious for the opportunity for us to take yet another step forward this week."
The Warhawks came away with a 65-51 win over Champion Christian last season in the first and only previous meeting between the two programs. The young program's head women's basketball coach and athletics director for the Tigers is De'Anthony Ellison, beginning his fourth season in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Guard
Gara Beth Self scored a game-best 16 points, including 12 from her four treys. Forward
Katlyn Manuel pulled down 13 boards, her then-career best, and second of her three double-figure rebounding games last year.
"Champion Christian has several players who have put up big numbers," Williams said. "They have also put 98 points on the board in a single game. Anybody who can do that, no matter the opponent, has a chance to be dangerous. We need to get better in a lot areas and our focus is on us and continuing to gel and grow as a team."
As graduate guard
Emma Merriweather's playing time on the court increases, it only makes sense that her impact on the Warhawks' inside presence increases as well. ULM's top rebounder with 8.4 per game, it should be no surprise that Merriweather is defending the hoop too. Merriweather has 10 blocks this year and ULM has 30 total, including seven by sophomore forward
Katlyn Manuel. The Warhawks are tops in the Sun Belt in blocks per game at 5.0 and 32nd nationally in that statistical category. Merriweather is the SBC individual leader with 2.0 per game, 30th in the country, and Manuel is fifth in the league (1.17 bpg).
With a couple of games against high-level competition, some of the Warhawks' numbers have evened out from earlier this season. ULM and its opponents are nearly even in points scored 390-386 with a 0.7 advantage in scoring average at 65.0 to 64.3 and just three field goals separate the two at 146 total for ULM and 143 for its opponents in the six games. Rebounds match at 248 and the Warhawk foes have three more assists overall, 88-85. ULM is +16 in steals with 64 to only 48 for its opponents. A trio of sophomore guards,
Olivia Knight,
Bre Sutton and
Qua Chambers, carry the load in that category with Knight with a team-best 14, Sutton at 12 and Chambers with 10.
