ULM (4-8 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) vs. Jacksonville (6-3 overall, 0-0 ASUN)
11:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 20, 2022 | Fant-Ewing Coliseum | Monroe, La.
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAME NOTES
MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks wrap up the non-conference schedule and a three-game homestand at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday when they entertain the Jacksonville Dolphins at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
ULM (4-8 overall) picked up its first win against a NCAA Division-I opponent in 2022-23 with an 83-59 win over Lamar on Saturday. ULM shot 55% (32-of-58) from the field, its second-best shooting day of the season. The Warhawks also shot 44% (10-of-23) from 3-point range. ULM used a 15-0 run at the end of the first half to build a 21-point halftime lead and never led by fewer than 15 points in the second half.
Tyreke Locure led ULM with 17 points (7-of-9 field-goal attempts, 3-of-4 3-point field-goal attempts), seven assists, four rebounds and one turnover.
Jamari Blackmon also had an efficient game, scoring 16 points (5-of-7 field-goal attempts, 3-of-5 3-point field goal attempts) with four assists, three steals, one block and two turnovers.
Jacob Wilson came off the bench to add 12 points while
Savion Gallion added 11.
Through 12 games, Locure leads ULM at 13.6 points per game, which ranks 13th in the Sun Belt Conference through Sunday's games. He has scored in double figures 10 times. He also leads the team with 3.58 assists per game, which is 10th in the SBC, and 1.9 steals per game, which is sixth in the SBC.
Four other active Warhawks are averaging over eight points per game.
Jamari Blackmon is second on the team at 9.7 points, 3.5 assists (11th SBC) and 1.6 steals (11th SBC) per game.
Victor Bafutto is third on the team at 8.9 points per game, while ranking second on the team at 6.3 rebounds per game (15th SBC) and leading the team with 2.2 blocks per game (3rd SBC).
Savion Gallion is averaging 8.8 points per game, while
Thomas Howell is at 8.4 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game (8th SBC.
Tuesday's game is the second all-time meeting between ULM and Jacksonville and marks the first meeting between the two teams since Feb. 15, 1974, a 100-84 win by JU in Jacksonville, Florida.
TUESDAY'S GAME BASICS
ULM and Jacksonville meet for just the second time in program history at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. It is the final non-conference game for ULM this season and concludes a three-game homestand.
The Warhawks (4-8 overall) picked up their first win over a fellow NCAA Division-I opponent on Saturday with an 83-59 victory against Lamar. In the process, ULM moved to 4-1 inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum this season, picking up other wins over Dallas Christian, Central Baptist and Champion Christian.
ULM had its second-best shooting percentage of the season on Saturday, hitting 55.2% (32-of-58) from the floor. The Warhawks also had its second-best shooting day of the season from the 3-point line, knocking down 43.5% (10-of-23) from deep. ULM tallied 27 assists for the second time this season, but had its highest percentage of field goals with an assist on Saturday, recording an assist 84% (27-of-32) of the time.
The Warhawks have been strong in creating turnovers. ULM ranks 38th in NCAA Division I and fourth in the Sun Belt Conference averaging 9.1 steals per game and are 64th nationally and fourth in the SBC at 15.67 turnovers forced per game. The Warhawks have been strong on the offensive glass, ranking 59th nationally and sixth in the SBC with 12.33 offensive rebounds per game. ULM has generated offense on the fast break, ranking 68th nationally and fifth in the SBC at 13.25 fast-break points per game.
Jacksonville (6-3 overall) has won three of its last four games after Saturday's 72-63 win over Charleston Southern. The Dolphins hit a season-high 10 3-pointers in the win, shooting 42% (10-of-24) from beyond the arc, while topping 50% from the field for the fourth time this year at 52% (26-of-50). JU owns wins vs. Johnson (Fla.), Voorhees, at Campbell, vs. Trinity Baptist and at VCU, while dropping games at Duke, UAB and UNCW.
The Dolphins are a strong defensive team, ranking 16th in NCAA Division I and leading the ASUN in scoring defense at 59.3 points per game. They also rank 32nd nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.387, first ASUN) and 37th nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.287, first ASUN). The Dolphins have limited four opponents to less than 40% from the field and five opponents to less than 30% from 3-point range.
Tuesday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Chris Harris (play-by-play) and Mike Vining (analyst) on the call. The game will also air on 105.3 FM KLIP, la105.com and the TuneIn app on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield with Mike Hammett on the play-by-play.
PREVIEWING JACKSONVILLE
The Dolphins are 6-3 on the season after a 72-63 win over Charleston Southern on Saturday in Jacksonville. JU has won three of its last four games, including victories at VCU and vs. Trinity Baptist.
Jordan Mincy is in his second season leading the Dolphins. He won the 2022 Joe B. Hall Award as the top first-year head coach in the nation after guiding JU to a 21-10 mark and 11-5 record in the ASUN, reaching the conference championship game. Prior to JU, he spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Florida, and also has been an assistant at Louisiana Tech, Toledo, Charleston, Kent State and was a graduate assistant at South Carolina.
In addition to the Dolphins' defensive prowess, JU has been efficient on offense. The Dolphins rank 51st nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.31), 59th in assists per game (15.9), 65th in effective field-goal percentage (.544), 72nd in field-goal percentage (.474) and 75th in 3-point field-goal percentage (.368).
Kevion Nolan ranks 78th in the nation and leads the ASUN at 4.6 assists per game. He also leads the team at 13.8 points per game while adding 3.8 rebounds per game. Nolan has six double-figure games and has scored 20 points three times, doing so at VCU (4-of-8 3-point field-goal attempts), at UAB (5-of-7 3-pointers) and at Campbell. He has totaled eight assists twice, doing so vs. Voorhees and at VCU. He is one of three players to start all nine games, joining Jordan Davis and Osayi Osifo. Gyasi Powell is the only other player to play in all nine games.
Mike Marsh is the only other Dolphin averaging double figures at 11.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures five times, putting up a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds vs. Johnson (Fla.). He had 17 points and nine rebounds at VCU. Marsh is shooting a team-best 58% (32-of-55) from the field. He did not play on Saturday vs. Charleston Southern.
Jordan Davis is third on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game, but leads the team at 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He has scored in double figures four times, putting up a season-high 13 points on Saturday vs. Charleston Southern. He had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds at Campbell on Nov. 23.
