ULM (3-6 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) at Northwestern State (7-2 overall, 0-0 Southland Conference)
3:30 p.m. Saturday, December 10, 2022 | Prather Coliseum | Natchitoches, Louisiana
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES
MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks play their final non-conference road game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against in-state rival Northwestern State at Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches.
ULM (3-6 overall) cruised to a 101-46 win over Champion Christian last Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Graduate center
Victor Bafutto notched his third-consecutive double-figure game, matching his career high with 20 points, scoring 10 points inside the first 10 minutes of the game. Junior guard
Tyreke Locure added 14 points with seven assists, while sophomore guard
Devon Hancock and freshman guard
Jacob Wilson each set season highs with 13 points. Wilson added six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Through nine games, Locure leads ULM at 13.2 points per game, which ranks 15th in the Sun Belt Conference through Sunday's games. He has scored in double figures seven times. He also leads the team with 1.9 steals per game. Bafutto is second on the team at 9.9 points per game, tied for second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game and leads the team with 1.9 blocks per game. Senior guard
Jamari Blackmon is third on the team at 9.8 points per game while leading the team with 4.4 assists per game. Sophomore forward
Thomas Howell leads the team at 8.0 rebounds per game while averaging 8.3 points per game.
Saturday's game marks the 129th all-time meeting between ULM and Northwestern State, with the Warhawks leading the series, 78-50. ULM has won the last five meetings in the series, including a 96-66 win at the Lanky Wells Classic in Ruston and an 84-71 win in Monroe last season. ULM won 92-83 in overtime in the last meeting in Natchitoches in 2020.
SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS
ULM and Northwestern State renew their long-standing rivalry at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches, Louisiana. ULM has won the last five meetings in the series and nine of the last 11 meetings overall. ULM picked up two wins last season. The Warhawks defeated NSU, 96-66, at the Lanky Wells Classic in Ruston on Nov. 22, 2021, before knocking off the Demons again, 84-71, on Dec. 4 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. ULM won the last meeting in Natchitoches, 92-83 in overtime, on Dec. 6, 2020. Head coach
Keith Richard is 8-3 against NSU at ULM
The Warhawks (3-6 overall) snapped a five-game losing streak with last Saturday's 101-46 win over Champion Christian.
Victor Bafutto led ULM with 20 points.
Tyreke Locure added 14 points with seven assists, while
Devon Hancock and
Jacob Wilson had 13 points each.
ULM ranks 19th in NCAA Division I and second in the Sun Belt Conference with 13.7 offensive rebounds per game after adding 17 more on Saturday. The Warhawks are 34th nationally and fifth in the SBC at 9.4 steals per game and had 14 vs. Champion. ULM is 43rd nationally and third in the SBC in assists per game at 16.4 per contest. In addition, ULM is 49th nationally and fourth in the SBC at 16.4 turnovers forced per game.
Northwestern State (7-2 overall) has won six consecutive games going back to a 64-63 win at No. 15/18 TCU on Nov. 14. The current streak includes wins at Illinois State (70-67), at Central Arkansas (74-66, overtime), against Bethune-Cookman (69-66), at Stephen F. Austin (102-96) and vs. Southern Miss (84-82).
The Demons rank 18th nationally and second in the Southland Conference at 10.1 steals per game. Isaac Haney is 39th nationally and leads the Southland with 19 steals. NSU is 27th nationally and second in the Southland in turnover margin at 4.9. The Demons have been sharp from behind the 3-point line, ranking 31st naionally and leading the Southland in 3-point field-goal percentage at .390. Ja'Monte Black ranks 38th in NCAA Division I and first in the Southland Conference at 3.0 3-pointers made per game. NSU also excels in offensive rebounding, ranking 38th nationally and second in the Southland at 13.0 offensive rebounds per game.
Saturday's game will stream on ESPN+. 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 NORTHWESTERN STATE
The Demons have opened the season at 7-2 overall and have won seven of their last eight games, including six consecutive games, entering Saturday's contest.
Corey Gipson is in his first season as the head coach at Northwestern State. Gipson spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri State. Gipson retooled NSU's roster with 11 newcomers, including eight transfers.
DeMarcus Sharp leads NSU in scoring at 16.7 points per game while also leading the team at 4.1 assists per game. The 6-3 senior guard scored in double figures in seven consecutive games, including back-to-back 30-plus point performances with 32 points against Southern Miss last Sunday and 34 at SFA on Dec. 1. Against USM, Sharp hit a buzzer-beating jumper from the baseline to give NSU the win. He has led the team in scoring four times this season. He previously played for Gipson at Missouri State.
Isaac Haney is second on the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game. The 6-2 sophomore guard has scored in double figures seven times, including five consecutive double figure efforts. He scored a season-high 18 points at Central Arkansas on Nov. 26. He had a season-high 10 rebounds at TCU on Nov. 14. He is averaging 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He has led the team in scoring four times this season. He also previously played for Gipson at Missouri State.
Ja'Monta Black is third on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game. The 6-4 senior guard has scored in double figures six times, including each of the last five games. He scored 25 points (7-of-13 3-point field-goal attempts) with four rebounds in the upset win at TCU on Nov. 14. He had 10 points with a season-high five rebounds at Central Arkansas on Nov. 26. He also previously played for Gipson and Missouri State.
Dayne Prim is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game. The 6-6 junior forward has five double-figure games, including 20 points and six rebounds against Ouachita Baptist on Nov. 10. He had a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double vs. Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 27. He did not play in last Sunday's win over Southern Miss. He is a transfer from Western Wyoming Community College.
Jalen Hampton leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game while adding 6.8 points per game. The 6-6 guard has two double figure scoring games with 13 points vs. Bethune-Cookman and 11 at SFA. He had 15 rebounds at Central Arkansas and 10 boards with eight points last Sunday against Southern Miss. He is a freshman from University City High School in St. Louis, Missouri.
