ULM, Texas State Put Winning Streaks on Line Saturday Afternoon

Men's Basketball Feb 11

Game 26: Texas State (16-6, 7-3 SBC) vs. ULM (13-12, 5-8 SBC)
Saturday, Feb. 12 | 2 p.m. CT
Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000) | Monroe, La.
ESPN+ | KLIP 105.3 FM

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2021-22 ULM Basketball Notes: Game 26 vs. Texas State

THE STORYLINE –
ULM plays host to Texas State with both teams riding winning streaks coming into Saturday's 2 p.m. game. The Warhawks have won three-straight contests while Texas State has won four in a row and seven of its last nine overall.

February has been a red-hot month for graduate guard Andre Jones, who was recently selected the Sun Belt Player of the Week and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Player of the Week. Jones is averaging 24.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals in the three games so far this month.

Jones led the Warhawks in scoring (23 points), rebounds (7) and assists (6) in Thursday night's 74-71 victory over UTA.

Texas State has had the upper hand in the series lately, winning the last seven games. ULM's last victory against Texas State came during the only meeting of the 2018-19 season (63-60) in San Marcos. The Warhawks' last win at Fant-Ewing Coliseum came on Feb. 17, 2018 (79-71).

THE STARTING FIVE –
• ULM wraps up the weekend portion of its three-game homestand looking to split the season series with Texas State. The two teams tangled in Texas about a month ago, with the Bobcats handing the Warhawks an 80-56 loss.

• The outcomes of the Warhawks' last three contests have been determined by a total of seven points. During its current three-game win streak, ULM has won a game by one point and two games by three points, including one overtime game. Six of ULM's last eight home games have been decided by nine points or less.

• The last two wins featured ULM scoring in the mid-70s with the Warhawks averaging 70.2 points per game in their five Sun Belt Conference wins. This season, ULM is 11-2 overall when scoring 70 or more points and 3-0 vs. Texas State in the Keith Richard-era when scoring 70 or more points.

• The Warhawks completed their second regular-season sweep of a Sun Belt Conference opponent with Thursday's win over UT Arlington. ULM closed out its most-recent road trip by recording a sweep against Little Rock.

• Following Saturday's game vs. Texas State, ULM plays the Ragin' Cajuns in a home-and-home series, beginning Thursday, Feb. 17 with fans in Fant-Ewing Coliseum on hand for Senior Night, followed by a trip to Lafayette on Saturday, Feb. 19. The Warhawks play their two final regular-season games at Georgia State (Wednesday, Feb. 23) and at Georgia Southern (Friday, Feb. 25).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS –
0 — Junior guard Elijah Gonzales has recorded nine combined assists and no turnovers in the Warhawks' last two victories. His 2.82 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in the Sun Belt and ranks 20th nationally.

1 — ULM won its first game of the 2021-22 season when its opponent shot .500 or better from the field against UT Arlington Thursday night. The Warhawks had one of their best performances with a .519 field-goal percentage (28-54) while UTA was at exactly .500 (25-50).

4 — Four Warhawks currently have double-figure scoring averages in Sun Belt Conference games: Andre Jones at 16.2 ppg., followed by Russell Harrison (13.5 ppg.), Nika Metskhvarishvili (13.0) and Koreem Ozier (10.2). The top four scorers also are the team's top rebounders in league action with Metskhvarishvili with 6.1 rebounds per game, Harrison at 5.8 rpg. and Jones and Ozier tied at 4.1 rpg.

13 — With three weeks remaining in the 2021-22 regular season, ULM and App State are the only Sun Belt Conference teams to have played the full 13-game league schedule to date.

17.1 — Graduate guard Andre Jones, who leads the team this season with 19 games scoring 10 or more points, has 10-straight double-figure scoring games. Jones is averaging 17.1 points per contest in those last 10 contests, which includes two 20-point games and a career-best 30-point total in the last three games.

400 — The Warhawks have 400 assists this season, the highest total in the Sun Belt Conference this season, and good for a No. 19 ranking nationally. ULM is second in the SBC with 16.0 assists per game, just behind Arkansas State's 16.5 assists-per-game average.

JONES NAMES SUN BELT AND LSWA PLAYER OF THE WEEK –
Andre Jones, who averaged 25.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists while leading the Warhawks to a Sun Belt Conference road sweep over Arkansas State and Little Rock, was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week. Jones made 59 percent of his field-goal attempts (20-of-34), including 57 percent of his 3-pointers (4-of-7), and 88 percent (7-of-8) of his free-throw attempts during the two-game stretch.

In the 60-59 victory at Arkansas State, Jones made 10-of-17 shots from the field, including 1-of-2 3s, and finished with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals as ULM stormed back from a 14-point second-half deficit. With the victory, the Warhawks snapped a four-game losing streak in Sun Belt Conference play while winning for just the second time in 18 games at First National Bank Arena.

The 6-foot-1, 191-pound Jones scored a career-high 30 points in ULM's 75-72 overtime victory over Little Rock Saturday afternoon. His two free throws with 7.9 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime tied at 64-all. A Little Rock, Arkansas, native and former Trojan, Jones connected on 10-of-17 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-5 3-pointers, and 7-of-8 free throws. He scored 17 of his 30 points after the intermission and collected four assists.

Jones became the first Warhawk to score at least 30 points in a single game since Michael Ertel netted 30 against Georgia Southern on Feb. 6, 2020.

Jones was recently selected Louisiana Sports Writers Association Men's College Basketball Player of the Week by a statewide panel of sports information directors and media members for his performances in last week's sweep against A-State and Little Rock.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE –
According to kenpom.com (as of Feb. 9, 2022), ULM's strength of schedule in 2021-22 is 203rd with a rating of -1.70. ESPN.com ranks the Warhawks' SOS at No. 205. ULM had a non-conference strength of schedule rating of +2.36 (No. 103), according to kenpom.com.

TEXAS STATE SCOUTING REPORT –
Head Coach: Terrence Johnson (Southern, 2001)
Record at Texas State/Career Record: 34-13 (second season)/same
Johnson's Record vs. ULM: 5-0
Bobcats' Top Scorer: Senior G Caleb Asberry (14.0 ppg.)
Bobcats' Top Rebounder: Senior F Isiah Small (7.2 rpg.)

Senior guard Mason Harrell returned to the starting lineup and scored 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to help propel Texas State to an 82-73 road win over the Ragin' Cajuns Thursday night in the Cajundome. Fifteen of his second-half points came in the final 8 1/2 minutes. Senior guard Caleb Asberry netted 16 points with half coming at the free-throw line and recorded three steals. Senior forward Isiah Small tallied 15 points, behind three made treys and a 6-for-6 performance at the charity stripe.

The Bobcats' 82 points against the Ragin' Cajuns marked their highest offensive output in a Sun Belt Conference game in 2021-22, topping their 80-point total from the first meeting with ULM this season. Texas State tied its overall season best with 10 treys against the Ragin' Cajuns. The Bobcats lead the league in both field-goal percentage (47.1) and 3-point field-goal percentage (37.6).

Strong free-throw shooting down the stretch helped the Bobcats to their third-ever win vs. the Ragin' Cajuns in the Cajundome, with all three of those road wins coming in the last three seasons. Thursday's win saw the Bobcats, the Sun Belt free-throw percentage leader at .756, make 22 free throws, their highest total in Sun Belt Conference games this season.

Both Texas State and ULM have found ways to win despite having overall rebound averages below their opponents' averages. Three Bobcats are in the Sun Belt Conference's Top 25 for rebounding, with Isiah Small at seventh at 7.2 rebounds per game. Nighael Ceaser is at 5.0 rpg. (19th) and Caleb Asberry is at 4.8 rpg. for 23rd.

Senior guard Shelby Adams became Texas State's all-time games played leader on Jan. 29 at home against UT Arlington. He appeared in his 134th career game and surpassed Nijal Pearson (2016-20) for the record. Adams' 137 games played is tied for 125th among active players. Iowa's Jordan Bohannon is the active leader with 165 career appearances. Mason Harrell has played in 107 games, second on the team, behind Adams and seven shy of cracking Texas State's Top-10 list.

ULM/TEXAS STATE SERIES NOTES –
Saturday's game marks the 61st meeting between ULM and Texas State, with the Warhawks holding a 31-29 lead in the all-time series. The Bobcats have won the last seven games in a row – the second-longest streak in series history. ULM won 10 consecutive games from 1989-93. ULM's last win in the series was a 63-60 victory at San Marcos during the 2018-19 season (Feb. 21, 2019).

Eight of the last 10 games have been decided by 10 points or less, including the last Warhawks' win, a 63-60 road win on Feb. 21, 2019, in the only meeting between the two teams that year. ULM last defeated Texas State in Fant-Ewing on Feb. 17, 2018, 79-71.

Keith Richard is 6-13 against Texas State as ULM head coach.

THE LAST MEETING –
Texas State 80, ULM 56 (Jan. 13, 2022, in San Marcos, Texas): Caleb Asberry recorded his second career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds as Texas State returned to competition after a 14-day COVID break and extended its winning streak over ULM to seven in a row with an 80-56 victory.

ULM played the game without two of its starting guards, in Andre Jones and Koreem Ozier, due to COVID protocols. Jones and Ozier combine to average nearly 26 points per game.

Texas State which never trailed in the game, raced out to a 14-4 lead. The Warhawks answered with a 7-2 run and pulled to within 16-11 on Elijah Gonzales' 3-pointer from the top of the circle, off a steal by Nika Metskhvarishvili, with 13:01 left in the first half. The Bobcats outscored ULM, 13-3, over the next 3:17 and built a 29-14 lead on Asberry's 3 from the left wing with 9:21 on the clock. A pull-up jumper by Gonzales from the free-throw line sparked an 8-2 spurt and the Warhawks cut their deficit to 31-22 on Russell Harrison's 8-foot jumper from the right baseline with 7:02 remaining. Mason Harrell buried back-to-back 3s to fuel a 13-0 run as Texas State took a 48-26 advantage with 2:13 to go. The Bobcats enjoyed an 18-point lead at the intermission, 51-33.

Harrison opened the second-half scoring with a step-back jumper from the left wing, but Texas State reeled off 11 consecutive points to take a 62-35 lead on Asberry's trey from the left wing with 15:29 left. Dylan Dawson's 3 from the left corner gave the Bobcats' their largest lead at 69-40 with 12:19 on the clock. ULM (9-8, 1-4) went the final 5:51 without a field goal.

For the game, Texas State made 28-of-56 field-goal attempts (50 percent), including 9-of-17 3-pointers (53 percent). By comparison, ULM shot 32 percent (18-of-56) from the floor, including 5-of-21 3s (24 percent). The Bobcats, who outrebounded the Warhawks, 42-21, also enjoyed a decided advantage in points in the paint, 32-20, and fast-break points, 16-5.

Asberry hit 5-of-8 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 3s, and finished with a game-high 19 points. Three other Texas State starters scored in double figures, including Harrell and Shelby Adams, who netted 14 points each, and Isiah Small, who added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Metskhvarishvili posted his first career double-double with 15 points to go along with a career-high 11 rebounds (4 offensive boards). The Warhawks also got 15 points from Harrison.

THE LAST TIME OUT –
ULM 74, UT Arlington 71 (Feb. 10, 2022, in Monroe, La.): Momentum is building for ULM basketball.

Andre Jones scored 23 points with seven rebounds and six assists as ULM outlasted UT Arlington, 74-71, Thursday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The surging Warhawks won their third-straight game and completed a two-game conference sweep of the Mavericks for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

UTA guard David Azore's driving layup with seven seconds to go cut ULM's lead to 72-71 and had the ULM head coach Keith Richard fretting about another missed opportunity at home. Coming out of a UTA timeout, the Mavericks quickly fouled Gonzales, who made two free throws for a 74-71 lead with six seconds left.

The Mavericks were able to launch a final shot but Azore's 3-pointer at the buzzer missed and the Warhawks escaped.
The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, Jones made 10-of-15 field goals to lead a ULM offense that shot 52 percent overall.

Jones also limited his turnovers to two in another outstanding effort.

Back in the starting lineup for the first time since Jan. 27, Gonzales scored a career-high 16 points, including a timely 3-pointer with 2:50 left in the game that gave ULM a 69-63 lead as UTA was making a run. Koreem Ozier added 10.

Azore, who leads the Sun Belt Conference in overall scoring (19.2 ppg.) and league scoring (25.2 ppg.) was a force for the Mavericks with a game-high 29 points. Azore, who didn't play in the first matchup against ULM, was his team's only scorer in double figures.

The contest only had two lead changes and two ties but neither team was able to pull away.

UTA built its biggest first-half lead at 22-15, but ULM retaliated with an 11-0 run to go ahead 26-22 on a driving layup by Ozier at the 7:37 mark of the first half. The Mavericks went more than four minutes without scoring.

Late in the first half, Luke Phillips provided a great boost in five minutes off the bench with a pair of 3-pointers and a layup that helped ULM extend its lead to 36-29.

Azore's 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer cut the Warhawks lead to 40-38. ULM shot 57 percent in the half with Jones the leading scorer at 14 points.

ULM bounced out of the break with a 10-1 run to take its biggest lead at 50-39 on Ozier's 3-pointer with 16:27 remaining. However, an 0-for-7 cold spell by ULM allowed UTA to close the gap to 57-55 by the 9:22 mark and keep it close down the stretch.

QUOTING KEITH RICHARD –
Texas State scouting report:
"This Texas State team has a strong nucleus of returning players, so it's no surprise that it's playing some of its best basketball during the second half of the season. Three starters are averaging in double figures, led by a dynamic scorer, in Caleb Asberry. Isiah Small and Mason Harrell are also consistent scorers. A different guy can be the leading scorer on any given night.

"Texas State will run a lot of sets in the half court, and spite its preferred pace of play, this is one of the best offenses in the league because their players don't turn the ball over a lot and they shoot the 3 very well.

"This team takes a great deal of pride in playing with toughness. Its man-to-man defense is focused on disrupting offensive execution. They will take a lot of charges. This Texas State team really doesn't have a weakness, so I anticipate a grind-it-out type of game."

On team's resilience in securing the win over UTA:
"That was a very hard-fought game by both teams, a lot of good offense to be honest with you, and I was just glad we were able to get a stop or two, make some free throws and Elijah Gonzales hit a big three with the shot clock going down. I'm really happy for our players.

"In the previous four-game homestand, there were two of those games that we lost just like this where we didn't hold them off – had a little lead but didn't hold them off. That's what I was happy about. At home, we finally held somebody off."

On Andre Jones' strong performances:
"He's playing really well. A big help with that is Elijah being on the floor. Elijah's missed four games in conference play. It takes the ball out of Andre's hands where he doesn't have to handle it so much. That's why his turnovers are down."

On game strategy against UTA's high-scoring David Azore:
"I told the team at halftime, even though he's averaging 25 a game, they were 4-5 in those games. It's not like they were 9-0. Him having that many points didn't always mean they won."

2021-22 ULM STARTING LINEUPS –
Nov. 9 at LSU: Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 12 at Auburn: Gonzales, Boston, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 16 vs. Champion Christian: Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 22 vs. Northwestern State: Gonzales, Jones, Ozier         , Harrison, Howell
Nov. 24 vs. Louisiana Tech: Gonzales, Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Howell
Nov. 28 at SMU: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 1 vs. Centenary: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 4 vs. Northwestern State: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 8 vs. Louisiana Christian: Gonzales, Powell, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 14 at SFA: Gonzales, Powell, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 18 vs. Southern Miss: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 20 at Lamar: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Dec. 30 at Coastal Carolina*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Jan. 1 at App State*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Jan. 6 vs. Little Rock*: Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell
Jan. 8 vs. Arkansas State*: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Jan. 13 at Texas State*: Gonzales, Powell, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell
Jan. 15 at UT Arlington*: Gonzales, Williams, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell
Jan. 20 vs. Troy*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Jan. 22 vs. South Alabama*: Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell
Jan. 27 vs. Georgia Southern*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili
Jan. 29 vs. Georgia State*: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 3 at Arkansas State*: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 5 at Little Rock*: Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 10 vs. UT Arlington*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
*Sun Belt Conference game

Different Starting Combinations (9):
Gonzales, Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Howell: 9 (5-4)
Jones, Ozier, Powell, Harrison, Howell: 6 (3-3)
Gonzales, Powell, Jones, Harrison, Howell: 2 (2-0)
Gonzales, Jones, Gee, Harrison, Howell: 2 (1-1)
Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell: 2 (1-1)
Gonzales, Williams, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell: 1 (1-0)
Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili: 1 (0-1)
Gonzales, Powell, Harrison, Metskhvarishvili, Howell: 1 (0-1)
Gonzales, Boston, Gee, Harrison, Howell: 1 (0-1)

2021-22 WARHAWK STATISTICAL TRENDS –
Games played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 7-4
Games played on the road: 5-8
Games played at a neutral site: 1-0

Games played in November: 2-4
Games played in December: 6-1
Games played in January: 2-7
Games played in February: 3-0
Games played in March: 0-0

When leading at halftime: 9-5
When trailing at halftime: 3-7
When tied at halftime: 1-0

When shooting .500 or better from the field: 8-1
When shooting less than .500 from the field: 5-11
When opponent shoots .500 or better from the field: 1-6
When opponent shoots less than .500 from the floor: 12-6

When outrebounding opponent: 7-2
When outrebounded by opponent: 6-10
When rebounding totals are equal: 0-0

When hitting more free throws than opponent: 7-2
When hitting fewer free throws than opponent: 6-8
When hitting the same number of free throws as opponent: 0-2

When committing fewer turnovers than opponent: 10-4
When opponent commits fewer turnovers: 2-8
When turnover totals are equal: 1-0

When ULM scores less than 50 points: 0-2
When ULM scores 50-59 points: 0-2
When ULM scores 60-69 points: 2-6
When ULM scores 70-79 points: 3-1
When ULM scores 80-89 points: 5-1
When ULM scores 90+ points: 3-0

When opponent scores less than 50 points: 0-0
When opponent scores 50-59 points: 3-1
When opponent scores 60-69 points: 5-1
When opponent scores 70-79 points: 5-4
When opponent scores 80-89 points: 0-1
When opponent scores 90+ points: 0-5

Games decided by five points or less: 4-1
Games decided by 6-10 points: 3-4
Games decided by 11-19 points: 2-3
Games decided by 20 points or more: 4-4

Largest deficit overcome to win: 14 (44-30, 46-32 and 48-34 at Arkansas State, Feb. 3)
Largest lead surrendered in a loss: 11 (66-55 vs. Arkansas State, Jan. 8; 25-14 vs. South Alabama, Jan. 22)

ULM postgame celebration vs. UTA Feb. 2022

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ULM, Texas State Put Winning Streaks on Line Saturday Afternoon