ULM Opens Final Sun Belt Road Swing at Surging Georgia State

Men's Basketball Feb 22

Game 29: ULM (13-15, 5-11 SBC) vs. Georgia State (13-10, 7-5 SBC)
Wednesday, Feb. 25 | 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT
GSU Sports Arena (3,854) | Atlanta, Ga.
ESPN+ | KLIP 105.3 FM

2021-22 ULM Basketball Notes: Game 29 vs. Georgia State

THE STORYLINE –
ULM makes its final regular-season road swing with the second of their "double-play" games against Georgia State and Georgia Southern. The Panthers play host to the Warhawks at 6 p.m. CT in the first game Wednesday night. ULM faces the Eagles in the regular-season finale Friday night at 6 p.m. CT.

Graduate guard Andre Jones has scored 20 or more points in six consecutive games, matching the longest streak by a Warhawk since Mike Smith posted six-straight 20-point efforts in the 1999-2000 season (Dec. 28, 1999-Jan. 20, 2000). Jones, who has led ULM in scoring in each of the last six games, is averaging 23.3 points during the streak, including his career-best 30-point total at Little Rock (Feb. 10).

Georgia State has won the last three games and six of the last eight meetings. The Panthers swept the season series in 2019-20 after the teams each racked up a win in 2018-19. ULM is 3-6 in games at Georgia State last winning on Feb. 10, 2018, 90-82 in overtime in the only matchup that season.

THE STARTING FIVE –
• ULM heads to Georgia this weekend for the first time in more than two years. The Sun Belt Conference COVID-adjusted schedule for the 2020-21 season did not include matchups between the Warhawks and the Panthers and Eagles. Georgia State won this season's first meeting in Monroe.

• Nine of the Warhawks' last 11 games have been decided by nine points or less. Of those nine, the margins are in chronological order as follows: +7, -8, -5, +1, +3, +3, -9, -1 and -5.

• Andre Jones has scored 20 or more points in six consecutive games. It matches the longest streak by a Warhawk since Mike Smith posted six-straight 20-point efforts during the 1999-2000 season (Dec. 28, 1999-Jan. 20, 2000). Calvin Natt recorded a school-record 15 consecutive 20-point games during the 1976-77 season.

During his six-game stretch, Jones is averaging 23.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 56 percent (54-of-93) from the field, including 9-of-23 3-pointers (39 percent). He also has led ULM in scoring in each of the last six games.

• Junior guard Elijah Gonzales is just eight assists shy of reaching the 300-career assist milestone. He has 292 assists in his three-year career. His 106 assists this season mark the first time he has had at least 100 in a single season and he has 205 assists in his two years a Warhawk.

• ULM closes out the regular season on the road for the second-straight season, traveling to Georgia State (Feb. 23) and Georgia Southern (Feb. 25) before heading to the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Pensacola, Florida. The tournament begins March 3.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS –
2.52 — With the Sun Belt Conference's best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.52, junior guard Elijah Gonzales ranks 29th in the NCAA for his ball-handling skills. Gonzales' first two games in February produced a combined nine assists and no turnovers.

13.0 — Nika Metskhvarishvili posted his ninth Sun Belt Conference game with double-digit scoring with 17 points against the Ragin' Cajuns in Lafayette. He is averaging 13.0 points per game in league play, third on the team, and is the team's top rebounder with 5.7 boards per game in SBC contests.

16 — With just two games left in the regular season, ULM and App State are the only two Sun Belt teams to have played the full 16-game conference schedule to date. The Warhawks have played every scheduled game of their 2021-22 campaign.

23.3 — During his six-game scoring spree, graduate guard Andre Jones has totaled 140 points for a 23.3 per-game average. Jones has a streak of 13 consecutive games with 10 or more points and 22 games in double digits this season.

34 — The Warhawks had 34 points in the paint against the Ragin' Cajuns at home last Thursday night, their most since registering 38 vs. Troy (Jan. 20).

1,402 — Graduate guard Andre Jones, with his career-best 407 points so far this season, has 1,402 career points in his fifth year of competition. Jones, the Warhawks' leading scorer, also has his career-best season totals in field goals (162) and free throws (64) and is one shy of his bests in treys (19) and steals (43).

2,024 — ULM has eclipsed the 2,000-point team total for the first time since the 2018-19 season (2,773). The Warhawks are averaging 72.3 points per game overall, their highest scoring average since 2018-19 (79.2).

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE –
According to kenpom.com (as of Feb. 22, 2022), ULM's strength of schedule in 2021-22 is 197th with a rating of -1.69. ESPN.com ranks the Warhawks' SOS at No. 221. ULM had a non-conference strength of schedule rating of +2.44 (No. 108), according to kenpom.com.

GEORGIA STATE SCOUTING REPORT –
Head Coach: Rob Lanier (St. Bonaventure, 1990)
Record at Georgia State/Career Record: 48-29 (third season)/106-99 (seventh season)
Lanier's Record vs. ULM: 3-0
Panthers' Top Scorer: Senior G Corey Allen (13.6 ppg.)
Panthers' Top Rebounder: Senior F Eliel Nsoseme (10.0 rpg.)

Georgia State has won five-straight games, tied for the 19th-longest winning streak in the country, and has claimed victories in seven of its last eight games. The Panthers own an eight-game home winning streak, tied for their fifth-longest streak in the GSU Sports Arena.

The Panthers allow their Sun Belt opponents only 61.9 points per game as the top defense in the league in conference games. In the last four games, Georgia State has held its last four opponents to a combined 211 points, an average of just 52.8 ppg. Georgia State is ranked 13th in the country in turnovers forced (17.2) and seventh in turnover margin at +5.0. The Panthers also rank No. 15 with 9.2 steals per game, best in the Sun Belt Conference.

Senior guard Kane Williams is one of just two players in Sun Belt Conference history to combine for 1,500 points, 450 rebounds, 450 assists and 200 steals. The first was former UT Arlington star Erick Neal (2014-18). Williams has now moved into the Top 20 in SBC history with 469 assists. He is also in the Top-5 all-time in free throws made.

Three of Georgia State's Top 28 scorers all-time are currently on the team. Kane Williams is tied for third with 1,515 points, Corey Allen is No. 22 with 1,034 points, and Justin Roberts is tied for 25th with 977 career points. Allen became the 24th Panther to score 1,000 career points on Feb. 10. Allen has 1,885 career points scored (two years at UD) which is among the Top-30 career active scorers in the country. He is also among the Top-15 active 3-point shooters.

GSU has won 105 Sun Belt games since the start of the 2013-14 season, the most in the league, while finishing in the top two of the final regular-season conference standings six times.

ULM/GEORGIA STATE SERIES NOTES –
Saturday's game marks the 20th meeting between ULM and Georgia State. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 11-8, including a 6-3 record in games played in Atlanta. Georgia State has won three in a row and 11 of the last 14 meetings overall. The Panthers are 6-1 in games played at the GSU Sports Arena since Georgia State joined the Sun Belt for the 2013-14 season.

Four of the last six outings have been tightly contested affairs with the last Warhawk win in Atlanta coming in a 90-82 overtime win on Feb. 10, 2018.

Keith Richard is 3-11 against Georgia State as ULM head coach.

THE LAST MEETING –
Georgia State 73, ULM 62 (Jan. 29, 2022, in Monroe, La.): ULM faded late and fell 73-62 to Georgia State Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum for the Warhawks' fourth-straight loss overall and fifth straight at home.

ULM shot well early and led briefly in the second half before wilting down the stretch. The Warhawks went 5:37 without scoring until Thomas Howell made a free throw with 1:50 to halt a pivotal 11-0 run by Georgia State.
Nika Metskhvarishvili led ULM with 16 points. Howell added 15 points as the Warhawks shot 50 percent from the floor but were undone by lengthy scoring droughts.

Georgia State outscored ULM, 27-14, on points off turnovers and 22-6 on second-chance points. The Panthers pulled down 15 offensive rebounds and benefitted from 17 ULM turnovers.

Georgia State led 39-35 at halftime after a back-and-forth first 20 minutes that featured nine lead changes, five ties and hot shooting by both teams. The Warhawks shot 58 percent and Georgia State 57 percent before the break.

Howell was active early, scoring six of ULM's first 11 points and leading the Warhawks with 11 at halftime.

ULM led 46-43 with 16:06 remaining in the game, but Georgia State responded with a 17-6 run to build its cushion to 60-52. The Warhawks made five turnovers and went 2:39 without scoring during the stretch as the deficit grew.

Corey Allen's fifth 3-pointer with 6:07 left in the game increased the visitor's lead to 65-56. The Warhawks missed five-straight shots during a 9-0 run as the Panthers built a 15-point lead.

Allen and Kane William scored 18 points each to lead Georgia State in scoring. Eliel Nsoseme scored 13 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Allen made six of his team's nine 3-pointers.

NEXT OPPONENT: GEORGIA SOUTHERN (Feb. 25, 2022) –
Eagles' Record: 11-14, 4-10 SBC
Last game: L, 58-49 vs. Georgia State Feb. 19
Next game: Feb. 23 vs. Ragin' Cajuns
Head Coach: Brian Burg (Mount Mercy, 2003)
Record at Georgia Southern/Career Record: 24-27 (second season)/same
Burg's Record vs. ULM: 1-0
Eagles' Top Scorer: Senior G Elijah McCadden (11.5 ppg.)
Eagles' Top Rebounder: Red-shirt junior F Andrei Savrasov (5.6 rpg.)

ULM/GEORGIA SOUTHERN SERIES NOTES –
Georgia Southern grabbed the 13-12 edge in the series with the 26th all-time meeting on tap for Friday night. The Eagles have won four in a row in the series and six of the last seven contests. Two of those last seven meetings have occurred in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals with the Eagles winning both contests. The last time ULM won at Georgia Southern was on Feb. 8, 2018, when the Warhawks topped the Eagles 66-64 and won both games of their Georgia road trip in overtime.

The Warhawks are 5-6 in games played in Statesboro, Ga., and 2-4 in Sun Belt Conference games played in Hanner Fieldhouse. Eight of the last 11 games in the series have been decided by single digits.

THE LAST TIME OUT –
Ragin' Cajuns 79, ULM 75 (Feb. 19, 2022 in Lafayette, La.): Kobe Julien scored 19 of his career-high 26 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Louisiana Lafayette to a 79-74 victory over ULM in the Cajundome Saturday night, as the Ragin' Cajuns completed a Sun Belt Conference regular-season series sweep over the Warhawks. The Ragin' Cajuns won the season series by a combined total of six points after taking the first meeting of the season Thursday night in Monroe, 78-77.

Game 2 of the season series featured eight lead changes and eight ties.

Louisiana Lafayette scored seven-straight points early and took a 9-3 lead on Jalen Dalcourt's slam dunk in transition with 17:08 to play in the first half. Andre Jones hit a jumper from inside the top of the circle to spark a 9-2 run as ULM grabbed a 12-11 advantage on a steal and dunk by Koreem Ozier with 15:29 left. The Ragin' Cajuns countered with another 7-0 spurt and built their largest lead at 18-12 on Dou Gueye's deep 3 from beyond the top of the circle with 13:01 on the clock. ULM (13-15, 5-11) answered with an 8-2 run and tied the score at 20-all as Elijah Gonzales hit a runner from the right side of the lane with 9:46 remaining. With the score tied at 27-all, Russell Harrison made back-to-back layups and Ozier followed with a step-back 3-pointer from the left corner, a 3 from the left wing and a layup as the Warhawks took their biggest lead at 39-27 with 35 seconds to go in the opening half. The Ragin' Cajuns cut their halftime deficit to 39-30 on Julien's trey with :18 left.

As a team, ULM shot 52 percent (15-of-29) from the field, including 5-of-13 from 3-point range, in the first 20 minutes. Jones (14) and Ozier (12) combined for 26 first-half points to pace the Warhawks. By comparison, the Ragin' Cajuns were limited to 36 percent (12-of-33) field-goal shooting, including just 3-of-13 3s.

The Ragin' Cajuns outscored ULM, 12-5, over the first 4:53 of the second half to pull to within 44-42 on a pair of free throws from Gueye. The Warhawks responded with a 9-0 run as Gonzales connected on a 3 from the top of the circle and Nika Metskhvarishvili converted a traditional three-point play and followed with a 3 from the top of the circle in transition for a 53-42 advantage with 13:23 on the clock. Julien's 3-pointer from straightaway fueled a 16-5 spurt as the Ragin' Cajuns rallied to tie the score at 58-all on Dalcourt's rebound dunk off a missed 3 with 7:21 remaining in the game. ULM managed to grab four-point leads on three occasions over the next two minutes – the last time at 66-62 on a 10-foot bank shot from with Metskhvarishvili 5:09 left. The Ragin' Cajuns took the lead for good at 72-70 on a pair of free throws from Julian with 1:57 on the clock. Louisiana Lafayette made 7-of-8 free-throw attempts in the final 1:57 to ice the game.

The Ragin' Cajuns outscored ULM from the free-throw line, 22-13, including 19-9 in the second half.

Louisiana Lafayette hit 61 percent (14-of-23) of its field-goal attempts over the final 20 minutes. The Ragin' Cajuns outrebounded the Warhawks, 38-28, and held an advantage in fast-break points, 20-13, and points in the paint, 36-30. ULM enjoyed a 19-10 edge in points off turnovers.

Julien, who recorded his second career double-double, made 7-of-14 shots from the floor, including 2-of-6 3-pointers, and went a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.

Dalcourt, who netted 16 points in Thursday's one-point win at ULM, followed with a career-high 17-point effort Saturday night.

Julien and Dalcourt combined to account for 12 of the Cajuns' final 17 points. Louisiana Lafayette also got 10 points from Gueye in his final appearance in the Cajundome.

ULM placed four Warhawks in double figures, led by Jones, who finished with a team-high 20 points to go along with five assists and a career-best seven steals. Jones, who has led the team in scoring in six consecutive games with 20 or more points, hit 7-of-15 field-goal attempts, including 2-of-4 3, and all four of his free-throw attempts.

Ozier contributed 16 points and matched his career high with nine rebounds.

Metskhvarishvili came off the bench to score 17 points, hitting 5-of-10 shots from the field, including 2-of-4 3-pointers, and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. Gonzales, who made 5-of-8 field-goal attempts including 2-of-5 3s, added 12 points.

QUOTING KEITH RICHARD –
Georgia State scouting report:
"Georgia State has finally hit its stride, winning its last five games in a row and seven of its last eight overall. This team was the preseason favorite to win the conference title, but its development was slowed by COVID. Georgia State had five cancellations earlier this season, including four league games. All five starters return from last year's team that won the East Division regular-season title and advanced to the Sun Belt Tournament Championship Game.

"This team really relies on its guard play. Georgia State likes to get out and run in transition. Offensively, they will also run a lot of ball-screen action. So, we will need to defend them one-on-one and keep them from getting inside the paint. We'll need to contest every shot and box out because they will attack the offensive glass.

"Georgia State is a well-balanced scoring team. Three players are scoring in double figures, and they have six guys scoring at least seven points per game.

"Corey Allen leads the team in scoring at nearly 14 points per game. Allen is always in the attack mode and scores extremely well off the dribble. He can hit mid-range jumpers, finish at the rim and his 49 3s lead the team.

"Eliel Nsoseme is a 6-foot-8 forward, who almost averages a double-double. He has three double-doubles in league games. He's a tough, physical player, who scores around the basket and aggressively hits the offensive boards.

"Defensively, Georgia State does a little bit of everything. It plays mostly man-to-man, but they will provide some 1-2-1-1 and man-to-man full-court pressure. They will also play some 2-3 zone."

On team's effort at Ragin' Cajuns Saturday:
"We lost the game, but I'm really proud of our players. They played hard out there again tonight, and it's been an on-going theme with this team.

"Obviously, we weren't perfect at times, but at other times, we really played well. It was another good game like (last) Thursday night. It had to be an entertaining game for the fans to watch. Both teams did a lot of good things, and it's a shame that one of us had to lose."

On team's competitiveness and resilience this season:
"This game came down to the wire. It was a tie game with two minutes to go, and like all close games, plays are either made or not made in those critical moments. A foul here. A missed shot there. A defensive rebound. All of those little things add up, and unfortunately, we came up short.

"As a coach, I'm so proud of the way our team continues to compete the way they are this late in the season. Obviously, I wish we had more wins to show for it, but if we keep playing like this and keep competing like this, something is going to go our way down the stretch. That was my final message to the players: just keep it up and good things will happen."

On team-high rebounding effort by Koreem Ozier:
"Koreem has always been a good defensive rebounder. We needed him in there (tonight), especially with some of the bigger guys Lafayette has in the lineup. It was good so see him play pretty well on both ends of the court."

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
Feb. 12 vs. Texas State*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 17 vs. Ragin' Cajuns*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 19 at Ragin' Cajuns*: Gonzales, Ozier, Jones, Harrison, Howell
Feb. 24 at Georgia State*:
Feb. 26 at Georgia Southern*:
*Sun Belt Conference game

Different Starting Combinations (9):
Gonzales, Jones, Ozier, Harrison, Howell: 12 (5-7)
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: 7-7
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: 3-3
Games played in March: 0-0

When leading at halftime: 9-6
When trailing at halftime: 3-9
When tied at halftime: 1-0

When shooting .500 or better from the field: 8-1
When shooting less than .500 from the field: 5-14
When opponent shoots .500 or better from the field: 1-6
When opponent shoots less than .500 from the floor: 12-9

When outrebounding opponent: 7-3
When outrebounded by opponent: 6-12
When rebounding totals are equal: 0-0

When hitting more free throws than opponent: 7-3
When hitting fewer free throws than opponent: 6-10
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: 2-10
When turnover totals are equal: 1-1

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

Games decided by five points or less: 4-3
Games decided by 6-10 points: 3-5
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: 12 (39-27 at Ragin' Cajuns, Feb. 19)

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