Katlyn Manuel jump shot vs UCA 2022
Luke Richard/ULM Athletics
65
Winner Texas St. TXST 13-5,5-2 Sun Belt
57
ULM ULM 6-12,2-5 Sun Belt
Winner
Texas St. TXST
13-5,5-2 Sun Belt
65
Final
57
ULM ULM
6-12,2-5 Sun Belt
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Texas St. TXST 10 18 21 16 65
ULM ULM 16 12 18 11 57

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

ULM Opens Sun Belt Homestand with Tough Loss to Texas State, 65-57

MONROE, La. – Taylor Kennedy scored nine of her team-high 13 points in the second half as Texas State rallied from a double-digit second-quarter deficit for a 65-57 Sun Belt Conference victory over ULM Thursday (Jan. 19).
 
Texas State (13-5, 5-2 Sun Belt) took the lead for good late in the third quarter and opened the fourth period with an 11-2 run en route to claiming its eighth consecutive win in the series.
 
"We just battled one of the top teams in the league down to the wire," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "That's a veteran group, with five seniors in their starting lineup. Our team competed and did some really good things tonight.
 
"Kennedy Taylor is one of the best point guards in the league. She really made a lot of things happen in the third and fourth quarters. Taylor did her share of scoring, but she also showed the ability to draw help from a defender and pitch the ball to open teammates, who knocked down shots. She's tough to defend, so you really have to be able to limit her touches; otherwise, she can pick apart a defense. Taylor is a really special player."
 
There were three ties in the first 3:47 of the opening period before ULM (6-12, 2-5) put together a 10-4 run to take a 16-10 lead as Myca Trail hit a pull-up jumper in the lane with 1:26 left in the first quarter. The Warhawks, who made their last four field-goal attempts in the period, got six points each from Emma Merriweather and Katlyn Manuel.
 
Merriweather hit 1-of-2 free throws and Aasia Sam buried a 3-pointer from the left wing, off an assist from Olivia Knight, as ULM opened up its biggest lead at 20-10 with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter. Texas State outscored the Warhawks, 9-2, over the final 2 ½ minutes and pulled even at 28-all as Nicole Leff completed a 3-point play with 15 seconds left in the first half.
 
ULM, which led for 15:43 in the first half, enjoyed a 13-4 advantage in second-chance points at the intermission; however, the Bobcats stayed within striking distance by hitting 12-of-14 free-throw attempts over the first 20 minutes.
 
"The second quarter was a big test for us because we played extended minutes without Emma Merriweather, Bre Sutton and Myca Trail, who all picked up their second foul," Williams said. "So, it was tough to score at times.
 
"Then we come out in the third quarter and Emma and Bre pick up their third fouls and that impacts how physical and aggressive they can play. It's difficult to play against one of the league's top teams without our three best players on the floor."
 
Texas State took its first lead of the game at the 8:58 mark in the third quarter, 30-28, as Taylor hit 12-foot jumper from outside the paint. There were five lead changes and four ties in the third quarter. Manuel's 12-foot bank shot from the right side of the lane provided ULM its final lead at 42-40 with 3:11 to play in the period. The Bobcats seized the lead for good at 43-42 on Ja'Kayla Bowie's 3-pointer with 2:41 on the clock. The Warhawks trimmed their deficit to 47-46 as Kierra Brimzy connected on an off-balance jumper from the right side of the lane with 1:10 on the clock. Taelour Pruitt's layup in the final minute gave Texas State a 49-46 advantage after three periods.
 
Both teams shot 50 percent from the field in the highly entertaining third quarter as Texas State hit 9-of-18 attempts, including 2-of-3 3-pointers, while ULM went 7-of-14 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range.
 
The Bobcats outscored ULM, 11-2, over the first 3:52 of the fourth quarter and built their largest lead at 60-48 on Tianna Eaton's layup with 6:08 on the clock. Midway through the period, the Warhawks reeled off six-straight points to rally to within five at 61-56 as Trail converted a layup in transition, Amani Brown hit a 15-foot runner from the right elbow and Trail turned a steal into another layup with 1:09 left. On Texas State's next possession, Taylor misfired on a 3-point attempt with the shot clock about the expire, but Bowie collected the offensive rebound outside the paint and converted a jumper to push the Bobcats' lead back to seven at 63-56 with 34 seconds remaining.
 
For the game, Texas State hit 22-of-55 field-goal attempts (40 percent), including 3-of-12 3-pointers, while ULM made 24-of-62 shots from the floor (39 percent), including 3-of-10 3s. The Warhawks outrebounded the Bobcats, 40-33, but Texas State outscored ULM, 18-6, from the free-throw line.
 
Pruitt came off the Bobcat bench to contribute 11 points, hitting 4-of-5 shots from the field.
 
Three Warhawks scored in double figures, led by Manuel, who connected on 6-of-13 field-goal attempts for a game-high 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, including five offensive boards.
 
"Katlyn Manuel played with toughness inside," Williams said. "She was aggressive offensively and looked to attack the basket. Katlyn also was a factor on the offensive boards."  
 
Merriweather posted her fourth double-double in the last five games, finishing with 11 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high seven blocked shots.
 
ULM also got 10 points and a season-high seven rebounds from Trail, who played 17 minutes off the bench.
 
"Emma had another double-double and blocked seven shots in the game," Williams said. "She just continues to get better and better. It was physical in the low post, but she made some tough catches and finished at the rim.
 
"Myca came off the bench and really changed the momentum in the first quarter. She did some really good things for us tonight, but it definitely hurt us when she got into foul trouble and had to sit."
 
The Warhawks resume their four-game Sun Belt homestand against Georgia Southern (12-4, 4-3) on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Eagles opened this week's two-game road swing with a victory at first-place James Madison, 69-65, Thursday night.
 
"We had a great crowd tonight, and I hope they'll keep coming back because this team is doing some really good things and they're so close to getting over the hump," Williams said. "This week, we're playing two of the top teams in the league back-to-back, so we need that home-court advantage."
 
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