Katlyn Manuel matched her career high with 16 points in ULM's 61-59 loss to Marshall on Thursday, Jan. 26.
61
Winner Marshall Marsh 11-9,4-5 Sun Belt
59
ULM ULM 6-14,2-7 Sun Belt
Winner
Marshall Marsh
11-9,4-5 Sun Belt
61
Final
59
ULM ULM
6-14,2-7 Sun Belt
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Marshall Marsh 7 10 24 20 61
ULM ULM 15 15 11 18 59

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

ULM Drops Heartbreaker in Closing Seconds to Marshall, 61-59

MONROE, La. – Abby Beeman and Sydni Scott combined for 32 points to lead Marshall to a 61-59 Sun Belt Conference victory over ULM Thursday (Jan. 26) as the Thundering Herd overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit. It was a heartbreaking loss for ULM, which led for 35 minutes in the game.
 
"I thought we played a heck of a three-and-a-half quarters," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "I thought we did some really good things. Defensively, we really disrupted Marshall's top scorer (Roshala Scott who entered the game averaging 18.2 points) and held her to four points – 14 below her season average. Our kids were really locked into our defensive game plan.
 
"We made some crucial errors down the stretch that really hurt us."
 
The Warhawks closed out the first quarter on a 7-0 run and Olivia Knight's 3-pointer from the left wing gave ULM a 15-7 lead.
 
Marshall (11-9, 4-5 Sun Belt) opened the second quarter with an 8-2 spurt and pulled to within two at 17-15 on Beeman's second-chance jumper from outside the paint with 7:24 on the clock. Emma Merriweather scored six-straight points as ULM (6-14, 2-7) answered with a 9-0 run to build a 26-15 lead on a pair of free throws from Amani Brown with 4:27 left in the first half. In the final 1:29, Myca Trail grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup and Katlyn Manuel followed with a layup, off a nifty pass from Gara Belt Self, as the Warhawks took a 30-17 advantage into the intermission.
 
ULM outscored the Thundering Herd, 13-2, over the last 7:06 in the second quarter. Marshall went 1-of-14 from the field during that stretch and was held scoreless for the final 3:13 of the first half. Merriweather had 10 points and eight rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
 
Knight's 3-pointer from the left corner gave ULM its biggest lead at 33-19 with 8:25 remaining in the third quarter. Marshall outscored the Warhawks, 22-7, over the next 7:15 and took its first lead of the game at 41-40 on Peyton Ilderton's 3 from the top of the circle with 56 seconds to go in the period. After 30 minutes, the score was tied at 41-all.
 
The fourth quarter featured four lead changes and a tie. Beeman converted a steal into a layup as the Thundering Herd took a 43-41 lead with 8:36 to play in the fourth quarter. ULM got a left-handed layup from Merriweather over Mahogany Matthews, a 10-foot runner in the lane from Brown, a pull-up jumper on the left baseline from Bre Sutton and a 3-point play from Trail as the Warhawks reeled off nine-straight points to take a 50-43 lead with 6:29 on the clock. Marshall responded with an 8-0 spurt as Scott completed a 3-point play and buried a 3-pointer from the left wing and Beeman followed with a scoop shot from the left side of the lane in transition as the Thundering Herd regained the lead at 51-50 with 5:12 on the clock. Manuel accounted for six points during a 9-3 spurt as ULM moved out to a 59-54 lead with 2:02 remaining. Marshall scored the game's next eight points to complete the comeback. The Thundering Herd took the lead for good at 60-59 on a layup from Matthews with 17 seconds left.
 
Marshall outscored ULM, 42-26, over the final 18:11 of the game. Scott (nine points) and Beeman (eight) combined to account for 17 of the Thundering Herd's 20 fourth-quarter points. Marshall shot 47 percent (16-of-34) from the field in the second half, including 6-of-13 3-pointers.
 
The Thundering Herd held a decided advantage in points off turnovers, 20-4, including 14-0 in the second half; and bench points, 28-11. ULM outrebounded Marshall, 47-31, and enjoyed a 38-22 edge in points from the paint.  
 
Beeman scored a game-high 17 points to pace the Thundering Herd, with 13 of those coming in the second half. She made 6-of-10 field-goal attempts and added eight assists with no turnovers.
 
Marshall also got 15 points from Scott, who came off the bench to hit 5-of-6 shots from the floor including 4-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc.
 
Manuel, who connected on 7-of-10 field-goal attempts, led ULM with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. Her 16 points and four assists matched her career highs. Manuel scored 11 second-half points.
 
"Kate gave us a little spark in the fourth quarter, scoring three key buckets in the final four minutes," Williams said. "I'm really proud of her because that's the aggressiveness we need from Kate. She has the ability to be a go-to player, and she really responded tonight. If Kate continues to assert herself on offense, we're going to be in business."
 
Merriweather finished with her eighth double-double with 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds (five offensive boards). It marked her sixth double-double in the last seven games. Merriweather also blocked five shots.
 
"Emma held her own inside and really did some good things," Williams said. "She is consistently playing at a high level."
 
Brown contributed seven points and three rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
 
"Amani Brown certainly gave us a lift, especially in the second half," Williams said. "We really needed her defensively. Amani has the agility to defend those Marshall perimeter players, who have the athleticism and savvy to create problems. She also did some good things on the offensive end of the floor. Amani played with no fear; got to the rim and helped create for her teammates. We need to continue to get those things out of her down the stretch."
 
ULM concludes its four-game Sun Belt homestand on Saturday, Jan. 28 against South Alabama at 2 p.m.
 
"We have another quick turnaround with South Alabama coming in here on Saturday," Williams said. "I'm really proud of this bunch because I feel like the team has improved with every game. They really fought hard tonight, and if they'll do that again on Saturday, we'll have a great opportunity to win the game."
 
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