ULM Warhawks

ULM (10-13 overall, 6-4 Sun Belt Conference) vs. Coastal Carolina (10-12 overall, 4-6 Sun Belt Conference)
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023 | Fant-Ewing Coliseum | Monroe, La.
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - ULM opens the month of February with a three-game homestand, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Coastal Carolina at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. It marks CCU's first visit to Monroe since March 2, 2019.

ULM (10-13, 6-4 SBC) dropped the finale of a four-game road swing to James Madison on Saturday, 58-45. The Dukes scored 11 of the final 13 points of the game to pull away for the victory. JMU limited ULM to 20% from the 3-point line (4-of-20 3-point field-goal attempts), including an 0-of-9 clip in the second half, as the Warhawks scored just 18 points after halftime. The Dukes forced 17 turnovers and outrebounded ULM, 35-29. Victor Bafutto was the only Warhawk to score in double figures with 10 points and team-high seven rebounds and two blocks.

ULM is tied for fourth place in the Sun Belt Conference at 6-4 in league play. The Warhawks are tied with JMU and App State. The Ragin' Cajuns and Southern Miss lead the SBC at 8-2 in conference play, while Marshall is alone in third at 7-3. Old Dominion, Troy and Georgia Southern lurk just one game behind ULM, JMU and App State in seventh place.

ULM head coach Keith Richard will be recognized in a special pregame ceremony Thursday night after he earned the 300th victory of his career on Jan. 19 at Georgia Southern, 72-59. He now has 151 victories in 13 seasons at ULM and 150 victories over nine seasons as head coach at Louisiana Tech, for 301 career wins. 

Richard has 116 career Sun Belt Conference victories, with 84 at ULM and 32 in his first three seasons at LA Tech before the Bulldogs departed for the Western Athletic Conference. He is one win behind former Middle Tennessee coach Kermit Davis for the second-most SBC career coaching victories.

Through 23 games, Tyreke Locure leads ULM at 13.5 points per game, which ranks 12th in the Sun Belt Conference. He also leads the team with 3.30 assists (10th SBC) and 1.87 steals per game (third SBC). 

Jamari Blackmon is second on the team at 12.8 points per game (17th SBC), 3.14 assists per game (12th SBC) and 1.73 steals per game (seventh SBC). He leads the team and is seventh in the SBC in 3-point field-goal percentage (.395).

Thomas Howell is third on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game and leads the team at 7.4 rebounds per game (eighth SBC). He had a career-high five-game double-figure streak snapped on Saturday at JMU.

ULM is second in the SBC in 3-point field-goal percentage in SBC play. The Warhawks are shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc since the start of conference play on Dec. 29. ULM is third in the league in 3-point field-goals made per game at 7.8.

Thursday's game against Coastal Carolina is the 10th all-time meeting between the Warhawks and Chanticleers. CCU has won seven of the first nine meetings, including the last two meetings, a 94-64 win on Dec. 30, 2021, and 93-64 win on Jan. 6, 2020, both in Conway, S.C. ULM last defeated Coastal, 80-50, on March 14, 2019, in the Sun Belt Conference Championship in New Orleans. ULM last defeated CCU in a regular season meeting, 82-72, on Jan. 4, 2018, at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

THURSDAY'S GAME BASICS    
ULM and Coastal Carolina meet for the second consecutive year in Sun Belt Conference play and face off in Monroe for the first time since the 2019-20 season at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

The Warhawks (10-13 overall, 6-4 SBC) are led by Tyreke Locure's 13.5 points per game, which ranks 12th-best in the Sun Belt Conference. Jamari Blackmon is second on the team at 12.8 points per game, which is 17th in the SBC, and is seventh in the SBC in 3-point field goal percentage (.395). Thomas Howell is the third Warhawk averaging double figures at 10.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 7.4 boards per contest, which ranks eighth in the SBC.

Coastal Carolina (10-12, 4-6) has four players in double figures on the season. Jomaru Brown leads the team at 15.3 points per game, but has not played since Jan. 7 at Marshall. Essam Mostafa is second on the team at 13.0 points per game, good for 15th in the SBC, and leads the team at 10.1 rebounds per game, which is second in the SBC. Josh Uduje is third on the team at 12.9 points per game (17th SBC) and has hit 40 3-point field-goal attempts (15th SBC at 1.82 per game). Antonio Daye Jr. is averaging 11.5 points per game and leads the team at 4.8 assists per game after missing the first nine games of the season with injury.

Statistically, ULM ranks 66th in NCAA Division I and fifth in the SBC at 7.9 steals per game and is 85th nationally and fifth in the SBC by forcing 14.39 turnovers per game. Offensively, ULM ranks 88th overall and seventh in the SBC in offensive rebounds per game (11.26).

Coastal Carolina is one of the top rebounding teams in the SBC, sitting 37th nationally and second in the SBC in rebounds per game (38.5), 48th nationally and third in the SBC in offensive rebounds per game (12.14) and 83rd nationally and third in the SBC in defensive rebounds per game (26.36). They take advantage of trips to the free-throw line, leading the SBC and ranking 30th in the nation in free-throw percentage (.755). The Chanticleers are 45th nationally and third in the SBC in bench points per game (25.41) and 80th nationally and fourth in the SBC in fast break points (11.50). Defensively, the Chants are 75th nationally and fifth in the SBC in field-goal percentage defense (.416).

Thursday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Chris Harris (play-by-play) and Mike Vining (analyst) on the call. 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 COASTAL CAROLINA    
The Chanticleers are 10-12 overall and 4-6 in the Sun Belt Conference, earning conference wins vs. the Ragin' Cajuns (77-76), at Old Dominion (67-66), vs. App State (93-84, overtime) and vs. South Alabama (85-81, overtime). CCU has lost its last three games, including a non-conference game vs. Chicago State (74-70) on Jan. 23. The Chants have Division I non-conference wins against South Dakota (twice) and Winthrop.

Cliff Ellis is the dean of Sun Belt Conference coaches, in his 16th season leading the Chanticleers. He is in his 45th season as a NCAA Division I head coach and ranks third among active coaches in career Division I victories (827), trailing only Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and West Virgnia's Bob Huggins. He is one of four Division I coaches to make multiple NCAA Tournament appearances with four schools: Coastal Carolina, Auburn, Clemson and South Alabama.

Jomaru Brown (6-2, 190, super senior, guard) leads the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game, but he has not played since Jan. 7 at Marshall. He scored in double figures in 12 of 15 games, including 20 or more points four times. He had a season-high 28 points twice, coming at USC Upstate on Nov. 18 and vs. the Ragin' Cajuns (9-of-13 field-goal attempts, 9-of-9 free-throw attempts) on Dec. 29.

Essam Mostafa (6-9, 250, red-shirt junior, center) is second on the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game (15th SBC) and leads the club at 10.1 rebounds per game (2nd SBC). He has scored in double figures 17 teams, has topped 10 rebounds15 times and has 14 double-doubles. He has topped 20 points four times, with a season-high 25 points and 11 rebounds at South Dakota on Dec. 14. In Sun Belt Conference play, he posted a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double vs. App State on Jan. 19. He has scored in double figures in four of the last five games. He had a career-high 17 rebounds last season against ULM. 

Josh Uduje (6-5, 190, sophomore, guard) is third on the team at 12.9 points per game (17th SBC) and is adding 3.6 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures 13 times, and has scored 20 or more points four times. He had a season-high 33 points (13-of-21 field-goal attempts) vs. South Alabama on Jan. 21. He scored 26 points (9-of-13 field-goal attempts, 5-of-8 3-point field-goal attempts) vs. App State on Jan. 19. He picked up 25 points (7-of-12 3-point field-goal attempts) against Chicago State on Jan. 23. He tallied 20 points (4-of-8 3-point field goal attempts) vs. Methodist on Nov. 11. Five of his double-figure efforts have come in SBC play.

Antonio Daye Jr. (6-2, 205, super senior, guard) has played in each of the last 13 games, and started the last 10 games, after missing the first nine games of the year. He has scored in double figures eight times. He has scored a season-high 23 points, adding 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season at James Madison last Thursday, and had 23 points at Georgia State (Jan. 14). His other two double-doubles were points/assists, scoring 15 points with 10 assists vs. App State on Jan. 19 and 10 points with 11 assists vs. South Alabama on Jan. 21.

Linton Brown (6-5, 210, senior, guard) leads the team in 3-point field-goal percentage (.398) and 3-point field-goals made (43). He averages 9.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He has reached double figures 10 times, including a season-high 23 points (5-of-9 3-point field-goal attempts) vs. Methodist on Nov. 11. He had a big week last week, scoring 19 points (5-of-9 3-point field goal attempts) at James Madison on Thursday with 13 points (4-of-6 3-point field-goal attempts) vs. Old Dominon on Saturday, going 9-of-15 (.600) from beyond the arc in the two games.

RICHARD EARNS 300TH CAREER WIN, NEARS SBC MILESTONE WIN    
ULM head coach Keith Richard earned his 300th career win in the 72-59 victory for the Warhawks at Georgia Southern on Jan. 19. He will be presented with a commemorative basketball prior to Thursday night's game vs. Coastal Carolina.

Richard is in his 13th season as the head coach at his alma mater. The win against Georgia Southern also marked his 150th victory as the head coach at ULM, making it an even split in career victories with another 150 wins over nine seasons at Louisiana Tech from 1998-99 to 2007-08. 

He has won 117 Sun Belt Conference games as a head coach, with 85 at ULM and 32 over his first three seasons at LA Tech before the Bulldogs joined the Western Athletic Conference in 2001-02. He is one win shy of tying former Middle Tennesse coach Kermit Davis for the second-most SBC wins by a head coach.

He has been involved in 719 of the 2,005 games in ULM program history either as a player, graduate assistant, assistant coach or head coach.

LOCURE PACES WARHAWKS IN SCORING COLUMN    
ULM junior guard Tyreke Locure leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game, which ranks 12th in the Sun Belt Conference. He also leads the team with 3.30 assists per game, which ranks 10th in the SBC, and 1.87 steals per game, which is third in the SBC and 68th in NCAA Division I. He is ninth in the SBC in 3-point field-goals made per game (2.00), 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38) and 17th in minutes played per game (31.22).

Inside of Sun Belt Conference play, Locure is averaging 13.7 points per game, good for 11th in the SBC. He is fifth in the SBC in 3-point field-goals made per game (2.30), seventh in minutes played per game (34.80), ninth in steals per game (1.60), 11th in assists per game (3.20) and 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28).

He has scored in double figures in 18 of 23 games this season. Locure played a career-high 43 minutes last Thursday at Marshall, picking up 18 points (5-of-11 3-point field-goal attempts), seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. He hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:26 left in regulation, putting ULM up 59-58. He also had the steal on Marshall's inbounds play with 14.4 seconds left in overtime, which led to Thomas Howell's game-tying dunk to force the second overtime.

He led ULM with 19 points (5-of-10 3-point field-goal attempts), six rebounds and six assists in the Jan. 19 72-59 win at Georgia Southern. Locure posted his first two 20-point games as a Warhawk against Georgia State and Southern Miss. Locure had a career-high 25 points (4-of-8 3-point field-goal shooting) while adding six rebounds, four assists and one steal on Jan. 5 in a 66-58 win over GSU. He backed it up on on Jan. 7, going for 21 points (4-of-10 3-point field-goal shooting) with four rebounds, three assists and five steals against Southern Miss. For the week, he averaged 23.0 points (third in Sun Belt Conference), 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals (tied for first in SBC). He opened the second week of the four-game homestand with 12 points, all in the second half, with two rebounds and four assists on Jan. 12 vs. the Ragin' Cajuns.

Locure scored 15 points while shooting 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, adding five rebounds, four assists and one steal at Arkansas State on Dec. 31. He led the team with 12 points and added a season-high eight rebounds with four assists in the Dec. 29 57-53 win at Texas State. Locure had an efficient outing on Dec. 17 vs. Lamar, scoring 17 points (7-of-9 field-goal attempts, 3-of-4 3-point field-goal attempts), with four rebounds, seven assists and one turnover. He led ULM with 14 points (5-of-9 field-goal shooting), four rebounds, four steals and three assists on Wednesday vs. Sam Houston. He scored 13 points with two rebounds, two assists and two steals on Dec. 10 at Northwestern State. Locure picked up 14 points with seven assists, two rebounds and one steal on Dec. 3 vs. Champion Christian. He led the team with 14 points and added five rebounds, three assists and two steals on Nov. 28 at Tulane. Locure had 14 points, reaching double figures for the fifth consecutive game, with two assists and two steals vs. Omaha at the Emerald Coast Classic on Nov. 25. He netted 18 points with six rebounds and four steals at Louisiana Tech on Nov. 21. He picked up 14 points with two steals at No. 15/18 TCU on Nov. 17. Locure scored 13 points with four assists, three rebounds and two steals vs. Central Baptist on Nov. 14. In his home debut, he flirted with a triple-double, leading the team with 19 points while adding eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals against Dallas Christian on Nov. 10.

He spent last season at UAB but began his collegiate career at Sun Belt Conference rival South Alabama, where he started 34 of 49 games over two seasons. As a sophomore in 2020-21, Locure started 25 of 26 games and averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

BLACKMON EXPLODES LATE TO HELP WARHAWKS UPSET MARSHALL    
ULM senior guard Jamari Blackmon scored 22 of his career-high 35 points in the final 15:38 of last Thursday's game at Marshall. He made his final six field-goal attempts (five 3-pointers) and five free-throw attempts, beginning with the final of three free-throw attempts at the 5:38 mark of regulation. In just the two overtimes, he had 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting (all 3-pointers) and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. In making his final five 3-point field-goal attempts of the night, four either tied the game or gave ULM the lead. His final 3-pointer gave ULM a five-point lead, 84-79, with 26 seconds left in the second overtime.

He played all 50 minutes in the victory, going 10-of-20 from the field and 8-of-15 from 3-point range, all career highs. He also tracked down a season-high eight rebounds.

He has provided a steady and veteran hand on the perimeter for the Warhawks. He is second on the team at 12.8 points per game (17th SBC), 3.14 assists (12th SBC) and 1.73 steals per game (7th SBC). He also averages 3.0 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures 15 times, including eight of 10 games in Sun Belt Conference play.

He also ranks sixth in the SBC in 3-point field-goals made per game (2.14) and minutes played per game (33.59), seventh in 3-point field-goal percentage (.395) and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.53).

Inside SBC play, Blackmon is sixth in the conference in scoring at a team-high 16.6 points per game. He is second in the league in steals per game (2.00), 3-point field-goals made per game (2.70) and minutes played per game (37.60), 13th in 3-point field-goal percentage (.409) and 15th in free-throw percentage (.763).

He added 15 points (3-of-4 3-point field-goal attempts), six rebounds and five assists in the 72-59 win at Georgia Southern on Jan. 19. He led the way for ULM as the Warhawks finished a season sweep of Texas State on Jan. 14, scoring a game-high 24 points (7-of-13 field-goal attempts, 8-of-10 free-throw attempts) with three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Against Southern Miss on Jan. 7, Blackmon added 17 points and five assists as the Warhawks fell short to the Golden Eagles, 65-60.

He surpassed 1,500 points in his career on a 3-pointer with 18:08 to play in the first half vs. Georgia State on Jan. 5, finishing with 14 points in the game, with four assists and four steals. He continued his stellar defensive play, limiting GSU's Dwon Odom to six points. Odom entered the game averaging nearly 16 points per game.

Blackmon played a huge role in ULM's two road wins to open SBC play. He scored a season-high 25 points on 9-of-12 field-goal shooting and 6-of-8 3-point field-goal shooting while adding three rebounds with three assists and two steals at Arkansas State on Dec. 31. It marked the third time in his career to knock down six 3-pointers. Defensively, he was assigned to A-State's leading scorer, Caleb Fields, limiting him to 11 points on 2-of-7 field-goal shooting, two points under his season average. He had 11 points in the Dec. 29 win at Texas State, including a 6-of-9 effort at the free-throw line. He added four rebounds and two assists in the win while playing solid defense against the Bobcats' leading scorer, Mason Harrell, limiting him to 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

He had 16 points (5-of-7 field-goal attempts, 3-of-5 3-point field-goal attempts) with four assists, three steals and one block on Dec. 17 vs. Lamar. He tallied 12 points on 7-of-9 free-throw shooting on Dec. 10 at Northwestern State. He matched a career high with nine assists vs. Dallas Chrisitan on Nov. 10 and picked up eight assists on Nov. 28 at Tulane.

Blackmon was named to the Emerald Coast Classic All-Tournament Team, as announced on Nov. 27.

Blackmon tied for the team lead with Tyreke Locure with 11.3 points per game over the three-game classic against No. 15/18 TCU, Omaha and Loyola Maryland. Blackmon shot 54.2% from the field (13-of-24) and 53.8% from 3-point range (7-for-13).

Blackmon added seven assists and six rebounds over the two games.

He started his Emerald Coast Classic run with nine points and one assist at TCU on Nov. 17. He then scored a season-high 15 points on 3-of-6 3-point shooting while adding three rebounds and two steals against Omaha on Nov. 25. He closed out the tournament with 10 points, hitting 2-of-3 from deep, and five assists on Nov. 26 against Loyola Maryland.

Blackmon played four seasons at North Alabama, ranking as the sixth all-time leading scorer in UNA history with 1,346 points after starting 111 of 113 career games from 2018-22. 

POWELL GIVES WARHAWKS LIFT IN SUN BELT PLAY
ULM senior guard Langston Powell has made 10 consecutive starts to begin Sun Belt Conference play, first joining the starting lineup on Dec. 29 at Texas State and has started every game since. He led the team in scoring for the first time in 2022-23 on Jan. 12 with a career-high 19 points (7-of-10 field-goal attempts) against the Cajuns.

Since the start of SBC play, Powell is averaging 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He is 10th in the Sun Belt in 3-point field-goal percentage in conference play (.423, 11-of-26) and is 23rd in minutes played per game (31.50).

He matched a career high with seven rebounds and tied a season high with four assists last Thursday at Marshall, playing in a career-high 48 minutes. He added 10 points (4-of-5 field-goal attempts, 2-of-3 3-point field-goal attempts) at Georgia Southern on Jan. 19, marking his fifth double-figure game of the season. He also pulled in five rebounds with two steals.

On Jan. 7 vs. Southern Miss, he added nine points and a season-high six rebounds. On Dec. 31 at Arkansas State, Powell scored eight consecutive points early in the game and finished with 15 points on 4-of-5 3-point field-goal shooting. He added four rebounds and two steals while playing 30 minutes. He had four points with one steal in 25 minutes at Texas State on Dec. 29.

Powell has reached double figures two other times in 2022-23, picking up 10 points vs. Sam Houston on Dec. 14 and 12 points vs. Central Baptist on Nov. 14.

He had a seven-point possession against Jacksonville on Dec. 20, as he drew a foul on a dunk. The foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul after review, and Powell knocked down two free throws. On the inbounds play, Powell came free in the right corner and knocked down a 3-pointer to cap the possession, which cut ULM's deficit from 13 points to six.

He has played in 78 games with 33 starts over four seasons at ULM. He averaged 4.1 points and 1.3 rebounds per game over 27 games with nine starts in 2021-22. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in December 2022.

HOWELL ANCHORS THE POST    
ULM sophomore forward Thomas Howell is one of just two post players remaining on the 2022-23 roster. The third-year player from Natchitoches, Louisiana, is third on the team at 10.1 points per game while adding a team-best 7.4 rebounds along with 2.0 assists and 0.9 steals per game. He had a streak of five-consecutive games scoring in double figures snapped on Saturday at James Madison. It was a career-best streak, with a career-high 21 points and 15 rebounds for his second double-double of the season while playing all 50 minutes at Marshall (Jan. 26), a team-high 14 points at Troy (Jan. 21) and 13 points in each of the three prior games, adding six rebounds against both the Ragin' Cajuns (Jan. 12) and Texas State (Jan. 14). He had three rebounds and a block at Georgia Southern (Jan. 19).

He played a crucial role in ULM's 86-82 double-overtime win against Marshall on Thursday. Howell had the game-tying dunk in the first overtime with nine seconds remaining, following a steal by Tyreke Locure. In the second overtime, Howell scored consecutive layups to tie the game and give ULM its final lead, 81-79, with 1:02 left.

Against Troy on Jan. 21, Howell shot 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from 3-point range, marking the first time in his career he hit multiple 3-pointers in a game. He has now made 12 3-pointers in his career, with 11 coming this season. He has made at least one trey in 10 of the last 12 games. Since the start of SBC play, Howell is eighth in the SBC in 3-point field-goal percentage (.435, 10-of-23).

He ranks eighth in the Sun Belt Conference in minutes played per game (32.83), rebounding and defensive rebounds per game (5.17). Since the start of conference play, Howell leads the league in minutes played per game (37.80), is seventh in defensive rebounds per game (5.40), eighth in rebounds per game (7.6) and 13th in offensive rebounds per game (2.20).

He tallied nine points with 10 rebounds on Jan. 7 vs. Southern Miss for his fifth game with double-digit rebounds on the season. He added 13 points (6-of-11 field-goal attempts) with eight rebounds in ULM's 66-58 win over Georgia State on Jan. 5.

On the Sun Belt Conference-opening road trip, he had eight points and four rebounds to go with four assists at Arkansas State on Dec. 31. He totaled eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds on Dec. 29 at Texas State. 

He led ULM with 12 points while adding five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal vs. Jacksonville on Dec. 20.

He put together a big game against Northwestern State on Dec. 10 in his hometown of Natchitoches. Howell led ULM with 16 points and nine rebounds. It was his fourth career game against his hometown university. 

He just missed his second double-double of the season on Dec. 3, finishing with nine points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Champion Christian. The 6-8 sophomore forward had a strong three-game road swing to the Emerald Coast Classic and Tulane. He averaged 10.3 points and 9.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game against Omaha, Loyola Maryland and Tulane. Howell picked up a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double against Omaha on Nov. 25, the second double-double of his ULM career. He added 12 points and six rebounds vs. Loyola Maryland on Nov. 26. He closed out the three-game road swing at Tulane on Nov. 28 by matching his career high with 11 rebounds and added six points.

After struggling to two points and five rebounds in the season opener Nov. 7 at Texas A&M, Howell bounced back. He scored 14 points (7-of-10 field-goal attempts) with six rebounds against Dallas Christian on Nov. 10. He followed it up with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists against Central Baptist on Nov. 14. He tallied six points and led the team with six rebounds at No. 15/18 TCU on Nov. 17. He had seven rebounds at Louisiana Tech on Nov. 21.

Howell is back for his third season with the Warhawks in 2022-23. He is the only returning starter from the 2021-22 team. He came into the program as a freshman and has steadily evolved his game. He started 30 of 31 games as a second-year freshman in 2021-22, averaging 8.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 59.4 percent (107-of-180) from the field, ranking as the sixth-best field-goal percentage in a single season in program history. Howell led the Warhawks with 44 offensive rebounds and scored in double figures 10 times.

BAFUTTO SETS SCHOOL SINGLE-GAME OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING RECORD    
ULM graduate forward Victor Bafutto has started 17 consecutive games for the Warhawks. He has picked up eight or more rebounds in 11 games this season, including five games with 10-or-more rebounds. He is averaging 7.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He led the team with 10 points (5-of-7 field-goal attempts) with seven rebounds and two blocks at James Madison on Saturday.

He ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference and 16th in NCAA Division I with 2.26 blocks per game. According to KenPom.com, Bafutto ranks 20th in the nation in block percentage (.096). Block percentage is the percentage of opponents' two-point shots that are blocked by the player while he is on the court.

He also is third in the SBC in offensive rebounds per game (3.00) and 12th in rebounds per game (7.0) and field-goal percentage (.528). Inside SBC play, he is second in the league in offensive rebounds per game (3.80), third in blocked shots per game (2.30) and leads the team and is seventh in rebounds per game (7.9).

Bafutto pulled in 11 rebounds with six points in a career-high 41 minutes at Marshall on Jan. 26. He set the program's single-game offensive rebounding record on Jan. 19 at Georgia Southern, pulling down 10 offensive boards against the Eagles. He finished with 15 rebounds to go with his nine points and two blocks. He added eight rebounds on Jan. 21 at Troy.

Bafutto had a big opening weekend in Sun Belt Conference play. He followed up his double-double at Texas State with 13 points (6-of-9 field-goal attempts), all in the second half, and nine rebounds on Dec. 31 at Arkansas State. He posted his first double-double as a Warhawk and second of his career on Dec. 29 at Texas State. He scored 11 points and pulled in 10 rebounds, including two clutch offensive rebounds to extend ULM's possession in the final 23 seconds of the game, allowing the Warhawks to sink three free throws on the possession and push the lead to two possessions, 57-53.

Bafutto nearly reached a double-double on Dec. 17 against Lamar, posting eight points (4-of-5 field-goal attempts) with 10 rebounds. He had double-figure rebounds at Northwestern State on Dec. 10, pulling in 10 boards with six points and a career-high six blocks.

He notched his third consecutive double-figure scoring effort on Dec. 3 against Champion Christian, matching a career high with 20 points. He has scored in double figures five times this season. He had five double-figure games over four seasons and 80 career games at Mercer.

Bafutto scored 13 points while matching a season high with nine rebounds at Tulane on Nov. 28. He added three blocks and two assists. He set career highs in points (20), field goals made (8) and minutes (39) and matched career highs in free throws made (4) and free throws attempted (4) against Loyola Maryland on Nov. 26. He also added eight rebounds, two blocks and one assist in his first start as a Warhawk. He smashed previous career highs of 14 points, six field goals made and 25 minutes.

The 6-10 forward from Brasilia, Brazil, transferred to ULM after playing in 80 games over four seasons at Mercer. He earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in civil engineering from Mercer, and is working on a master's of business administration degree at ULM.

GALLION FINDING CONSISTENCY    
ULM junior guard Savion Gallion is averaging 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He had back-to-back double figure efforts off the bench, scoring 13 points (5-of-8 field-goal attempts) vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 12 and added 11 points in a career-high 34 minutes vs. Texas State on Jan. 14.

He had a string of seven consecutive starts snapped on Dec. 29 at Texas State, but managed to record his eighth-straight game of eight points or better with nine off the bench, including a 4-of-6 effort from the free-throw line. He scored in double figures four times in the stretch, including 11 points and four rebounds on Dec. 20 vs. Jacksonville. 

He has scored in double figures seven times on the season. He once again matched his career high with 13 points vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 12. He picked up 11 points with a career-high four assists vs. Lamar on Dec. 17. He matched his career high with 13 points while adding two rebounds and two assists at Northwestern State on Dec. 10. He had 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal against Loyola Maryland on Nov. 26. He posted 13 points with three rebounds and one assist vs. Central Baptist on Nov. 14. In the home opener, he notched 12 points with two assists and one rebound against Dallas Christian on Nov. 10.

He is one of six incoming transfers on the 2022-23 Warhawk roster. Gallion spent the 2021-22 season at South Plains Junior College, where he averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 32 games with 12 starts. He played his first two collegiate seasons at Buffalo, where he earned two letters after playing in 29 games over two seasons.

WARHAWKS SPRING UPSET IN RICHARD'S HUNTINGTON "HOMECOMING"    
ULM's 86-82 double-overtime win over Marshall on Jan. 26 marked a significant upset, according to the metrics of the NCAA's NET rankings. ULM entered the game ranked 291 in the latest NET, while Marshall was No. 66, marking a spread of 225 spots. After the win, ULM jumped to No. 266 in Friday's NET. The game also ranked as the No. 10 most "exciting" game of the season in college basketball according to KenPom.com.

It was the first game for ULM head coach Keith Richard against Marshall in Huntington since he served as an assistant coach with the Thundering Herd from 1986-89, under head coach Rick Huckabay. Richard helped coach Marshall to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1987, the program's previous appearance prior to 2018, and the 1988 National Invitation Tournament. It is the only college coaching job Richard has held outside of the state of Louisiana, spending time as an assistant coach at ULM, Louisiana Tech and LSU and as head coach at LA Tech and ULM.

METSKHVARISHVILI TO MISS REMAINDER OF THE 2022-23 SEASON    
ULM junior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season due to an injured knee that requires surgery.

The Third-Team Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection played in five games before his injury forced him to the sideline. He averaged 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, scoring a season-high 15 points against Central Baptist on Nov. 14 and earning a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Dallas Christian on Nov. 10.

He is the second post player to suffer a season-ending injury for ULM, following AD Diedhiou's ACL injury in October.

"It's a tough blow for Nika and our team," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "We were already shorthanded in the post after losing AD in October. We will find a way to make it work with the post players that we have remaining in Thomas Howell and Victor Bafutto. We wish Nika a speedy recovery from his surgery."

DOUBLE VISION    
Through the first 23 games of the season, three different Warhawks have posted four total double-doubles.

Junior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Dallas Christian on Nov. 10. It was the second double-double of his ULM career, joining a 15-point, 11-rebound effort at Texas State on Jan. 13, 2022.

Sophomore forward Thomas Howell joined the double-double club on Nov. 25 against Omaha, posting season highs with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Mavericks at the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida. It was Howell's second career double-double after picking up 13 points and 11 rebounds against his hometown team, Northwestern State, on Nov. 22, 2021, in a neutral-site game in Ruston, Louisiana.


Howell added his second double-double of the season and third of his career at Marshall, scoring a career-high 21 points while adding a career-high matching 15 rebounds while playing all 50 minutes in the 86-82 double overtime victory on Jan. 26.

Graduate forward Victor Bafutto earned his first double-double as a Warhawk on Dec. 29 at Texas State, picking up 11 points and 10 rebounds. His final two rebounds were offensive rebounds in the final 23 seconds of the game to extend ULM's possession, allowing the Warhawks to hit three free throws on the possession to take a one-point lead to a four-point lead, 57-53.
 
SEVEN WARHAWKS IN DOUBLE FIGURES IN CONSECUTIVE GAMES    
ULM put seven players in double figures in back-to-back games against Central Baptist on Nov. 14 and Dallas Baptist on Nov. 10. 

Nika Metskhvarishvili led the Warhawks against Central Baptist with 15 points. Victor Bafutto came off the bench to match a career-high with 14 points (6-of-6 field-goal attempts). Tyreke Locure and Savion Gallion added 13 points apiece. Thomas Howell and Langston Powell posted 12 points each. Devon Hancock picked up 11 points (4-of-5 field-goal attempts).

In the previous game against Dallas Christian, Locure (19 points), Howell (14 points), Gallion (12 points), Bafutto (11 points) and Metskhvarishvili (10 points) were all part of another effort with seven players in double figures. Jalen Bolden scored 13 points and Jamari Blackmon, who missed the Central Baptist game with an injury, had 10 points.

WARHAWKS ACHIEVE BIG NUMBERS AGAINST DALLAS CHRISTIAN    
In the home opener against Dallas Chrisitan on Nov. 10, 2022, ULM put up big numbers in several stat categories. The Warhawks put seven players in double figures in the win, marking the first time ULM had put at least six players in double figures since Nov. 16, 2021. ULM also tallied 32 assists in the victory, marking the most assists for the Warhawks since tallying a school-record 34 assists against Arkansas-Monticello on Dec. 3, 1996. ULM also pulled down 27 offensive rebounds in the win, which marks the most since at least the 2009-10 season.