ULM Warhawks

ULM (6-9 overall, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference) vs. Georgia State (8-6 overall, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference)
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023 | Fant-Ewing Coliseum | Monroe, La.
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks open the 2023 portion of the schedule and the Sun Belt Conference home slate against Georgia State at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

ULM (6-9 overall, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference) is one of four 2-0 teams in the Sun Belt Conference after the opening weekend of conference play, joining Georgia Southern, James Madison and Southern Miss atop the SBC standings.

Jamari Blackmon scored a season-high 25 points, knocking down 9-of-12 field-goal attempts and 6-of-8 from behind the 3-point line, while Langston Powell had a season-high 15 points, including a 4-of-5 effort from 3-point range, to lead ULM to an 84-72 win Saturday at Arkansas State. Tyreke Locure added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Victor Bafutto scored all 13 of his points in the second half and tacked on nine rebounds.

ULM's 12-of-21 (57.1%) effort from 3-point range was its best 3-point shooting percentage in a game this season.

Through 15 games, Locure leads ULM at 13.3 points per game, which ranks 12th in the Sun Belt Conference through games on Dec. 31. He has scored in double figures 13 times. He also leads the team with 3.47 assists per game (9th SBC) and 1.93 steals per game (tied 3rd SBC). 

Four other active Warhawks are averaging over 8.5 points per game. Blackmon is second on the team at 10.9 points, 3.29 assists (12th SBC) and 1.50 steals (15th SBC) per game while ranking sixth in the SBC in 3-point field-goal percentage (.422). Bafutto is third on the team at 9.0 points per game while adding 6.7 rebounds (13th SBC) and 2.4 blocks per game (2nd SBC).  Savion Gallion is averaging 8.8 points per game. Thomas Howell is averaging 8.6 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game (9th SBC).

Blackmon enters Thursday's game needing two points for 1,500 career points. The senior guard scored 1,346 points over his four-year career at North Alabama, and has 152 points this season.

Thursday's game is the 21st all-time meeting between ULM and Georgia State, with GSU leading the series, 12-8. The Panthers swept last year's meetings, 73-62 in Monroe (Jan. 29) and 82-70 in Atlanta (Feb. 23). ULM last defeated GSU, 82-76, on Feb. 6, 2019, in Monroe.

THURSDAY'S GAME BASICS    
ULM seeks its first 3-0 start to Sun Belt Conference play in 16 years at 6 p.m. Thursday when Georgia State visits Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Warhawks opened their first season in the SBC 4-0 in 2006-07.

The Warhawks (6-9 overall, 2-0 SBC) are led by Tyreke Locure's 13.3 points per game, which ranks 12th-best in the Sun Belt Conference. Jamari Blackmon joins him in double figures with 10.9 points per game, and is sixth in the SBC in 3-point field goal percentage (.422). Thomas Howell leads ULM with 7.5 rebounds per game, good for ninth in the SBC, while also adding 8.6 points per game.

ULM continues to have success on the defensive end, forcing steals and turnovers. The Warhawks are averaging 8.5 steals per game, which ranks fifth in the SBC and 52nd in NCAA Division I. ULM is forcing 15.13 turnovers per game, good for fourth in the SBC and 70th nationally. The Warhawks have forced double-digit steals in six contests this season, most recently with 12 against Sam Houston on Dec. 14.

On the offensive end, ULM has done a nice job of creating points off the forced turnovers, averaging 11.93 fast-break points per game, which ranks fifth in the SBC and 86th nationally. The Warhawks also have generated second chances, securing 12.07 offensive rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the SBC and 70th nationally. ULM has shared the ball effectively, averaging 14.9 assists per game, good for fifth in the SBC and 89th nationally. ULM is 4-2 this season when dishing out 15-or-more assists in a game. The Warhawks also are shooting 19.7 free throws per game, ranking third in the SBC and 85th nationally.

Georgia State (8-6 overall, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference) split its opening Sun Belt Conference games with a 63-47 loss to James Madison last Thursday before bouncing back with a 68-58 win over South Alabama on Saturday in Atlanta. Dwon Odom led the Panthers in scoring in both games, putting up 17 points with seven rebounds against JMU before scoring 18 against USA. Ja'Heim Hudson also had 18 points against USA.

Odom leads GSU at 15.6 points per game, which ranks eighth in the SBC. He is 11th in the SBC with 3.43 assists per game. Brenden Tucker is averaging 10.5 points per game, while Evan Johnson is at 10.4 points per game. Hudson is adding 10.2 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game, good for sixth in the SBC.

Georgia State has excelled on the defensive end, ranking third in the SBC and 49th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense (63.0 points per game) and sixth in the SBC and 68th nationally in field-goal percentage defense (.404). On the offensive end, GSU ranks fifth in the SBC and 63rd nationally at 12.21 offensive rebounds per game while sitting second in the SBC and 75th nationally shooting 73.9% from the free-throw line.

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 GEORGIA STATE    
The Panthers are 8-6 overall on the season and 1-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. GSU picked up non-conference wins over Coastal Georgia, Mercer, Texas A&M-Commerce, UNC Asheville, Middle Georgia State, Rhode Island and Toccoa Falls before defeating South Alabama for its first SBC win last Saturday.

Jonas Hayes is in his first season leading Georgia State. An Atlanta native, Hayes spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Xavier, before getting elevated to the interim head coaching role for last season's run to the National Invitation Tournament championship for the Musketeers. He also spent six seasons at Georgia. He also has spent time at Belmont Abbey, South Carolina State and Morehouse College.

Dwon Odom has started all 14 games and leads the team at 15.6 points (8th SBC) and 3.43 assists per game (11th SBC). He has scored in double figures in each of the last five games and 12 games overall. He has topped 20 points four times, including a season-high 27 points with seven rebounds vs. UNC Asheville on Nov. 20. He had 24 points and a season-high eight rebounds vs. Belmont on Nov. 27. He tallied 14 points and a season-high eight assists vs. Rhode Island on Dec. 18.

Brenden Tucker has started all 11 games in which he has appeared, averaging 10.5 points per game and scoring in double figures eight times. He had a season-high 17 points with a season-best six rebounds vs. Middle Georgia State on Dec. 1. He did not play in three games in November.

Evan Johnson is third on the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game, while playing in 11 games with four starts, missing three games in November. He has scored in double figures six times, with a season-high 15 points vs. Mercer on Nov. 15. He hit 4-of-8 3-pointers for 14 points vs. Middle Georgia State on Dec. 1.

Ja'Heim Hudson is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game, while leading the team at 8.3 rebounds per game, good for sixth in the SBC. He has three double-doubles, while scoring in double figures six times and topping 10 rebounds five times. He had 16 points with 10 rebounds in the season opener against Coastal Georgia on Nov. 7, while adding a season-high 23 points with 11 rebounds against Georgia Tech on Nov. 12. He notched his third double-double on Saturday with 18 points and 11 rebounds against South Alabama, hitting all three of his 3-point field-goal attempts.

WARHAWK P-40 SERIES UNIFORMS
Thursday's game against Georgia State marks the first time ULM basketball will wear its P-40 series alternate uniform this season.

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawks constituted the principal armament of the U.S. Army Air Force (USAFF) fighter squadrons in the early 1940s. In the summer of 1941, Maj. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault, who grew up in Louisiana, began recruiting and training pilots for the American Volunteer Group, who became known as the "Flying Tigers" in China during World War II.

The P-40 Warhawk served as inspiration for ULM's new nickname/mascot, adopted in 2006. The P-40 uniform series incorporates details of the fighter into its design. 

The ULM football team has worn the P-40 series uniform for selected home games since the 2015 season, while the basketball team started wearing them in the 2019-20 season and the baseball team added them for the 2021 season.

LOCURE SHOOTS TO TOP OF SCORING COLUMN    
ULM junior guard Tyreke Locure leads the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, which ranks 12th in the Sun Belt Conference. He also leads the team with 3.47 assists per game, which ranks ninth in the SBC, and 1.93 steals per game, which ranks third in the SBC. He is 12th in the SBC in assist-to turnover ratio (1.49) and 20th in minutes per game (29.67).

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 Saturday.

He has scored in double figures in 13 of 15 games this season. 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.

BAFUTTO STEPS UP FOR WARHAWKS    
ULM graduate forward Victor Bafutto has scored in double figures in five of his nine starts. He has picked up eight or more rebounds in eight games this season, including three games with 10 rebounds. He is averaging 9.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

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 Saturday 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.

Over his nine starts this season, Bafutto is averaging 11.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.6 assists and 31.4 minutes per game while shooting 58.8% (40-of-68) from the field.

He ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference and 17th in NCAA Division I with 2.40 blocks per game. He also is seventh in the SBC in offensive rebounds per game (2.80 pg.), eighth in field goal percentage (.585) and 13th in rebounding (6.7 pg.).

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.

BLACKMON BREAKS OUT ON SBC ROAD SWING    
ULM senior guard Jamari Blackmon has provided a steady and veteran hand on the perimeter for the Warhawks. He is second on the team at 10.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He also averages 2.6 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures nine times. He enters Thursday's game against Georgia State needing two points to reach 1,500 career points between his four seasons at North Alabama and the 2022-23 season at ULM.

Blackmon played a huge role in ULM's two road wins to open Sun Belt Conference play this past weekend. 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 Saturday. 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 ranks sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage (.422), 10th in 3-point field-goals made per game (1.93 pg.), 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.59), 12th in assists per game (3.29 pg.), 13th in steals per game (1.50 pg.) and 15th in minutes per game (30.93 pg.).

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. 

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 averaging 8.6 points, a team-best 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

He ranks ninth in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding and in defensive rebounds per game (5.00 pg.), 15th in offensive rebounds per game (2.47 pg.) and 17th in the SBC in minutes played per game (30.13 pg.).

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.

GALLION FINDING CONSISTENCY    
ULM junior guard Savion Gallion is averaging 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He had a streak of eight-consecutive games scoring at least eight points snapped on Saturday at Arkansas State, scoring six points with three rebounds. He ranks 13th in the Sun Belt Conference in free-throw percentage at .745.

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 six times on the season. 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.

POWELL JOINS STARTING LINEUP    
ULM senior guard Langston Powell made a pair of starts as ULM swept its opening weekend of Sun Belt Conference play, picking up wins at Texas State (Dec. 29) and Arkansas State (Dec. 31).

On Saturday at Arkansas State, Powell scored eight consecutive points early in the game and finished with a season-high 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 three times in 2022-23, picking up 10 points vs. Sam Houston on Dec. 14 and 12 points vs. Central Baptist on Nov. 14.

He has played in 70 games with 25 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.

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 15 games of the season, three different Warhawks have posted 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.

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.