ULM Warhawks

Game 5: ULM (2-2, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) at SMU (4-2, 0-0 American)
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023 | Moody Coliseum | Dallas, Texas
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS
 
GAME NOTES
 
MONROE, La. – ULM returns to the floor at 2 p.m. Sunday when they meet SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. The Warhawks are coming off a 103-74 victory over Ecclesia on Monday to improve to 2-2 on the season.
 
ULM led from start to finish against the Royals on Monday. The Warhawks put six players in double figures, led by Jalen Bolden's career-high 15 points off the bench. Savion Gallion added 14 points, while Makai Willis had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tyreese Watson tallied 13 points, while Jerry Ngopot had 12 points and Tyreke Locure had 11.
 
Through the first four games of the season, Locure leads ULM with 11.5 points per game while adding a team-best 13 assists. Nika Metskhvarishvili is second on the team with 9.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Bolden, Ngopot and Gallion are each averaging over 7.0 points per game.
 
The Warhawks are meeting SMU for the second time in three seasons, and on the same day of the season as two years ago. The clubs met at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, at Moody Coliseum, a 74-67 SMU victory.
 
SUNDAY'S GAME BASICS
ULM meets SMU for just the fifth time in program history at 2 p.m. Sunday at Moody Coliseum in Dallas.
 
ULM is 2-2 to open the season after picking up a 103-74 win over Ecclesia last Monday, Nov. 20. The Warhawks are 1-1 on the road this season, dropping the season opener at No. 7/6 Houston, 84-31, on Nov. 6 and winning in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge at Central Michigan, 74-64, on Nov. 11.
 
SMU is 4-2 to begin the 2023-24 season with wins over Southwestern Assemblies of God (82-63, Nov. 6), Western Illinois (90-53, Nov. 8), Lamar (78-67, Nov. 9) and West Virginia (70-58, Nov. 20). The Mustangs lost to Texas A&M (79-66, Nov. 14) and Wisconsin (69-61, last Wednesday). SMU is 3-1 at home this season.
 
SMU leads the series between the two teams, 3-1, including wins in each of the last three contests, all in Dallas.
 
ULM head coach Keith Richard is 0-2 against SMU while at ULM and 3-7 all-time against the Mustangs, including a 3-5 record while he was the head coach at Louisiana Tech. LA Tech and SMU competed against each other in the Western Athletic Conference from 2001-05. Richard is 1-5 against SMU in Dallas.
 
SMU head coach Rob Lanier is 4-0 against ULM, with all four meetings coming during his time as the head coach at fellow Sun Belt Conference member Georgia State from 2019-22. Sunday's game marks his first meeting with ULM while coaching at SMU.
 
Richard and Lanier have also met just the four times that ULM and GSU clashed in SBC play, with Lanier owning a 4-0 record over Richard.
 
Sunday's game will stream on ESPN+ with John Liddle (play-by-play), Brian Burton (analyst) and Breanna Sorenson (sideline reporter) on the call. The game also will 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 SMU
SMU enters Sunday's game with a 4-2 mark on the season after going 1-1 Fort Myers Tip-Off last Monday and Wednesday. The Mustangs knocked off West Virginia, 70-58, before dropping Wednesday's championship game to Wisconsin, 69-61.
 
SMU is paced by Zhuric Phelps at 15.0 points per game while adding 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He also leads the club with 12 steals. Phelps had a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double against West Virginia last Monday. He scored a season-high 24 points against Southwestern Assemblies of God on Nov. 6.
 
Chuck Harris is the other Mustang averaging double figures at 13.7 points per game while shooting 42% (11-of-26) from 3-point range. Harris has scored in double figures in each of the last four games, including a season-high 21 points (5-of-7 3-pointers) vs. Texas A&M on Nov. 14.
 
Samuell Williamson leads SMU on the glass with 6.2 rebounds per game, while B.J. Edwards is the top distributor with 4.2 assists per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
ULM 103, Ecclesia 74 on Nov. 20, 2023, in Monroe, Louisiana – Jalen Bolden led six Warhawks in double figures with a career-high 15 points as ULM led from start to finish in a 103-74 win over Ecclesia Monday night at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
Savion Gallion added 14 points for ULM. Makai Willis picked up his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Tyreese Watson chipped in 13 points, Jerry Ngopot contributed a career-high 12 points and Tyreke Locure had 11 points.
 
ULM scored on its first four possessions and never let Ecclesia threaten to take the lead. The Warhawks led 9-3 at the 18:18 mark after Locure and AD Diedhiou combined for a four-point possession, Gallion hit two free throws and Diedhiou connected on one and Nika Metskhvarishvili added a layup.
 
The Warhawk lead hit double digits for the first time on Watson's jumper with 14:42 left in the first half to go up 16-5. After the Royals closed within nine, ULM went on a 9-0 run, which included a 3-pointer by Willis and a dunk by Ngopot, as the Warhawks led 27-9 with 11:39 to go before halftime.
 
The lead surged over 20 on a jumper by Bolden to go ahead 38-17 with 6:52 left in the half. ULM led by as much as 24 in the first half and led by 22 at halftime, 53-31.
 
ULM's advantage topped 30 points for the first time on a layup by Ngopot with 15:53 left, going up 67-36. The lead maxed out at 35, 73-38, on Ngopot's jumper with 13:56 to play.
 
The Warhawks shot 53% from the field (41-of-78) and knocked down 10 3-pointers. ULM outrebounded Ecclesia 53-33.
 
Ryan Reed led Ecclesia with 24 points, while Jerry Boston added 15 points and Brandon Jackson had 12.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST SMU
SMU 74, ULM 67 on Nov. 28, 2021, in Dallas, Texas – SMU outscored ULM, 24-7, over the final 5:45 to turn a 10-point deficit into a 74-67 victory Sunday afternoon as the Mustangs improved to 5-0 in Moody Coliseum this season. Emmanuel Bandoumel (11) and Kendric Davis (10) combined to score 21 points during the decisive stretch.
 
There were two ties and four lead changes in the first half.
 
A reverse layup by Andre Jones in transition sparked a 13-6 run as ULM moved out to a 24-16 lead on Thomas Howell's hook shot from inside the lane with 7:51 remaining in the first half. A pull-up jumper from Elijah Gonzales in the lane gave the Warhawks a 10-point advantage at 28-18 with 6:24 on the clock. The Mustangs went more than six minutes without a field goal, missing four consecutive shots. SMU put together a 16-6 spurt and tied the score at 34-all on Bandoumel's 3-pointer from straightaway with 49 seconds to go in the opening half. The Warhawks took a 36-34 lead into the locker room on Luke Phillips' layup, off an assist from Jones, with :06 to go.
 
ULM (2-4) shot 54 percent (15-of-28) from the field in the first half, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range. Howell netted 12 first-half points, hitting 6-of-7 shots from the floor, and collected four rebounds. Seven different Warhawks scored in the first 20 minutes.
 
With the scored tied at 44-all, Gonzales connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to fuel a 16-6 run as ULM matched its largest lead at 10 points, 60-50, on Russell Harrison's turnaround jumper off the right block with 7:19 left in the second half. SMU, which experienced a scoring drought that lasted 3:57, hit only 1-of-7 field-goal attempts during one stretch. Bandoumel connected on back-to-back 3s – one from the top of the circle and another from the right wing – to key the comeback. The Mustangs reeled off 11-straight points and took their first lead since 6-5 (18:07 mark in the first half) at 61-60 on a deep trey by Davis from the top of the circle with 3:15 remaining. SMU's run reached 13-0 as Bandoumel's rebound basket pushed the lead to 63-60. ULM cut its deficit to 63-62 on Trey Boston's pull-up jumper from the right baseline with 2:29 on the clock, but that was the closest the Warhawks could get down the stretch. The Mustangs iced the game by converting 5-of-6 free-throw attempts in the final 19 seconds and the final score marked their largest lead.
 
The Warhawks led for 33:27 in the game.
 
SMU (5-3) scored 22 points off ULM's 15 turnovers, with 17 of those coming off 12 second-half miscues. The Mustangs outscored the Warhawks from the free-throw line, 17-5, and outrebounded the visiting team, 43-33, including a 17-4 edge on the offensive glass.
 
For the game, ULM hit 48 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 8-of-21 from beyond the 3-point arc (38 percent). The Warhawks recorded 17 assists on 27 made field goals (63 percent).
 
Davis made 7-of-15 field-goal attempts, including 4-of-9 3s, and all eight free-throw attempts to finish with a season-high 26 points to pace the Mustangs. He also added seven rebounds and seven assists. Bandoumel scored a career-best 21 points, hitting 6-of-13 shots from the floor including 4-of-8 3-pointers.
 
Koreem Ozier, who fouled out with 3:55 left in the game, led the Warhawks with 15 points on 5-of-9 field-goal shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Howell, who hit 6-of-9 field-goal attempts, matched his career high with 13 points to go along with eight rebounds and a career-best five assists. ULM also got 13 points and a season-high five assists from Jones.
 
LOCURE NAMED PRESEASON THIRD-TEAM ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE
ULM senior guard Tyreke Locure was named Preseason Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference following a vote of the league's head coaches, the conference announced Oct. 16.
 
Locure has tallied double-figures in each of the last three games, picking up 11 points with five rebounds and two steals vs. Ecclesia last Monday, scoring 15 points with five rebounds, four assists and three steals on Nov. 16 vs. Louisiana Tech and had 13 points while adding team highs with six rebounds, six assists and three steals on Nov. 11 at Central Michigan.
 
Locure returns for his second season at ULM after leading the team in scoring (14.4 points per game), steals (1.8 pg.), field goals made per game (5.0 pg.) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.1 pg.) in 2022-23. He added 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He ranked fourth in the SBC in steals per game, sixth in 3-point field goals made per game, eighth in scoring, 14th in free-throw percentage (.762) and minutes per game (31.9) and 15th in assists per game and 3-point field goal percentage (.370). He scored in double figures 26 times and topped 20 points five times. He scored a career high 33 points vs. Troy on Feb. 22. His numbers improved inside of SBC play to 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while adding 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He shot 41% (43-of-104) from the 3-point line and 83% (53-of-64) from the free throw line in SBC action.
 
GALLION MOVES TO STARTING LINEUP
ULM senior guard Savion Gallion has started the first four games of the 2023-24 season, and led ULM in scoring in the season opener at No. 7/6 Houston on Nov. 6 with eight points. He reached double figures for the first time this season with 14 points (5-of-8 field-goal attempts) while adding five rebounds and four assists last Monday vs. Ecclesia.
 
Gallion returns after playing a pivotal role off the bench and as a spot starter in 2022-23. He played in all 32 games with 12 starts in his first season at ULM and averaged a career-best 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while adding 32 assists and 19 steals. He shot 38% (78-of-204) from the field and 26% (20-of-73) from 3-point range while knocking down 72% (65-of-90) from the free-throw line. He reached double figures 10 times.
 
Gallion scored a career-high 15 points (3-of-5 3-point field-goal attempts) while adding three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block while playing 34 minutes for the second time in his career vs. Troy on Feb. 22. He scored eight points and added a career-high tying five rebounds vs. South Alabama on Feb. 4. Gallion matched his career-high with five rebounds and added four points (4-of-4 free-throw attempts) at Marshall on Jan. 26. He came off the bench to play 34 minutes for the first time in his career, scoring 11 points with a career-high matching four assists vs. Texas State on Jan. 14. He once again scored 13 points (5-of-8 field-goal attempts) vs. Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 12. He came off the bench for nine points, including 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch, to open SBC play at Texas State on Dec. 29.
 
Gallion picked up 11 points with four rebounds and two assists vs. Jacksonville on Dec. 20 to wrap up non-conference action. He tallied 11 points with four assists, one steal and one block vs. Lamar on Dec. 17. He collected 13 points (3-of-4 3-point field-goal attempts) with two rebounds and two assists at Northwestern State on Dec. 10. He scored eight points with four rebounds and added a career-high matching three steals vs. Champion Christian on Dec. 3. He hit two 3-pointers in one game for the first time in his career, finishing with eight points and two rebounds at Tulane on Nov. 28. He tallied 11 points with four rebounds, two assists and one steal in return to starting lineup vs. Loyola Maryland on Nov. 26. He picked up a career-high three assists vs. Omaha on Nov. 25. Gallion had a career-high five rebounds to go with five points at TCU on Nov. 17. He picked up 13 points and three rebounds vs. Central Baptist on Nov. 14. He had his first double-figure scoring game with 12 points and two assists vs. Dallas Christian on Nov. 10. Gallion made his ULM debut, scoring nine points (7-of-8 free-throw shooting) with one rebound at Texas A&M on Nov. 7.
 
METSKHVARISHVILI RETURNS FROM INJURY
Senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili has started the first four games of 2023-24, and led ULM in scoring twice. He tallied 15 points with six rebounds, three assists and three steals on Nov. 16 vs. Louisiana Tech. He had 16 points (7-of-11 field-goal attempts) while adding three rebounds, three assists and one steal on Nov. 11 at Central Michigan. He dished out a team-best five assists last Monday vs. Ecclesia.
 
Metskhvarishvili was cleared to return to action just before the start of official practice in late September, and returns to the Warhawk lineup after missing all but five games in the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury.
 
When he left the lineup after five games last season, Metskhvarishvili was second on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game and rebounding at 5.8 boards per game. The Tbilisi, Georgia, native opened the season with 10 points and nine rebounds on Nov. 7 at Texas A&M before following it up with a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds on Nov. 10 against Dallas Christian. He added a team-high 15 points with five rebounds against Central Baptist on Nov. 14. He had nine points, four rebounds and two blocks at No. 15/18 TCU on Nov. 17. He was named a Preseason Third-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection prior to the 2022-23 season.
 
Metskhvarishvili appeared in 28 games with five starts in his first season at ULM as a second-year sophomore in 2021-22, averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He totaled 12 double-figure scoring games, including four games with 20-or-more points and had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards at Texas State. He scored a career-high 23 points while playing 40 minutes at UT Arlington on Jan. 15. He scored in double figures in five consecutive games from Jan. 8-22, and improved inside SBC action, averaging 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
 
WATSON, WILLIS, NGOPOT, McCRANEY TRANSFER IN TO ULM
ULM head coach Keith Richard added six newcomers to his 2023-24 group, with returning forward AD Diedhiou making a seventh newcomer after missing all of 2022-23 with an injury. Four of the six newcomers are transfers to the ULM program, including guard Tyreese Watson, forward Makai Willis, forward Jerry Ngopot and guard P.D. McCraney.
 
Watson is a 6-4 guard from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has made the biggest impact in the early season, scoring 13 points off the bench on 5-of-8 field-goal attempts and 3-of-4 3-point field-goal attempts at Central Michigan on Nov. 11. He played the last two seasons at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Cochise finished the 2022-23 season with a 29-3 record, which included a 27-game winning streak, and finished ranked No. 11 in the NJCAA poll. The Apaches compiled a 58-7 record over Watson's two seasons.
 
Watson led the team in scoring with 19.6 points per game and increased his scoring average to 20.6 points per game in conference play. He totaled 20 or more points 18 times and posted a season-high of 36 points. Watson scored 1,077 points over his two seasons at Cochise. He added 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 37% from the 3-point line. He shot 42% from deep inside conference play.
 
Watson is the brother of former Creighton standout and current professional player Maurice Watson, Jr. He played high school basketball at Monsignor Bonner High School.
 
Watson has scored in double figures twice for ULM, scoring 13 points with a team-high three steals vs. Ecclesia last Monday and added 13 points at Central Michigan on Nov. 11.
 
Willis is a 6-9 forward from Tallahassee, Florida, and a transfer from Fairfield after previously attending Florida State School. He posted career highs of 14 points and eight rebounds with the Stags, while his freshman season was shortened due to injury.
 
Willis was a promising prospect coming out of the Florida prep ranks, where he was a state champion in one of the top classifications. He played for legendary coach, former NBA veteran, Heisman Trophy winner and Florida State legend Charlie Ward.
 
Willis is expected to add bulk, length and depth to ULM's frontcourt. He had the first double-double of his career with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds last Monday vs. Ecclesia.
 
Ngopot spent the last two seasons at Saint Peter's in Jersey City, New Jersey, and redshirted on the Peacocks' 2021-22 Elite Eight team. In 2022-23, he played in 24 games for Saint Peter's and played double-figure minutes eight times as a reserve. At ULM, he has nearly set all new career highs, including a 12-point, six-rebound effort last Monday against Ecclesia. It was the first double-figure scoring effort of his career.
 
The Bangui, Central African Republic, native adds size, length and depth to the Warhawk front court. He has a wingspan measured at 7-1. He has participated in NBA's Basketball Without Borders and NBA Academy Africa.
 
Ngopot is one of seven siblings.
 
McCraney, the all-time leading scorer in Neville High School history with 2,166 points, comes to ULM with three years of eligibility remaining.
 
McCraney played the 2022-23 season at Hinds Community College in Utica, Mississippi. He was a Second-Team All-MACCC selection as a freshman for the Bulldogs after averaging 21.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He shot 49.4% from the field and 81.6% from the free-throw line. He compiled a team-high 31 steals on the season. This season at ULM, he handed out a season-high four assists while scoring five points last Monday vs. Ecclesia.
 
While playing at Neville, McCraney became the only Tiger to eclipse 2,000 points in his high school career. He led NHS to the quarterfinals of the Class 4A State Tournament and 24 wins as a senior in 2022. He was a First-Team All-State selection, averaging 22.4 points, six rebounds and five assists per game for the Tigers. He was the Ouachita Citizen's 2022 Boys Basketball Player of the Year. In addition to his on-court accolades, McCraney was an Academic All-State selection.
 
RICHARD EARNS 300TH CAREER WIN, TIED FOR SECOND IN SBC CAREER WINS                                                       
ULM head coach Keith Richard earned his 300th career win in the 72-59 victory for the Warhawks at Georgia Southern on Jan. 19, 2023.
 
Richard is in his 14th 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 tied with former Middle Tennesse coach and current Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis for the second-most SBC wins by a head coach.
 
He has been involved in 732 of the 2,018 games (36%) in ULM program history either as a player, graduate assistant, assistant coach or head coach.