ULM Warhawks

Game 6: Northwestern State (1-5 overall, 0-0 Southland) at ULM (2-3 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt)
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 | Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000) | Monroe, Louisiana
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS
 
GAME NOTES
 
MONROE, La. – ULM returns to Fant-Ewing Coliseum to renew its regional rivalry with Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Warhawks are 2-3 overall after Sunday's 70-57 loss at SMU. Northwestern State is 1-5 and has been off since Nov. 18, when the Demons lost 78-75 vs. Presbyterian at the First Coast Classic in Jacksonville, Florida.
 
ULM built as much as an 11-point lead before SMU rallied in the second half and pulled away for a 70-57 win over the Warhawks on Sunday afternoon at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. Tyreese Watson came off the bench to lead ULM with 14 points (6-of-10 field-goal attempts). AD Diedhiou had a career-high eight rebounds to pace the Warhawks, while Devon Hancock handed out four assists while scoring eight points. Zhuric Phelps led the Mustangs with 21 points, all in the second half.
 
ULM's balanced offensive attack has seven players averaging at least five points per game. Through the first five games of the season, ULM is led in scoring by Tyreke Locure at 9.6 points per game. Locure also leads ULM with 3.2 assists per game. Nika Metskhvarishvili is averaging 9.0 points per game. Tyreese Watson has come off the bench in each of the first five games and is third on the team at 8.0 points per game.
 
The Warhawks have been strong on the glass in the first five games of the season, including a 40-38 advantage over SMU on Sunday. The Warhawks rank second in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding margin and 40th in NCAA Division I, posting 11.0 rebounds per game more than their opponents. AD Diedhiou is second in the SBC and 34th nationally with 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.
 
TUESDAY'S GAME BASICS
ULM renews its rivalry with Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. It is the 130th all-time meeting between the Warhawks and Demons, with ULM leading the series, 78-51.
 
ULM is 2-3 to open the season after dropping Sunday's game at SMU, 70-57. The Warhawks' two wins came against Ecclesia, 103-74, on Nov. 20 and at Central Michigan, 74-64, on Nov. 11 in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. ULM is 1-1 at home this season with a win over Ecclesia and a loss to Louisiana Tech, 73-63, on Nov. 16.
 
Northwestern State is 1-5 and has been off for 10 days before Tuesday's game. The Demons won their season opener, 101-54, against Dallas Christian on Nov. 6 and has lost its last five games. NSU is 0-2 on the road this season, with an 88-71 loss at Tulane on Nov. 9 and an 80-74 loss at North Florida in the First Coast Classic on Nov. 17 in Jacksonville. The Demons last played on Nov. 18 in Jacksonville in a 78-75 loss to Presbyterian to close out the First Coast Classic.
 
ULM head coach Keith Richard is 9-4 all-time against Northwestern State, including an 8-4 mark as the head coach at ULM. Richard met the Demons in his first season at Louisiana Tech, in 1998-99. Richard and the Warhawks have won five of the last six meetings with NSU.
 
Tuesday's game marks the first time for Northwestern State coach Rick Cabrera to meet ULM as a head coach. It also is the first meeting between Richard and Cabrera as head coaches.
 
Tuesday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Chris Harris (play-by-play) and Mike Vining (analyst) 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 NORTHWESTERN STATE
Northwestern State enters Tuesday's game at 1-5 overall and has not played since the First Coast Classic at North Florida in Jacksonville from Nov. 16-18. The Demons lost all three games in the multi-team event, falling to Maine, 78-65, North Florida, 80-74, and Presbyterian, 78-75. The Demons lost 13 letterwinners from last season and return one.
 
NSU is led by freshman Ryan Forrest at 18.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Forrest has topped 20 points three times, including in each of the last two games, putting up 25 points against both North Florida and Presbyterian.
 
Cliff Davis is second on the team in scoring at 15.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Davis has scored in double figures in each of the last four games, pouring in a season-high 23 points vs. SFA on Nov. 13. He had 20 points and three rebounds against North Florida on Nov. 17.
 
Jamison Epps is averaging 8.0 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game. He had an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double against SFA on Nov. 13. He had a season-high 12 rebounds in the season opener against Dallas Christian on Nov. 6. He had a season-high 16 points vs. Maine on Nov. 16. Chase Forte leads the team with 2.8 assists per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
SMU 70, ULM 57 on Nov. 26, 2023, in Dallas, Texas – SMU used a 14-4 run midway through the second half to erase a 10-point deficit and pulled away for a 70-57 over ULM Sunday afternoon at Moody Coliseum.
 
Tyreese Watson led ULM (2-3 overall) with 14 points (6-of-10 field-goal attempts) while nine players scored for the Warhawks in the game. SMU put three scorers in double figures. Zhuric Phelps scored all his game-high 21 points in the second half, while Chuck Harris added 15 points and Samuell Williamson tallied 14 points with eight rebounds.
 
ULM controlled much of the first 25 minutes of the game. The two sides traded the lead through the first six minutes of the game before the Warhawks went ahead 12-11 on a jumper by Watson with 13:19 left before halftime, sparking an 8-0 run. A pair of buckets by Jalen Bolden and two free throws by Makai Willis pushed the ULM lead to 18-11 with 9:34 remaining in the half.
 
After SMU closed the gap to three, 20-17, on a 3-pointer by Williamson, ULM built its largest lead of the game. An 8-0 run, capped on a trey by Savion Gallion, extended the Warhawk lead to 11, 30-19, with 1:52 to go in the half. The Mustangs scored the final four points of the half to cut the gap to seven at halftime, 30-23.
 
In the second half, Phelps started to take over with the first five points, hitting a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer, to bring SMU within two, 30-28. ULM answered with a quick 7-0 spurt thanks to a 4-point play by Devon Hancock and a 3-pointer by Gallion to go ahead 37-28 with 17:17 to play. The lead was extended back to 10, 41-31, on back-to-back buckets by Nika Metskhvarishvili with 15:08 left.
 
SMU limited ULM to just 16 points over the final 15:08 as the Mustangs rallied back. SMU started a 14-4 spurt with a 9-0 run to get within one on Williamson's jumper with 12:25 to play. Bolden scored four of the next five points, hitting a jumper and knocking down a pair of free throws, to push the lead back to four, 45-41. Phelps knocked down back-to-back jumpers to knot the game at 45. ULM fought off another SMU attempt at the lead with two buckets by Watson, but Ricardo Wright's 3-pointer put the Mustangs ahead for good, 50-49, with 8:37 to play.
 
SMU stretched the lead to four, 56-52, on a layup by Keon Ambrose-Hylton with 6:16. ULM pulled back within two on Watson's fastbreak jumper. However, SMU embarked on an 8-0 run with Phelps' basket with 3:00 left putting the Mustangs ahead, 64-54.
 
ULM shot 34% (22-of-65) from the field and 20% (5-of-25) from 3-point range while hitting 8-of-12 (67%) from the free-throw line. SMU shot 43% (22-of-51) from the floor, 38% (8-of-21) from 3-point range and 72% (18-of-25) at the foul line. The Warhawks outrebounded SMU, 40-38, and pulled down 18 offensive rebounds.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST NORTHWESTERN STATE
Northwestern State 91, ULM 73 on Dec. 10, 2022, in Natchitoches, Louisiana – Ja'Monta Black's career-high 31 points on 7-of-17 3-point field-goal shooting propelled Northwestern State to a 91-73 win over ULM Saturday afternoon at Prather Coliseum. It marked NSU's first win over ULM since 2017, snapping the Warhawks' five-game winning streak in the series.
 
Both teams shot 44% from the field, but NSU forced 18 ULM turnovers and had 25 offensive rebounds to attempt 29 more shots than the Warhawks. ULM finished 20-of-46 from the field and shot 38% (6-of-16) from 3-point range, while NSU was 33-of-75 from the floor and 33% (11-of-33) from behind the 3-point line. The Warhawks shot 12 more free throws than NSU, hitting 73% from the line (27-of-37) to 56% for the Demons (14-of-25).
 
ULM (3-7 overall) had the early momentum. Savion Gallion scored seven of his 13 points in the first 6:33, and Langston Powell hit a layup at the 12:14 mark to give ULM an eight-point lead at 19-11.
 
However, Northwestern State used a 14-0 run to shoot into the lead and never looked back. Black hit three consecutive 3-pointers to give the Demons the 20-19 lead with 10:32 left in the half. Isaac Haney added the next five points to wrap up the 14-0 run with NSU leading 25-19 with 8:18 to go before the break.
 
Jamari Blackmon and Tyreke Locure canned a 3-pointer each to knot the game back up at 25 with 7:12 remaining in the half, but NSU used a 9-0 run to regain control, capped on Reggie Hill's transition 3-pointer, going up 34-25 with 5:21 left in the half.
 
ULM chipped away at the deficit, pulling within six on free throws by Blackmon at 39-33 with 1:01 showing on the clock. NSU pushed the lead back to seven at halftime, 41-34.
 
Natchitoches native Thomas Howell knocked down a jumper in the lane on the opening possession of the second half to pull ULM within five, 41-36. NSU scored the next six points, with four from DeMarcus Sharp, to push the lead to 11, 47-36. The Warhawks cut the gap to five again on a layup by Howell and free throws by Victor Bafutto and Locure to get within 47-42 with 16:13 remaining.
 
Howell's dunk, off a high post feed from Bafutto, with 13:27 to play brought ULM within six, 52-46. The Warhawks would get no closer the rest of the way.
 
Black seemingly had an answer when NSU needed it. The Missouri State transfer buried back-to-back treys after Howell's jam to give the Demons a 12-point lead, 58-42, with 12:32 to go.
 
After a free throw by Locure and a 3-pointer by Gallion got the Warhawks within eight, 58-50, Black came up with a steal and layup to extend the lead to 10, 60-50, with 10 minutes left.
 
A 3-pointer by Locure pulled ULM within eight again, 63-55, with 8:59 to go. However, NSU answered with a 10-0 run that served as the knockout punch, with a layup by Haney giving the Demons an 18-point lead, 73-55, with 6:22 to go. The Warhawks were no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.
 
Following Black's 31 points, Haney had 13, Sharp tallied 11 and Jalen Hampton had 10 for NSU. ULM was led by Howell's near double-double with a season-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Gallion matched his career high with 13 points, while Locure also had 13 and Blackmon tallied 12.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST NORTHWESTERN STATE AT FANT-EWING COLISEUM
ULM 84, Northwestern State 71 on Dec. 4, 2021, in Monroe, Louisiana – Russell Harrison scored a career-high 25 points as ULM outlasted Northwestern State, 84-71, Saturday afternoon at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
Harrison was 11-of-16 field-goal shooting with two 3-pointers and seven rebounds.
 
With the victory, ULM evened its record to 4-4 and won back-to-back outings for the second time this season. The Warhawks also improved to 3-0 at home.
 
Koreem Ozier reached double figures scoring for the sixth-straight game with 17 points while pulling down seven rebounds to go along with five assists. Trey Boston added 11 points as ULM shot 52 percent (35-of-67) from the floor.
 
The Warhawks scored 21 points off 16 Northwestern State turnovers.
 
Kendal Coleman recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Northwestern State (1-8), which saw five players reach double figures in scoring.
 
ULM made 12-of-18 field-goal attempts with two 3-pointers in opening the game with a 27-11 spree. Harrison scored 11 to carry the scoring load early.
 
After trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half, the Demons closed with a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 40-35 at the intermission. The Warhawks missed their last five shots and made just 3-of-14 3-point attempts in the half.
 
The Demons drew as close as three points twice early in the second half, but the Warhawks wouldn't allow the visitors to draw any closer.
 
With a 7-0 run, ULM was leading comfortably again 75-59 with 4:47 remaining in the game.
 
Harrison's season-high scoring prior to Saturday was 11 points against Champion Christian on Nov. 16. His previous career high was 22 against Lamar on Dec. 9, 2020.
 
ULM, which came into the contest leading the Sun Belt Conference in scoring at 79.9 points per game, topped 80 points for the fourth time.
 
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 three of the last four games, picking up 11 points with five rebounds and two steals vs. Ecclesia on Nov. 20, 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 five 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 on Nov. 20 vs. Ecclesia. He added eight points with a career-high six rebounds on Sunday at SMU.
 
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 on Nov. 20 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 a season-high 14 points to lead the Warhawks at SMU on Sunday. He added 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.
 
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 on Nov. 20 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 on Nov. 20 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 on Nov. 20 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.