ULM Warhawks

GAME 8: ULM (4-3, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) at Sam Houston (5-5, 0-0 Conference USA)
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2023 | Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum | Huntsville, Texas
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS
 
GAME NOTES
 
MONROE, La. – After playing just once in the past two weeks, the ULM men's basketball team opens a stretch of three road games in six days to close early season non-conference play with Sam Houston at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.
 
ULM moved to 4-3 with a 110-63 win over Champion Christian last Tuesday, Dec. 5, at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. ULM led 35-3 to open the game, including 14-0 and 19-0 runs while limiting CCC to 0-of-19 from the field. The Tigers collected their first field goal with 7:35 left in the first half. The Warhawks led by as much as 48 points. Jacob Wilson led ULM with a career-high 16 points and seven assists. Jerry Ngopot picked up his first double-double with career highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds. P.D. McCraney also had a career high with 11 points. Jalen Bolden and Makai Willis added 10 points apiece.
 
ULM features two players averaging double figure scoring, with Tyreke Locure at 10.6 points per game and Nika Metskhvarishvili at 10.4 points per game. The pair played just 10:47 in the game against Champion Christian, scoring nine points each.
 
Bolden continued his breakout sophomore season with 10 points and three rebounds in just 14:49 of playing time in his first career start against Champion Christian. He ranks third on the team at 8.6 points per game and leads the club with 5.3 rebounds per game.
 
ULM ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference and seventh in NCAA Division I at 15.71 offensive rebounds per game. The Warhawks had 13 offensive rebounds against Champion Christian.
 
ULM also ranks second in the SBC and ninth in NCAA Division I at 36.57 bench points per game. The Warhawk bench piled up a season-high 69 points in the win over CCC.
 
The Warhawks also rank second in the SBC and 43rd nationally at 16.7 assists per game and third in the SBC and 38th nationally at 9.1 steals per game.
 
TUESDAY'S GAME BASICS
Former Southland Conference foes ULM and Sam Houston meet for the second-straight season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.
 
ULM is 4-3 after leading from start to finish in a 110-63 win over Champion Christian last Tuesday, Dec. 5. The Warhawks rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat Northwestern State, 74-70, on Nov. 28. ULM's other 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 1-2 on the road this season, with its only win at CMU and losses to No. 7/6 Houston and SMU.
 
Sam Houston is 5-5 on the season after Saturday's 69-60 loss at Missouri State. The Bearkats have collected wins over Pacific, Troy, Grambling, Paul Quinn and Lamar. They are 2-1 at home this season. After losing in overtime, 79-73, to Utah Valley in the home opener, Sam Houston has won its last two home games, defeating Paul Quinn, 78-61, and Lamar, 90-70.
 
ULM head coach Keith Richard is 0-1 all-time against Sam Houston after last season's 79-53 loss to the Bearkats at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
Tuesday's game marks the first time for Sam Houston coach Chris Mudge to face ULM. It is also the first meeting between Mudge and Richard.
 
Tuesday's game will stream on ESPN+. 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 SAM HOUSTON
Sam Houston is 5-5 on the season after a 69-60 loss at Missouri State last Saturday. Tuesday's game is the second this season for the Bearkats against a Sun Belt Conference opponent, after defeating Troy, 88-86 in overtime, on Nov. 20 in Troy to open the Trojan Classic. ULM is the second of three SBC opponents for Sam Houston, with Texas State scheduled to visit Huntsville on Friday.
 
Davon Barnes leads Sam Houston at 15.9 points per game while adding 3.5 rebounds per contest. He has reached double figures in all 10 games, including a pair of 20-point efforts. He tallied a season-high 22 points (4-of-10 3-point field-goal attempts) at Ole Miss on Nov. 17 and added 21 points (4-of-7 3-pointers) vs. Grambling on Nov. 22. He is coming off a 16-point performance on Saturday at Missouri State.
 
Lamar Wilkerson is second on the team at 13.7 points per game and adds 2.7 rebounds per contest. He has reached double figures seven times and has gone over 20 points three times. He had a season-high 25 points (3-of-5 3-pointers) with six rebounds at Troy on Nov. 20. He added 24 points, draining five treys, against Lamar on Dec. 3. He picked up 20 points in the home opener against Utah Valley on Nov. 9. Wilkerson was held to six points on 3-of-10 field-goal attempts on Saturday at Missouri State.
 
Kian Scroggins leads the team in rebounding with 6.1 rebounds per game and is third on the club in scoring at 8.8 points per game. Scroggins has three double figure games, all in the last four contests. He is coming off back-to-back double doubles with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Lamar on Dec. 3 and 10 points and 10 boards at Missouri State on Saturday. He scored a season-high 19 points (8-of-9 field-goal attempts) vs. Grambling on Nov. 22.
 
Jaden Ray is the top distributor at 4.9 assists per game to go with his 6.1 points per contest. He has handed out at least four assists in eight contests, and had a season-high eight assists with eight points against Utah Valley on Nov. 9. He scored a season-high 12 points while adding seven rebounds and five assists at Ole Miss on Nov. 17.
 
Eight players average at least 5.0 points per game for Sam Houston, including Damon Nicholas Jr. (8.1 pg.), Cameron Huefner (7.0 pg.), Souleymane Doumbia (5.7 pg.) and Owen McGlashan (5.0 pg.).
 
LAST TIME OUT
ULM 110, Champion Christian 63 on Dec. 5, 2023, in Monroe, Louisiana – Jacob Wilson led five ULM scorers in double figures with a career-high 16 points and career-best seven assists as the Warhawks controlled the game from tip-off to the finish in a 110-63 win over Champion Christian Tuesday night at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
Wilson was backed up by Jerry Ngopot's first career double-double with a career-high 14 points and career-best 10 rebounds. PD McCraney joined the career high party with 11 points while Makai Willis and Jalen Bolden added 10 points apiece. ULM shot 60% (44-of-74) from the field for the game and knocked down 50% (8-of-16) from 3-point range.
 
It was all ULM from the start as Champion Christian did not record a field goal for the first 12:25 of game time, missing its first 19 shot attempts and converting just three free throws in the span. With the game tied at 2, ULM went on a 14-0 run, which included 3-pointers by Tyreke Locure and Bolden, for the 16-2 lead with 16:48 to go in the half.
 
After another CCC free throw, ULM scored the next 19 points. Bolden's trey took the lead to 30 for the first time at 33-3, and two free throws by Locure extended the margin to 32, 35-3, with 7:49 left before halftime.
 
Champion ended its drought by hitting its 20th shot attempt of the night, with Malik Laurent knocking down a jumper from the right block with 7:35 before the break.
 
ULM extended the lead to 38 twice before halftime, first on a trey by Nika Metskhvarishvili to make it 52-14 with 2:25 left in the half, and again on a jumper in the lane by Ngopot to go up 54-16 with 1:50 remaining. The Warhawks led 56-19 at the half.
 
ULM remained well in control down the stretch, with Champion Christian never getting closer than 35 points in the second half. The Warhawks led by as much as 48 and went on to the 110-63 win.
 
Xavier Hall was the lone Tiger in double figures with 18 points.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST SAM HOUSTON
Sam Houston 79, ULM 53 on Dec. 14, 2022, in Monroe, Louisiana – Sam Houston's Cameron Huefner scored 18 points, knocking down 4-of-5 3-point field-goal attempts, while three other Bearkats joined him in double figures as SHSU pulled away from ULM in the second half, 79-53, Wednesday night at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
In a physical, but sloppy, game early, Sam Houston broke through to build a lead thanks to Huefner. With SHSU leading 10-6, Huefner scored the Bearkats' next 11 points, hitting three 3-pointers with a dunk in the middle, to go on a personal 11-3 run and extend Sam Houston's lead to 21-9 with 7:47 to go before halftime.
 
ULM slowly chipped away down the stretch of the half. Free throws by Langston Powell and Savion Gallion, with a jumper by Jacob Wilson in between, brought ULM back within six, 23-17, at the 4:42 mark. SHSU pushed the lead back to 10, but the Warhawks had another spurt right before halftime. Powell sunk back-to-back 3-pointers in the right corner while forcing a missed shot on the defensive end in between the treys to cut the gap to three, 29-26, with 28 seconds to go before halftime.
 
ULM's Thomas Howell blocked a dunk attempt by Tristan Ikpe on the final possession of the half, but the altered shot came back to Ikpe on the right block for a layup and the 31-26 halftime lead for SHSU.
 
The Warhawks pulled within four on a free throw by Tyreke Locure to open the half, but SHSU started to pull away. A quick 7-0 run, with five points from Huefner, put the Bearkats back ahead by 11, 38-27. ULM answered back with a quick six points on a free throw by Gallion and five straight points by Locure to get within five, 38-33, with 15:08 remaining.
 
That's when the Bearkats hit overdrive, going on a 20-2 run where SHSU hit nine consecutive shots from the field. Lamar Wilkerson scored eight of the final 10 points of the stretch, including a long two-point shot with his foot on the 3-point line, to extend SHSU's lead to 58-35 with 9:32 to play. ULM got no closer than 19 points the rest of the way.
 
In addition to Huefner's 18 points, Donte Powers had 12 points and Jaden Ray and Wilkerson had 11 points apiece for SHSU. Locure led ULM with 14 points while Powell added 10.
 
Sam Houston dominated the rebounding battle, 41-19, including 16 offensive rebounds.
 
The Bearkats shot 50% from the field (30-of-60) and 3-point range (12-of-24), while going 7-of-12 (58.3%) from the free throw line. ULM shot 40% (17-of-43) from the floor and 36% (5-14) from 3-point range while hitting 64% (14-of-22) from the free-throw line.
 
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 leads ULM in scoring at 10.6 points per game while adding 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He has tallied double figure scoring in four games, including 17 points with a career-high matching nine rebounds (four offensive) and two assists on Nov. 28 vs. Northwestern State. He picked up 11 points with five rebounds and two steals vs. Ecclesia on Nov. 20, scored 15 points with five rebounds, four assists and three steals on Nov. 16 vs. Louisiana Tech and had 13 points and added team highs with six rebounds, six assists and three steals on Nov. 11 at Central Michigan. He had just nine points, three rebounds and four assists in nearly 11 minutes of playing time on Dec. 5 vs. Champion Christian.
 
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.
 
METSKHVARISHVILI RETURNS FROM INJURY
Senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili has started the first seven games of 2023-24, and led ULM in scoring three times. He played just under 11 minutes on Dec. 5 against Champion Christian, totaling nine points with two rebounds, five assists and two steals.
 
Metskhvarishvili scored a season-high 19 points, pulled in eight rebounds and added a career-high five blocks on Nov. 28 vs. Northwestern State. He played a key role in ULM's second-half rally, scoring 12 of his 19 points while adding seven of his eight rebounds and four of his five blocks. He had six of his eight rebounds on the offensive end.
 
Metskhvarishvili 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.
 
BOLDEN STEPS UP AS SOPHOMORE
Sophomore guard Jalen Bolden has broken through in the first seven games of the 2023-24 season. He is third on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game while leading the team with 5.3 rebounds per game. He made his first career start last Tuesday, Dec. 5, against Champion Christian and posted his third double-figure scoring game of the season with 10 points (4-of-6 field-goal attempts, 2-of-2 3-point field-goal attempts) and three rebounds.
 
He had his first career double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds on Nov. 28 against Northwestern State. He scored 10 of his 12 points and pulled in nine of his 14 rebounds in the second half as ULM rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit for the 74-70 win. His 14 rebounds set a new career high.
 
He had his first double figure effort of the season with a career-high 15 points (6-of-7 field-goal attempts) against Ecclesia on Nov. 20. He has scored at least six points in each of the last six games while adding at least five rebounds three times.
 
As a freshman in 2022-23, Bolden played in 16 games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures twice, doing so with 13 points and four rebounds against Dallas Christian on Nov. 10 and with 11 points and three rebounds at the Ragin' Cajuns on Feb. 16.
 
GALLION MOVES TO STARTING LINEUP
ULM senior guard Savion Gallion has started the first seven 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 Nov. 26 at SMU. Last week against Champion Christian, he totaled nine points with two rebounds and two steals in just over 11 minutes of game time.
 
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.
 
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 Nov. 26. 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 added nine points against Northwestern State on Nov. 28, with six points in the second half.
 
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. He reached double figures again with 10 points and six rebounds vs. Champion Christian on Dec. 5.
 
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 and had the first double-double of his career by setting career highs with 14 points and 10 rebounds on Dec. 5 vs. Champion Christian. He had a 12-point, six-rebound effort on Nov. 20 against Ecclesia. It was the first double-figure scoring game 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 had his first double-figure game with 11 points, three rebounds and four assists on Dec. 5 against Champion Christian. He handed out 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 735 of the 2,021 games (36%) in ULM program history either as a player, graduate assistant, assistant coach or head coach.