Myca Trail takes a pull-up jumper against Alcorn on Dec. 19. 2022.
Luke Richard/ULM Athletics
62
ULM ULM 7-17,3-10 Sun Belt
72
Winner South Alabama USA 6-18,2-11 Sun Belt
ULM ULM
7-17,3-10 Sun Belt
62
Final
72
South Alabama USA
6-18,2-11 Sun Belt
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ULM ULM 17 12 15 18 62
South Alabama USA 22 12 17 21 72

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Warhawks Fall at South Alabama, 72-62

MOBILE, Ala. – Michiyah Simmons matched her career high with 18 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead South Alabama to a 72-62 Sun Belt Conference victory over ULM Thursday as the Jaguars snapped a four-game losing streak.
 
South Alabama (6-18, 2-11 Sun Belt), which trailed for only one possession in the third quarter, led for more than 39 minutes in the game.
 
"That's the best I've seen South Alabama play this entire season," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said.
 
The Jaguars got a boost from a season-best crowd of 2,639 at the Mitchell Center.
 
"Hats off to the South Alabama administration for creating a great environment today," Williams said. "It's always great to play in front of elementary school students because those are young eyes that these student-athletes can certainly influence in a positive way. The atmosphere was incredible. It really felt like a postseason game, and that crowd had a great deal to do with some of the challenges we faced today."
 
 South Alabama raced out to an 11-4 advantage in the first 4:41 and took a 20-10 lead on Kelsey Thompson's 3-pointer from the left wing with 3:10 left in the opening quarter. ULM (7-17, 3-10) scored five consecutive points and cut its deficit in half at 20-15 on Diamond Brooks' transition layup, off a pass from Myca Trail, with 59 seconds on the clock. The Jaguars led 22-17 after the first 10 minutes.
 
USA opened the second quarter with a 7-3 spurt and opened up a 29-20 lead as Kiana Anderson scored on back-to-back hook shots in the paint with 6:48 remaining in the second quarter. Bre Sutton's 10-foot jumper from the right side of the lane sparked a 9-2 run as the Warhawks pulled to within 31-29 on Trail's 10-foot jumper from the left baseline with 1:58 on the clock. Despite making only one of their last 12 field-goal attempts over the final 6:04 of the period, the Jaguars enjoyed a 34-29 lead at halftime.
 
ULM started the third quarter with an 8-2 run and took its only lead of the game at 37-36 on Katlyn Manuel's layup with 5:59 on the clock. South Alabama quickly reclaimed the lead as Casey Ferguson buried consecutive 3-pointers from the left wing and Thompson converted a left-handed layup off a turnover as the Jaguars pushed the margin to 44-37 with 4:07 left. Sutton nailed a 10-foot step-back jumper in the lane and Trail hit a pair of free throws as the Warhawks rallied to within 44-41 with 2:39 to play in the period. A layup by Zena Elias just before the horn sounded gave South Alabama a 51-44 edge after three quarters.
 
Tristen Washington completed a 3-point play and Thompson scored off an offensive rebound as the Jaguars moved out to a 56-44 lead with 8:36 left in the fourth quarter. Simmons' 3-point play gave South Alabama its largest lead at 66-52 with 3:59 on the clock. ULM reeled off eight-straight points – with Manuel accounting for six of those with a layup, a putback and a 15-foot jumper from the right wing – and Olivia Knight's steal resulted in a layup as the Warhawks closed the margin to 66-60 with 1:30 remaining. Unlike the first meeting of the season between these two teams, ULM was unable to overcome a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit.
 
ULM hit 41 percent (27-of-66) from the floor while limiting South Alabama to 32-percent field-goal shooting (23-of-73); however, the Jaguars outscored the Warhawks, 18-0, from 3-point range and, 20-8, from the free-throw line. USA outrebounded ULM, 49-46, including 22 offensive boards. The Warhawks held a decided advantage in points from the paint, 44-30; second-chance points, 19-12; and bench scoring, 31-21.
 
Simmons, who made 4-of-11 shots from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe, led four Jaguars in double figures. Anderson posted her second double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. USA also got 13 points from Thompson and 12 off the bench from Ferguson, who hit 4-of-5 3-pointers.
 
Sutton, who connected on 7-of-15 field-goal attempts, led the Warhawks with 15 points to go along with nine rebounds, three assists and four steals. It marked her fourth-straight game in double figures.
 
After a scoreless first half (sidelined with two early fouls), Manuel netted 12 second-half points, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor, and collected nine rebounds. Trail contributed 11 points of the bench.
 
"It was good to see Kate's response after getting in early foul trouble," Williams said. "She asserted herself in the fourth quarter and was able to knock down some buckets.
 
"Myca gave us a big spark off the bench. She came in and scored right away. She continues to be an impact player for us."
 
Brooks, who went 4-of-6 from the field, set season highs for points (nine), rebounds (six) and minutes played (25).
 
"Diamond Brooks played with great effort and displayed some composure," Williams said. "She did a lot of things right on the defensive end of the floor, making plays when we needed to get a stop."
 
ULM returns to Fant-Ewing Coliseum to close out this weekend's Sun Belt schedule against league-leading Troy at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are just $5.
 
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