ULM Warhawks

ULM (11-20 overall, 7-11 Sun Belt Conference) vs. Georgia Southern (16-15 overall, 9-9 Sun Belt Conference)
7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, 2023 | Pensacola Bay Center | Pensacola, Florida
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - No. 10-seed ULM opens play in the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship with a second round game against No. 7-seed Georgia Southern in the final game of the day at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. ULM won the only meeting with Georgia Southern this season, 72-59, in Statesboro on Jan. 19, marking head coach Keith Richard's 300th career win.

Senior guard Jamari Blackmon was named Third-Team All-Sun Belt Conference Monday afternoon following a vote of the league's head coaches. He finished the regular season averaging 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. In SBC play, his numbers bumped to 15.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Inside SBC action, he ranked eighth in scoring, third in 3-point field-goals made (43, 2.39 per game), fourth in minutes played (36.56 pg.) and fourth in free-throw percentage (.841). Twelve of his 19 double figure games came in conference play, including all five of his 20-plus point efforts and both of his career-high 35-point games, coming at Marshall and vs. Coastal Carolina.

ULM is 7-14 all-time in the Sun Belt Conference Championship, and has lost its last three games in the event, including last year's 81-77 loss to Arkansas State in the first round. ULM last picked up a win in the SBC Championship in 2019, when the Warhawks defeated App State in the first round, 89-80, and Coastal Carolina in the second round, 80-50, before falling to Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals, 81-67, at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.

ULM (11-20, 7-11 SBC) closed the regular season with a 64-61 loss to Arkansas State on Friday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Warhawks led by three at halftime, 29-26, and extended the lead to seven, 35-28, with 17:23 left. ULM did not record a field goal over the next 10 minutes and three seconds, as A-State went on a 20-5 run to go up by eight, 48-40. The Warhawks rallied to tie the game at 53 on a 3-pointer by Langston Powell with 3:40 left, but A-State used a 7-0 run to push the lead to 60-53 with 1:12 left. ULM had a furious rally down the stretch and had a chance to tie the game on the final possession, but Tyreke Locure's 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell short in the 64-61 loss. Locure had 24 points to lead ULM while Thomas Howell had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Caleb Fields led four Red Wolves in double figures with 15 points.

In the first meeting, ULM (9-11, 5-2 SBC) led by as much as 20 points in the second half as the Warhawks cruised to a 72-59 win over Georgia Southern on Jan. 19 at Hanner Fieldhouse, snapping a five-game losing streak against the Eagles. Tyreke Locure led ULM with 19 points (5-of-10 3-point field-goal attempts), six rebounds and six assists. Blackmon added 15 points (3-of-4 3-point field-goal attempts), six rebounds and five assists. Thomas Howell scored 13 points for the third consecutive game. Langston Powell reached double figures with 10 points (4-of-5 field-goal attempts, 2-of-3 3-point field goal attempts). Victor Bafutto had nine points with a career-high 15 rebounds while setting a school single-game record with 10 offensive rebounds.

Inside SBC play, ULM led the league in 3-point field-goal percentage (.370) and was second in 3-point field-goals made (144, 8.00 per game).

Thursday's game is the 28th all-time meeting between ULM and Georgia Southern, with the Eagles leading the series, 14-13. Georgia Southern has won five of the last six meetings in the series. The Eagles are 3-0 all-time against ULM at the SBC Championship, picking up wins in 2015 (semifinals, 44-43), 2018 (quarterfinals, 63-55) and 2019 (quarterfinals, 81-67).

THURSDAY'S GAME BASICS    
No. 10-seed ULM and No. 7-seed Georgia Southern meet in the final game of the second round of the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. It is the fourth all-time meeting between the two at the SBC Championship, with Georgia Southern having a 3-0 lead in meetings at the SBC Championship.

The Warhawks (11-20 overall, 7-11 Sun Belt Conference) are led by Tyreke Locure at 14.5 points per game (eighth SBC) and 1.87 steals per game (fourth SBC). Jamari Blackmon is second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game (16th SBC) and leads the club at 3.17 assists per game (ninth SBC). Thomas Howell is third on the team at 9.5 points per game and leads the team at 7.9 rebounds per game (seventh SBC).

The Eagles (16-15 overall, 9-9 SBC) are led by Andrei Savrasov at 14.3 points per game (ninth SBC) and 7.4 rebounds per game (ninth SBC). Jalen Finch is second on the team at 10.6 points per game and leads the team at 3.61 assists per game (eighth SBC).

ULM ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference and 98th in NCAA Division I in 3-point field-goal percentage (.356). The Warhawks also rank in the top half of the SBC in several stat categories, sitting fifth in free-throw percentage (.711) and 3-point field-goals made per game (7.6), sixth in steals per game (7.0) and turnovers forced per game (12.81) and seventh in blocks per game (3.5)

Georgia Southern is one of the top teams in the SBC and NCAA Division I in a few key stat categories, ranking fourth in the SBC and 67th nationally in turnovers per game (11.4), sixth in the SBC and 84th nationally in turnover margin (1.5) and sixth in the SBC and 88th nationally in scoring defense (67.0 points allowed per game). Georgia Southern also ranks in the top half of the conference in several other stat categories, ranking fifth in turnovers forced per game (12.87), sixth in bench points per game (19.81) and steals per game (7.0) and seventh in defensive rebounds per game (25.58).

Thursday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (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 SOUTHERN    
The Eagles are 16-15 on the season and finished 9-9 in the Sun Belt Conference, picking up SBC wins over South Alabama (64-50), at Coastal Carolina (73-64), Marshall (81-76), at App State (67-65), Georgia State (58-52), James Madison (76-73), Arkansas State (68-53), Coastal Carolina (76-68) and App State (73-64). In non-conference play, Georgia Southern earned Division I wins at Houston Christian, vs. Western Michigan, vs. Wofford and vs. Campbell. 

Brian Burg is in his third season leading the Georgia Southern men's basketball team after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Tech, including the program's appearance in the 2019 national championship game. He also spent time as an assistant at Little Rock, Campbell and North Carolina Central.

Andrei Savrasov was a Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection after leading the Eagles at 14.3 points per game (ninth SBC) and 7.4 rebounds per game (ninth SBC). He also ranks fifth in the SBC in offensive rebounds per game (2.57), ninth in defensive rebounds per game (4.79), 12th in steals per game (1.36), 15th in field-goal percentage (.500) and 20th in minutes per game (30.50). His averages bumped to 15.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game in SBC action. He has scored in double figures 22 times, including 14 times in SBC play. He has topped 20 points six times, including a season-high 28 points (9-of-13 field-goal attempts, 2-of-3 3-point field-goal attempts) on Friday vs. App State. He has four of his 20-plus point games in the last six games and has scored in double figures in seven-straight games. He has pulled in 10 or more rebounds nine times and has eight double-doubles. He has four of his double-doubles in the last seven games. He had a season-low four points with five rebounds and four assists in the first meeting with ULM on Jan. 19.

Jalen Finch is second on the team at 10.6 points per game and leads teh team with 3.6 assists per game (eighth SBC). He ranks third in the SBC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.11), 10th in free-throw percentage (.774) and steals per game (1.39) and 12th in minutes per game (31.97). He is shooting 37.7% (29-of-77) from the 3-point line. He has scored in double figures 18 times, but just twice in the last seven games. He had a season-high 18 points and six rebounds with seven assists vs. James Madison on Feb. 9. He has handed out five or more assists eight times. He scored seven points with three rebounds and two assists vs. ULM on Jan. 19.

Tyren Moore is third on the team at 9.5 points per game while Kaden Archie is right behind him at 9.2 points per game. Archie was the only Eagle to score in double figures in the first meeting with ULM, scoring 15 points on 6-of-9 field-goal attempts and 3-of-5 3-point field-goal attempts. Carlos Curry averages 7.6 points per game and ranks 11th in the SBC at 7.0 rebounds per game.

ULM RETURNS TO HERCULES TIRES SUN BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
ULM enters the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship as the No. 10 seed, taking on No. 7 seed Georgia Southern in the final game of Thursday's second round at 7:30 p.m. at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. It marks ULM's 14th appearance at the SBC Championship and third time to play in the event in Pensacola.

Thursday's matchup with Georgia Southern is the fourth time for ULM to meet the Eagles in the tournament, with Georgia Southern winning each of the previous three meetings. The Eagles won a low-scoring semifinal matchup on March 14, 2015, in New Orleans, 44-43. The two sides met again in the 2018 quarterfinals on March 9 in New Orleans, with the Eagles winning 63-55. ULM and Georgia Southern clashed again in the 2019 quarterfinals on March 15, with the Eagles winning 81-67.

BLACKMON NAMED THIRD-TEAM ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE    
ULM senior guard Jamari Blackmon was selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team after a vote by the conference's head coaches. He has provided a steady, veteran hand on the perimeter for the Warhawks. He is second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game (16th SBC) and leads the team at 3.17 assists per game (ninth SBC). He is second on the team at 1.33 steals per game (13th SBC). He also averages 3.2 rebounds per game. 

He has scored in double figures 19 times, including 12 of 18 games in Sun Belt Conference play after scoring 10 points on Feb. 22 vs. Troy.

Blackmon has made 36 of his last 38 free-throw attempts (94.7%), dating back to his final five free-throw attempts at Marshall on Jan. 26. He missed his first free-throw attempt on Feb. 18 at South Alabama before making his final three shots of the day to improve to 36-of-38. He has not attempted a free throw in each of his last two games.

He also ranks fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in 3-point field-goals made per game (2.10) and minutes per game (34.03), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.67), eighth in free-throw percentage (.800) and 11th 3-point field-goal percentage (.382).

Inside SBC play, Blackmon's scoring average jumps to 15.1 points per game, good for eighth in the SBC. He is third in the SBC in 3-point field-goals made per game (2.39), fourth in free-throw percentage (.841) and minutes per game (36.56), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.69), 12th in assists per game (3.00) and 15th in 3-point field-goal percentage (.384).

He reached double figures with 14 points (6-of-6 free-throw attempts) with five assists and four rebounds at Southern Miss on Feb. 11.

Blackmon led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring over the week of Feb. 2-4 at 29.0 points per game after matching his career-high with 35 points (8-of-12 field-goal attempts, 5-of-7 3-point field-goal attempts, 14-of-15 free-throw attempts), season-high tying eight rebounds and seven assists on Feb. 2 vs. Coastal Carolina before adding 23 points (8-of-16 field-goal attempts) with four rebounds and four assists on Feb. 4 vs. South Alabama. He played all 80 minutes on the week. He is the only player in the SBC to score 35 points in a conference game this season, and has done so twice. He also finished the two-game span ranked second in the SBC in 3-point field-goals made per game (4.0), fifth in assists per game (5.5) and 12th in defensive rebounds per game (5.5). He shot 8-of-12 from 3-point range (.667, best percentage of any SBC player attempting more than 10 3-pointers) and shot 18-of-19 from the free-throw line (.947).

He scored 17 of his 23 points in the final six minutes of the Feb. 4 loss to South Alabama. He shot 3-of-5 from the 3-point line and hit all four of his free-throw attempts while adding four rebounds and four assists.

Blackmon scored a career-high 35 points for the second time in three games in last Thursday night's 83-70 win over Coastal Carolina. His 14-of-15 night from the free-throw line marked the second time in his career he has gone 14-of-15 at the charity stripe (Dec. 1, 2018, vs. Jacksonville State with North Alabama).

Blackmon scored 22 of his career-high 35 points in the final 15:38 of the Jan. 26 game at Marshall. He made his final six field-goal attempts (five 3-pointers) and five free-throw attempts, beginning with the final of three free-throw attempts at the 5:38 mark of regulation. In just the two overtimes, he had 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting (all 3-pointers) and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. In making his final five 3-point field-goal attempts of the night, four either tied the game or gave ULM the lead. His final 3-pointer gave ULM a five-point lead, 84-79, with 26 seconds left in the second overtime.

He played all 50 minutes in the victory, going 10-of-20 from the field and 8-of-15 from 3-point range, all career highs. He also tracked down a season-high eight rebounds.

He added 15 points (3-of-4 3-point field-goal attempts), six rebounds and five assists in the 72-59 win at Georgia Southern on Jan. 19. He led the way for ULM as the Warhawks finished a season sweep of Texas State on Jan. 14, scoring a game-high 24 points (7-of-13 field-goal attempts, 8-of-10 free-throw attempts) with three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Against Southern Miss on Jan. 7, Blackmon added 17 points and five assists as the Warhawks fell short to the Golden Eagles, 65-60.

He surpassed 1,500 points in his career on a 3-pointer with 18:08 to play in the first half vs. Georgia State on Jan. 5, finishing with 14 points in the game, with four assists and four steals. He continued his stellar defensive play, limiting GSU's Dwon Odom to six points. Odom entered the game averaging nearly 16 points per game.

Blackmon played a huge role in ULM's two road wins to open SBC play. 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 Dec. 31. 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 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. 

LOCURE CLOSES THE REGULAR SEASON ON A TEAR    
ULM junior guard Tyreke Locure has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games, averaging 19.1 points per game in the stretch, including a career-high 33-point effort (7-of-8 3-point field-goal attempts) on Feb. 22 vs. Troy. He set a new career-high with seven 3-point field-goals made against the Trojans. He led ULM with 24 points in the regular season finale vs. Arkansas State on Friday. He has played at least 30 minutes in all seven games during his double-figure scoring streak.

He leads the team at 14.5 points per game, which ranks eighth in the Sun Belt Conference. He leads the team, is fourth in the SBC and 65th in NCAA Division I with 1.87 steals per game. He is second on the team and 14th in the SBC at 2.81 assists per game. He is fourth in the SBC in 3-point field-goals made per game (2.13), 12th in 3-point field-goal percentage (.382), 13th in minutes per game (31.90) and 14th in free-throw percentage (.758).

Inside of Sun Belt Conference play, Locure is averaging 15.4 points per game, good for sixth in the SBC. He is third in the SBC in steals per game (1.72) and 3-point field-goals made per game (2.39), fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.413), seventh in free-throw percentage (.828) and eighth in minutes per game (34.39).

He has scored in double figures in 25 of 31 games this season. Locure led ULM with 12 points at South Alabama on Feb. 18. He had 13 points in the Feb. 16 loss at the Ragin' Cajuns. He led ULM in both contests on Feb. 9 and 11. He rounded out the week on Feb. 11 at Southern Miss with his third 20-point game of the season, scoring 24 points (4-of-6 3-point field-goal attempts) with five rebounds, two steals and one assist. He led the team with 13 points, three assists and two steals while playing 39 minutes on Feb. 9 vs. App State. 

He added 15 points with four rebounds and three steals in his first game against his former team, South Alabama, on Feb. 4. He played all 40 minutes against the Jaguars. Locure played a career-high 43 minutes on Jan. 26 at Marshall, picking up 18 points (5-of-11 3-point field-goal attempts), seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. He hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:26 left in regulation, putting ULM up 59-58. He also had the steal on Marshall's inbounds play with 14.4 seconds left in overtime, which led to Thomas Howell's game-tying dunk to force the second overtime.

He led ULM with 19 points (5-of-10 3-point field-goal attempts), six rebounds and six assists in the Jan. 19 72-59 win at Georgia Southern. Locure posted his first two 20-point games as a Warhawk against Georgia State and Southern Miss. Locure had a career-high 25 points (4-of-8 3-point field-goal shooting) while adding six rebounds, four assists and one steal on Jan. 5 in a 66-58 win over GSU. He backed it up on on Jan. 7, going for 21 points (4-of-10 3-point field-goal shooting) with four rebounds, three assists and five steals against Southern Miss. For the week, he averaged 23.0 points (third in Sun Belt Conference), 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals (tied for first in SBC). He opened the second week of the four-game homestand with 12 points, all in the second half, with two rebounds and four assists on Jan. 12 vs. the Ragin' Cajuns.

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 Dec. 31. 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.

POWELL PROVIDES STABILITY IN STARTING LINEUP    
ULM senior guard Langston Powell moved into the starting lineup at the start of SBC play against Texas State on Dec. 29 and started all 18 SBC games. He led the team in scoring for the only time in 2022-23 on Jan. 12 with a career-high 19 points (7-of-10 field-goal attempts) against the Cajuns.

He played all 40 minutes in consecutive games on Feb. 2 and 4. He scored six points with three rebounds and three assists vs. Coastal Carolina on Feb. 2 and eight points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal vs. South Alabama on Feb. 4. He followed it up by playing 37 minutes with eight points, four rebounds and two assists while guarding App State's leading scorer, Donovan Gregory, and limiting him to four points and six assists on Feb. 9.

Since the start of SBC play, Powell is averaging 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He is 12th in the SBC in minutes per game (33.00).

He matched a career high with seven rebounds and tied a season high with four assists on Jan. 26 at Marshall, playing in a career-high 48 minutes. He added 10 points (4-of-5 field-goal attempts, 2-of-3 3-point field-goal attempts) at Georgia Southern on Jan. 19, marking his fifth double-figure game of the season. He also pulled in five rebounds with two steals.

On Jan. 7 vs. Southern Miss, he added nine points and a season-high six rebounds. On Dec. 31 at Arkansas State, Powell scored eight consecutive points early in the game and finished with 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 two other times in 2022-23, picking up 10 points vs. Sam Houston on Dec. 14 and 12 points vs. Central Baptist on Nov. 14.

He had a seven-point possession against Jacksonville on Dec. 20, as he drew a foul on a dunk. The foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul after review, and Powell knocked down two free throws. On the inbounds play, Powell came free in the right corner and knocked down a 3-pointer to cap the possession, which cut ULM's deficit from 13 points to six.

He has played in 86 games with 41 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.

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 third on the team at 9.5 points per game while adding a team-best 7.9 rebounds along with 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He picked up his third double-double of the season and fourth of his career with 10 points and 11 rebounds on Friday vs. Arkansas State.

He ranks seventh in the Sun Belt Conference in rebounding, defensive rebounds per game (5.71) and minutes played per game (33.39). Inside SBC action, he is fourth in minutes played per game (36.56), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (6.22), sixth in rebounds per game (8.3) and 13th in offensive rebounds per game (2.11).

He led the Warhawks with 16 points and six rebounds at the Ragin' Cajuns on Feb. 16. He pulled in a career-high 16 rebounds while adding four points on Feb. 9 against App State before coming up with double-digit rebounds again on Feb. 11 with 10 boards to go with seven points at Southern Miss. 

He scored in double-figures in six out of seven games from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2. He had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists on Feb. 2 vs. Coastal Carolina. In a career-best five-game double-figure scoring streak, he had a career-high 21 points and 15 rebounds for his second double-double of the season while playing all 50 minutes at Marshall (Jan. 26), a team-high 14 points at Troy (Jan. 21) and 13 points in each of the three prior games, adding six rebounds against both the Ragin' Cajuns (Jan. 12) and Texas State (Jan. 14). He had three rebounds and a block at Georgia Southern (Jan. 19).

He played a crucial role in ULM's 86-82 double-overtime win against Marshall on Jan. 26. Howell had the game-tying dunk in the first overtime with nine seconds remaining, following a steal by Tyreke Locure. In the second overtime, Howell scored consecutive layups to tie the game and give ULM its final lead, 81-79, with 1:02 left.

Against Troy on Jan. 21, Howell shot 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from 3-point range, marking the first time in his career he hit multiple 3-pointers in a game. He has now made 15 3-pointers in his career, with 14 coming this season. He has made at least one trey in 11 of the last 13 games. Since the start of SBC play, Howell is ninth in the SBC in 3-point field-goal percentage (.429, 12-of-28).

He tallied nine points with 10 rebounds on Jan. 7 vs. Southern Miss for his fifth game with double-digit rebounds on the season. He added 13 points (6-of-11 field-goal attempts) with eight rebounds in ULM's 66-58 win over Georgia State on Jan. 5.

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 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.

BAFUTTO BREAKS OUT INSIDE FOR ULM    
ULM graduate forward Victor Bafutto has started 24 of the last 25 games. He has picked up eight or more rebounds in 14 games this season, including six games with 10-or-more rebounds. He is averaging 7.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He has totaled 10 blocks over the last four games.

He ranks fourth in the Sun Belt Conference and 19th in NCAA Division I with 2.19 blocks per game. According to KenPom.com, Bafutto ranks 16th in the nation in block percentage (.094). Block percentage is the percentage of opponents' two-point shots that are blocked by the player while he is on the court.

He also is fourth in the SBC and 44th in NCAA Division I in offensive rebounds per game (3.03), 12th in the SBC in rebounding and 14th in field-goal percentage (.505). Inside SBC play, he leads the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3.50) while ranking second in blocked shots per game (2.17) and ninth in rebounds per game (7.4).

He scored nine points, all in the second half, with six rebounds and three blocks on Feb. 16 against the Ragin' Cajuns in Lafayette. He had nine points and eight rebounds on Feb. 11 at Southern Miss, and pulled in 11 rebounds with seven points on Feb. 9 vs. App State. Bafutto added eight points with eight rebounds on Feb. 2 against Coastal Carolina. He led the team with 10 points (5-of-7 field-goal attempts) with seven rebounds and two blocks at James Madison on Jan. 28. Bafutto pulled in 11 rebounds with six points in a career-high 41 minutes at Marshall on Jan. 26. He set the program's single-game offensive rebounding record on Jan. 19 at Georgia Southern, pulling down 10 offensive boards against the Eagles. He finished with 15 rebounds to go with his nine points and two blocks. He added eight rebounds on Jan. 21 at Troy.

Bafutto had a big opening weekend in Sun Belt Conference play. 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 Dec. 31 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.

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.

GALLION PROVIDES BOOST OFF BENCH    
ULM junior guard Savion Gallion is averaging 7.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He scored a career-high 15 points (3-of-5 3-point field-goal attempts) while playing 34 minutes for the second time this season vs. Troy on Feb. 22.

He added eight points and five rebounds on Feb. 4 vs. South Alabama. He had 13 points, knocking down three 3-point field-goal attempts and adding four rebounds on Feb. 2 vs. Coastal Carolina. 

He had back-to-back double figure efforts off the bench, scoring 13 points (5-of-8 field-goal attempts) vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 12 and added 11 points in a career-high 34 minutes vs. Texas State on Jan. 14.

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 nine times on the season. He once again matched his career high with 13 points vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 12. 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.

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.

Richard is in his 13th 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 725 of the 2,011 games in ULM program history either as a player, graduate assistant, assistant coach or head coach.

WARHAWKS SPRING UPSET IN RICHARD'S HUNTINGTON "HOMECOMING"    
ULM's 86-82 double-overtime win over Marshall on Jan. 26 marked a significant upset, according to the metrics of the NCAA's NET rankings. ULM entered the game ranked 291 in the latest NET, while Marshall was No. 66, marking a spread of 225 spots. After the win, ULM jumped to No. 266 in the Jan. 27 NET. The game also ranked as the No. 10 most "exciting" game of the season in college basketball according to KenPom.com.

It was the first game for ULM head coach Keith Richard against Marshall in Huntington since he served as an assistant coach with the Thundering Herd from 1986-89, under head coach Rick Huckabay. Richard helped coach Marshall to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1987, the program's previous appearance prior to 2018, and the 1988 National Invitation Tournament. It is the only college coaching job Richard has held outside of the state of Louisiana, spending time as an assistant coach at ULM, Louisiana Tech and LSU and as head coach at LA Tech and ULM.

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 31 games of the season, three different Warhawks have posted five total 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.

Howell added his second double-double of the season and third of his career at Marshall, scoring a career-high 21 points while adding a career-high matching 15 rebounds while playing all 50 minutes in the 86-82 double overtime victory on Jan. 26.

He picked up a third double-double in the regular-season finale vs. Arkansas State, scoring 10 points and adding 11 rebounds on Feb. 24.

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.