MONROE, La. – Behind five double-figure scorers, the ULM women's basketball team (14-5, 6-2 Sun Belt Conference) won its fifth consecutive conference game after defeating Arkansas State (10-8, 4-4) on Thursday (Jan. 25) night inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La.
 
"It was such a great atmosphere and I am so grateful for all of our Warhawk fans for their support," said ULM head coach Missy Bilderback. "It means so much to our players to play in that environment."
 
Daisha Bradford, Jakayla Johnson, Sania Wells, Lauren Gross and Katlyn Manuel all finished with double-digit points. Bradford led all scorers with 23 points and made five 3-point buckets to go along with five rebounds, four assists and one steal. Wells registered 17 points and tracked down six boards and a steal. Johnson added a trio of 3-pointers and contributed 15 points, six boards and three assists. Manuel delivered 15 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Gross rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14 points on four 3-pointers. Kyjai Miles pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and added a trio of assists and one block.
 
The Warhawks sank 13 shots from beyond the arc and shot 51.6% from the field. ULM secured one more rebound than A-State and outscored the Red Wolves 14-1 in fastbreak points. ULM held the lead for 38:22 of game time.
 
ULM jumped out to a 5-0 lead when Gross made her first shot of the day and Johnson sank a 3-pointer on a fast break assisted by Bradford. The Warhawks' lead increased to seven points following a jumper by Bradford and a three from Gross. The Red Wolves evened the score at 14 with just over two minutes left in the quarter. ULM closed out the first quarter on a 6-0 scoring run thanks to Bradford making a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes.
 
Bradford continued her hot shooting into the second quarter and made a 3-pointer within the first minute. Arkansas State cut ULM's lead to 23-19 after a 5-0 run. The Warhawks responded when Manuel made a layup and Johnson delivered a triple and ULM held a 28-19 lead with 6:31 left in the half. The Red Wolves rallied and held their first lead of the game after Izzy Higginbottom made a three with 1:07 in the half. Manuel scored four points in the last minute of the half to pull ULM back in front, 38-35 at halftime.
 
Gross and Bradford made triples in the first two minutes of the second half to help ULM maintain a five-point edge. Arkansas State climbed back to within one point with 7:32 in the third, forcing a ULM timeout. Bradford distributed an assist to Wells on a three-pointer to put ULM back ahead by four with six minutes on the clock. Gross caught fire from long distance in the final minutes of the third and swished 3-pointers on consecutive possessions that pushed the Warhawks' advantage to seven points. A putback by Wells and a layup by Johnson helped ULM increase its lead to 59-50. Manuel completed a three-point play before the final horn of the quarter and the Warhawks carried a 62-52 lead into the last quarter.
 
Wells found Manuel for a layup that gave ULM its largest lead of the night, a 69-57 cushion with 8:03 to go. Arkansas State managed to rally and trim ULM's lead to three points with just under three minutes remaining. The Warhawks held the visitors scoreless in the final 2:40 and Wells and Bradford both converted jumpers to push the lead back up to seven. ULM closed out the game with an 84-76 home victory for its fifth-straight conference win.
 
The ULM women's basketball team is back in action Saturday (Jan. 27) at noon when the Warhawks take on Coastal Carolina inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.