MONROE, La. – Jakayla Johnson netted a game-high 31 points as the ULM women's basketball team (15-5, 7-2 Sun Belt Conference) completed a 71-68 comeback victory over Coastal Carolina (7-15, 1-8) after trailing by as many as 12 points in the game and by 10 points in the fourth quarter to win its sixth-straight game on Saturday (Jan. 27) afternoon inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
"We got into foul trouble early on and it felt like there was a lid on the basket early on," said ULM women's basketball head coach Missy Bilderback. "Our kids to battled, and to be down that margin and to will ourselves back into the game, I am really proud of our team's fight."
 
With the win, ULM collected its sixth-straight SBC win, which is the longest conference winning streak in ULM history since 2005.
 
Johnson made 11 shots from the field and a pair of 3-pointers to go along with five rebounds and four steals. It marked the second time this season Johnson scored above the 30-point mark. Her three-point play inside the final minute tied the score at 64-64.
 
"It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish," said Johnson. "We came out slow, and I reminded my teammates of that at halftime and we needed to pick things up to come back and win this game."
 
Johnson's teammate Sania Wells made the go-ahead 3-point bucket with under 30 seconds in the game to put ULM ahead by two points. Wells totaled 15 points, seven boards and a pair of steals and assists. Katlyn Manuel reached double figures with 10 points and shot 5-of-10 from the field. Daisha Bradford added seven points and nine rebounds while Kyjai Miles contributed five points and six boards.
 
Coastal Carolina held ULM to 28% shooting from the field and 18% from 3-point range in the first three quarters of play. The Warhawks came alive in the fourth quarter and shot 64.7% from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range in the final quarter. ULM won the turnover battle by four and collected six steals from CCU. The Chanticleers secured 12 more rebounds than the Warhawks, including 16 off the offensive glass. CCU maintained the lead for 36:58 of game time, while ULM held the lead for 1:43, including the final 24 seconds.
 
Coastal scored the first five points of the game and held ULM scoreless in the first two and a half minutes. Johnson hit a free throw to get the Warhawks on the board. CCU's defense forced ULM to miss its first seven attempts from the field and opened up an 11-1 lead early. Manuel made a turnaround jumper that ended a 6-0 run from the Chants with 4:47 in the quarter. The Chanticleers extended their lead to 15-3 with 3:19 in the quarter. A free throw by Wells and layups from Johnson and Manuel cut Coastal's lead to 15-8 with two minutes remaining. The Warhawks closed out the first scoring the final three points after a pair of free throws by Johnson and one by Miles. CCU led 17-11 after one.
 
The Warhawks were held scoreless for over four minutes to start the second quarter. After CCU posted a 5-0 run, Johnson cut through the lane for a layup and Wells completed a three-point play to put ULM back within six. CCU pushed its lead back to double digits twice down the stretch. Wells sank a pair of 3-point shots and the Warhawks cut the deficit to five at the break.
 
Following a CCU bucket in the first minute of the third, Bradford scored her first points of the contest and finished a three-point play to pull ULM within four. Manuel's layup with 4:47 in the period brought the Warhawks within two points. Brianna Harris knocked down a long ball with 3:45 on the clock and ULM closed the gap to one. After a steal by Wells, Johnson finished a reverse layup to give the Warhawks their first lead of the afternoon. Coastal finished the quarter on a 6-0 scoring run and led 43-38 after three.
 
The Warhawks brought CCU's lead to one point early in the fourth after buckets by Manuel and Johnson. After Coastal pushed its lead to seven, Johnson sank a triple that made the score 51-47 with under seven minutes on the clock. The Chanticleers raced out to a 10-point lead with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
 
Johnson started the ULM rally with a make with 3:15 in the game to pull the Warhawks within eight. After ULM got a stop on the defensive end, Johnson again delivered a layup and the Warhawks crept within two possessions of Coastal Carolina's lead. After a made free throw by Johnson and a CCU turnover, Wells sank a pullup jumper on the wing that put the Warhawks within three points with less than a minute to go.
 
Johnson came up with a steal to give the ball back to the Warhawks with 50 seconds left. Johnson muscled her way into the lane and made a layup to go with a foul to trim the Chants' lead to one. She converted the free throw and scored her 31^st point of the afternoon to tie the game, 64-64. Coastal Carolina picked up a free throw on the ensuing play to regain the lead. With 24 seconds to go, Wells lined up a longball and sent the ball through the net for a three to swing the lead back to ULM. Bradford swatted a block on Coastal's next possession and was fouled on the loose ball. She made both free throws and padded ULM's lead to four. The Chants made a triple with three seconds to go to creep within one point. Bradford again produced a pair of free throws and the final buzzer sounded with ULM earning a gutsy 71-68 win in front of a home crowd.
 
The ULM women's basketball team continues its homestand on Thursday (Feb. 1) night when the Warhawks take on Troy at 6:30 p.m. from Fant-Ewing Coliseum.