HONOLULU – The ULM women's basketball team (3-1) is hitting the road for their first tournament of the season, traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii for the Bank of Hawaii Classic. On Friday, Nov. 22, the Warhawks will face host Hawaii (1-1) at 3 p.m. CST and on Sunday, ULM will take on Saint Mary's (2-2) at 4 p.m. CST. The Warhawks are looking to bounce back after a loss to No. 22 Alabama at home.
SCOUTING THE RAINBOW WAHINE –
The Rainbow Wahine is playing at home for the first time this season, having traveled to take on Portland and Portland State on Nov. 7 and 9, respectively. They are looking to build off their lone win over Portland State, 72-50. Friday's game will be Hawaii's Education Day game to open at home. The Rainbow Wahine returns 10 letterwinners from last season's Big West champion team. Hawaii was predicted to finish first in the Big West preseason poll, with Daejah Phillips and Lily Wahinekapu named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team.
SCOUTING THE GAELS –
Saint Mary's has split their season so far, winning over Denver, 69-64, and at UC San Diego in a double-overtime thriller, 74-65. They also fell on the road at Cal, 58-90, and at UC Irvine, 61-64. The Gaels will face Eastern Washington on Friday before taking on the Warhawks on Sunday. Saint Mary's went 13-18 last season under head coach Jeff Cammon in his first season. Cammon returns six players from last season, most notably WCC Freshman of the Year Zeryhia Aokuso and WCC All-Freshman Team member Maia Jones.
NEW OPPONENTS –
Both teams that the Warhawks will face in the Bank of Hawaii Classic are new opponents, having never competed against them in program history. The Rainbow Wahine and the Gaels are two of five first-time opponents this season, the other three being Central Baptist (W, 117-60), Georgia Tech (Dec. 11) and Alabama A&M (Dec. 21).
LEADING THE TEAM –
Meloney Thames led the team with a 27-point game and a trio of three-pointers over Southern Illinois on Nov. 13. She now leads the team in points per game (14.8), three-pointers (8) and free throws (13). Thames is also sixth in the Sun Belt in points per game. Sakyia White opened the season going 9-9 vs. Central Baptist (Nov. 4), dropping 18 points and leading the team in the home opener. White's .667 field goal percentage leads the Sun Belt and is ranked 15th nationally.
PRESEASON HONORS –
Jakayla Johnson was named All-Sun Belt First Team after receiving multiple honors at the conclusion of last season. She was the second leading scorer on the Warhawks, averaging 15.2 points per game. She reached the 30-point mark in two games last season as well. This is ULM's first player to be named to the All-Sun Belt First Team since 2006, when the Warhawks joined the conference.
Katlyn Manuel, the conference's reigning Sixth Woman of the Year, was named All-Sun Belt Third Team to open the 2024-25 season. In her third year with the Warhawks, Manuel averaged 10.2 points/game, racking up three double-doubles. She also led the team with 30 blocks on the season, averaging 1.0 per game.
FOURTH-PLACE PICK –
The Warhawks started the preseason strong, being selected fourth in the Sun Belt preseason coaches poll, receiving 150 votes. This is the highest ULM women's basketball has been ranked in the SBC preseason poll since joining the conference in 2006.
RECORD BREAKERS –
In the first two games of the season, the ULM Warhawks set or beat multiple program records. They scored 117 points on the Central Baptist Mustangs on Nov. 4, tying the record for most points scored in a game, a record set in 1982 vs. Nicholls State. The 57-point victory ranks sixth in program history for highest margin of victory. In the following game, the Warhawks had 4,509 fans cheering them on vs. Louisiana Christian, the highest attendance since 1986 and eighth-highest attendance all-time.
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Friday's game will be available to stream on ESPN+ or fans can listen on KRJO 1680 AM. Sunday's game, while not streamed on ESPN+, will be available to listen on KMLB 105.7 FM. Links to live stats for all games, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com. Navigate to the women's basketball schedule page and select that day's opponent.
LOOKING AHEAD –
The women's basketball team will continue their road trip following the Bank of Hawaii Classic, traveling to Beaumont, Texas to compete against Southland conference foe Lamar. The Warhawks and the Cardinals are scheduled to tipoff at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.
