MONROE, La. -- Jacob Wilson posted a career-high 23 points, but the ULM men's basketball team came up short in a heartbreaking 80-75 overtime defeat to Old Dominion on Saturday (Dec. 21) afternoon in the Sun Belt Conference opener at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

ODU led by as many as 11 points in the second half, but the Warhawks rallied with Jalen Bolden making free throws with two seconds left to force overtime. ULM jumped out to a three-point lead in overtime, but the Monarchs scored the final eight overtime points to win the conference opener.

Coming off the bench, Wilson swished five 3-pointers on eight attempts and hit 6-for-7 shots at the line. He pulled down six rebounds and recorded a team-high three steals. Jalen Bolden netted 17 points and added five rebounds and two steals. Tyreese Watson passed six assists and totaled 14 points while Makai Willis played all 45 minutes and recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

ODU's Robert Johnson Jr. scored a game-high 32 points on seven 3-point buckets to lead the way for the Monarchs. Sean Durugordon netted 15 and R.J. Blakney finished with a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Both teams shot below 40% from the field but shot well from beyond the arc, as ODU made eight 3-pointers and ULM connected on seven. Each team made 20 free throws. ODU poured in 26 points in the paint compared to the Warhawks' 20 while ULM tallied 16 points from turnovers compared to the Monarchs' seven.
 
The game started with a pull-up jumper by Coltie Young to put the Warhawks (4-10 overall, 0-1 Sun Belt) on the board. ODU (4-8 overall, 1-0 Sun Belt) responded with its own jumper before AD Diedhiou made a layup. With a 4-4 game, Makai Willis made a second-chance jumper to take the lead. The Monarchs scored six points in a row to take a 10-6 lead. Three straight free throws by ULM closed the gap to a point. After a dunk by ODU, Jacob Wilson drilled a three-pointer to tie the game.
 
ODU went on a 5-0 run to take the lead before two jumpers by Willis and Tyreese Watson set the deficit at one Davis Jr. drained a three to increase the Monarchs' lead to 20-16 with under seven minutes in the half. After the two teams traded step-back jumpers, a basket combined with two free throws by ULM tied the game at 22-22. Old Dominion retook the lead with a three-pointer before an and-one play by Bolden tied the game up again. ODU used a late 7-2 run to take control before the break, but ULM was able to sneak two free throws to make it a one-possession game at halftime.
 
The Monarchs opened the scoring in the second half with two layups. They led by as much as eight with a 40-32 score. ULM decreased the gap to five with two baskets, but a three-pointer by ODU put the lead back to eight. Trailing 47-36, the Warhawks stormed back with seven consecutive points to make it a four-point game. With two free throws, ULM closed the gap to two points before ODU established a five-point lead with a three-point shot.
 
Watson hit a three-pointer to cut ODU's lead to four with 10:27 left. ODU responded with two straight 3-pointers to create a 10-point cushion. After two free throws by ULM, Wilson made his third 3-pointer of the game, making it a five-point game with less than four minutes left. Wilson added another triple to make a one-possession game with three minutes remaining. Tyreese Watson was set up to tie the game with two free throws but connected on one of them. ODU led by three after four free throws, and with 21 seconds left, Blakney drilled a three to pull the Monarchs up by five.
 
After another Wilson three, Bolden created a turnover and drew a foul, giving ULM an opportunity to tie with two free throws at 2.1 seconds left. He was clutch as could be, making both free throws to force overtime.

Both teams made a pair of free throws to start the extra period before Young hit a three-pointer to take a 73-70 lead for ULM. After both teams traded baskets, ODU's Davis Jr. drilled a three to tie it with just over one minute to play. The Monarchs regained the lead with two made free throws by Durugordon with 30 seconds left. ULM was unable to match ODU's two points and was forced to foul with four seconds left. After a made free throw, ODU missed the second of two attempts, but Stephaun Walker grabbed a key offensive rebound and was fouled with two seconds remaining. Walker drained two free throws to secure the victory in the conference opener for the Monarchs.
 
The Warhawks will return from Christmas break to start a four-game SBC road trip on Jan. 2 with a contest at Georgia Southern.