TIP-OFF
• The ULM women's basketball team wraps up the regular season with a pair of road games, starting on Tuesday (Feb. 27) at Arkansas State. The Warhawks and Red Wolves will square off at 7 p.m. from First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro.
• Last time out, the Warhawks opened up a 32-18 lead after one quarter of play versus and led by as many as 17 in the second quarter, but the Thundering Herd raced back and led by 18 early in the fourth quarter and eventually won the game, 99-90.
Daisha Bradford posted a game-high 29 points in her last game at Fant-Ewing Coliseum and shot 10-for-18 from the field. Bradford also grabbed five steals and four rebounds. Jakayla Johnson netted 22 points and was one board away from a double-double. Senior Sania Wells (13 points) and Katlyn Manuel (12 points) also finished in double figures for the Warhawks.
Before the game, the team recognized five seniors for their contributions to the ULM women's basketball program including Bradford, Wells, Brianna Harris, Lauren Gross and Kyjai Miles. The senior class helped lead ULM to the most victories in a single season since the 2010-11 season and produced the first winning season in over a decade.
• The Warhawks earned their 17th win of the season with a comeback victory over Southern Miss, 57-52. ULM shot 58.3% in the final quarter and utilized a 13-0 scoring run to control the lead in the final minutes. The Warhawks dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring its opposition 22-10 in the last period.
Jakayla Johnson scored a game-high 16 points and poured in seven during the fourth quarter. She added a six boards, four assists and one steal. Brianna Harris finished in double figures with 11 points and led ULM with three steals. Lauren Gross sank a trio of 3-pointers versus her former team and chased down a pair of steals. Katlyn Manuel registered eight points and three rebounds while Sania Wells added seven points. Nunu Bradford grabbed six rebounds and tallied six points.
• The Warhawks defeated Arkansas State 84-76 inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum back on January 24 in the first of two scheduled meetings between the two schools this season. Five Warhawks finished in double figures, led by Nunu Bradford, who finished with 23 points. Sania Wells registered 17 points and tracked down six boards and a steal. Jakayla Johnson added a trio of 3-pointers and contributed 15 points, six boards and three assists. Katlyn Manuel delivered 15 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Lauren 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.
• With the Warhawks' win at South Alabama, the ULM secured its first winning season since 2010-11 with 16 wins. The program won a total of 14 games in the previous three seasons. ULM's six-game conference winning streak in January was the longest in ULM history in 19 years. The Warhawks strung together the longest conference winning streak (six games) since the 2004-05 team, who won 11-straight conference games to conclude the regular season.
 • ULM's 2023-24 roster features seven returning players and seven newcomers, with all seven newcomers being transfers from NCAA Division I schools. Nunu Bradford (Clemson), Jakayla Johnson (Auburn) and Sania Wells (Auburn) all played for Power 5 schools, while Lauren Gross (Southern Miss), Brianna Harris (Troy) and Chardai Watkins (Southern Miss) all transferred from inside the Sun Belt Conference. Kyjai Miles transfers in from Central Arkansas. Three of the transfers, Bradford, Johnson and Miles, all played for Missy Bilderback at Jones College. Returning player Olivia Knight also played for Bilderback at Jones.
TUESDAY'S GAME BASICS
ULM and Arkansas State will meet for the second time this season on Tuesday night inside First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro at 7 p.m. A-State leads the all-time series, 35-18. ULM has not won in Jonesboro since 2011, when the Warhawks defeated the Red Wolves, 61-45.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. The game also will air on KMLB 105.7 FM/540 AM and the TuneIn app on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield with Ben Milam on the play-by-play.
PREVIEWING ARKANSAS STATE
After an 81-67 win overt Akron in the MAC-SBC Challenge, the Red Wolves have dropped four-straight SBC games. Last week, Arkansas State lost to Troy and Southern Miss in Jonesboro.
Izzy Higginbottom is one of the most dynamic scorers in the country. The Mizzou transfer ranks ninth in the nation and second in the Sun Belt with 22.2 points per game. She leads the country with 175 made free throws. Her team leads the SBC in free throw percentage, as the Red Wolves sink 76.9 percent of their free throw attempts. As a team, the Red Wolves commit an average of 13 turnovers per game, which is the highest average in the conference.
The Red Wolves are led by Destinee Rogers, who is in her second full season leading A-State women's basketball. Rogers served as the team's interim head coach during the 2021-22 season and the interim tag was removed before the 2022-23 season. Before Arkansas State, Rogers was an assistant coach at Central Arkansas, her alma mater.
UP NEXT
The Warhawks finish regular season play on Friday (March 1) at Texas State. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. in San Marcos.
