ULM Warhawks

Game 29: ULM (11-17 overall, 6-11 Sun Belt Conference) at South Alabama (15-15 overall, 7-10 Sun Belt Conference)
7 p.m. Friday, March 1, 2024 | Mitchell Center | Mobile, Alabama
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks conclude the 2023-24 regular season at 7 p.m. Friday against South Alabama at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Alabama. ULM enters the night in a tie for 11th place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, but with a win and some help, can move into the top 10 of the standings and earn a first-round bye in next week's Sun Belt Conference Championship in Pensacola, Florida. South Alabama is part of a four-way tie for seventh place, one game ahead of ULM.

• ULM (11-17 overall, 6-11 Sun Belt Conference) dropped Tuesday's game at Texas State, 73-55. The Bobcats opened the game on an 11-2 run and never let the Warhawks have a chance to tie or take the lead. Texas State led by double digits for over 32 minutes in the win, leading by as much as 22 points in the second half. Tyreke Locure led ULM with 13 points while Jalen Bolden added 12.

• Over the last 13 games, ULM has found its footing on the offensive end of the floor. The Warhawks have scored at least 70 points in nine of the last 13 games after hitting the mark just five times over the first 15 games of the season. Since Jan. 17, ULM ranks fifth in the SBC in 3-point field goal percentage (.354), sixth in field goal percentage (.446) and eighth in scoring offense (73.2 points per game). Individually in that span, Nika Metskhvarishvili is ninth in the SBC at 15.2 points per game and fifth in field goal percentage at .481 (65-of-135).

• Friday night's game between ULM and South Alabama features two players taking on their former schools. ULM's Tyreke Locure makes his final visit to the Mitchell Center Friday night, where he played for South Alabama for two seasons from 2019-21. South Alabama's Thomas Howell faces ULM for the second time since playing three seasons in Monroe from 2020-23.

• ULM enters the final game of the regular season fighting for a Top-10 seed in next week's Sun Belt Conference Championship. The top 10 teams earn a first round bye and are off until Thursday's second round at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. Teams that finish 11th to 14th in the final SBC standings will play in Tuesday's first round. The Warhawks enter play on the final night tied for 11th in the SBC standings with Texas State. A loss to the Jaguars means ULM will play in Tuesday's first round. However, ULM is only one game back of seventh place in the standings. If ULM wins, the Warhawks could potentially move into the top 10 and earn a first round bye. There are eight possible tiebreaking scenarios if ULM wins over South Alabama Friday night. Only three allow ULM to advance with a first-round bye and play on Thursday. 

FRIDAY'S GAME BASICS    
ULM and South Alabama wrap up the 2023-24 regular season at 7 p.m. Friday at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Alabama. The two teams are fighting for a first round bye in next week's Sun Belt Conference Championship at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida, with South Alabama tied for seventh at 7-10 in Sun Belt Conference play and ULM one game back in a tie for 11th at 6-11 in the SBC.

ULM has seven of its last 12 games overall, but is coming off back-to-back losses in a 73-55 loss to Texas State on Tuesday and an 84-78 loss to Troy last Saturday to drop to 11-17 overall and 6-11 inside the Sun Belt Conference. The Warhawks have a 3-11 road record this season, earning wins at Central Michigan (74-64), Old Dominion (80-73) and Southern Miss (68-59). ULM has lost at Houston (84-31), SMU (70-57), Sam Houston (63-62), Lamar (97-73), Jacksonville (75-65), App State (67-55), James Madison (89-70), Ragin' Cajuns (80-72), Arkansas State (95-80), Troy (85-57) and Texas State (73-55). The Warhawks have won eight games at home, knocking off Ecclesia, Northwestern State, Champion Christian, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Michigan and Ragin' Cajuns.

South Alabama has won five of its last seven games to improve to 15-15 overall and 7-10 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Jaguars have alternated wins and losses in each of their last four games and are coming off the 73-70 win over Southern Miss on Wednesday. USA is 10-6 at home this year, with wins over Denver (82-75), SIUE (86-74), Lynn (74-62), Spring Hill (91-74), Alabama A&M (83-67), Troy (74-71), Georgia Southern (78-65), Northern Illinois (75-66), Texas State (72-55) and Southern Miss (73-70), and losses to Mobile (83-74), Nicholls (102-97 in 3 OT), App State (91-84 in OT), Georgia State (90-76), Ragin' Cajuns (88-79) and Arkansas State (76-73).

Friday's game is the 33rd meeting in series history, with South Alabama claiming a 17-15 lead. ULM won the first meeting this season, 80-66, in Monroe on Jan. 25 to snap a five-game losing streak in the series. The Warhawks have not won in the Mitchell Center in Mobile since a 66-62 win on Feb. 22, 2018. Friday's game is ULM's third visit to the Mitchell Center since that win.

ULM head coach Keith Richard is 15-12 in his career against South Alabama, including an 12-10 record at ULM, while USA head coach Richie Riley is 6-2 against ULM, all while as the head coach of the Jaguars.

Friday's game will stream on ESPN+. The game also will air on 105.3 FM KLIP, la105.com and the TuneIn app on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield with Mike Hammett on the play-by-play.

PREVIEWING SOUTH ALABAMA    
South Alabama enters Friday's game vs. ULM as one of the top free throw shooting teams in the Sun Belt Conference, ranking second in the SBC and 62nd in NCAA Division I at 74.6 percent from the free throw line. The Jaguars also rank fifth in the SBC in field goal percentage (.443) and 3-point field goal percentage (.348).

Isiah Gaiter paces USA in scoring at 13.1 points per game while adding 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He is shooting 46% from the field on the season. He has scored in double figures 20 times and has reached 20 points six times. However, he has scored in double figures three times in the last 11 games and is averaging just 6.1 points per game in that span. He had scored in double figures in 17 of the first 19 games of the season until he was limited to three points (1-of-5 field goal attempts) with one assist and four turnovers in the first meeting with the Warhawks on Jan. 25. He has had a few big games down the stretch with 18 points (8-of-11 field goal attempts) vs. Texas State on Feb. 15 and 17 points (9-of-12 free throw attempts) at Southern Miss on Feb. 22.

Tyrell Jones leads the team with 1.5 steals per game. He is second on the Jaguars at 12.1 points and 2.1 assists per game and is third on the team at 3.8 rebounds per game. He has 17 double figure games and has topped 20 points three times. He had a season-high 23 points (4-of-7 3-point field goals) at Marshall on Jan. 13, matched it with 23 points (5-of-7 3-point field goals) vs. Northern Illinois on Feb. 10 and tallied 22 points (4-of-7 3-pointers) vs. Georgia State on Jan. 6. He has knocked down four 3-pointers in a game five times since Dec. 21, including three times in Sun Belt Conference play. Inside SBC action, Jones is averaging 13.0 points per game. He had 18 points (3-of-9 3-pointers), five rebounds and five assists in the first meeting with ULM on Jan. 25.

Samuel Tabe is the third Jaguar averaging double figures at 12.0 points per game. He is second on the team at 3.9 rebounds per game. He is shooting 53% from the field and has attempted just four 3-pointers on the season. Inside Sun Belt Conference action, he leads the team at 13.8 points per game. He has scored in double figures 16 times, but has had some explosive performances down the stretch of the season, topping 20 points four times in the last seven games, including a 35-point outburst (15-of-24 field goal attempts) with six rebounds vs. Arkansas State on Feb. 17. He tallied 29 points (10-of-14 field goal attempts) at Southern Miss on Feb. 22 and 27 points (9-of-17 field goal attempts) at Arkansas State on Feb. 24. He is averaging 20.4 points  and 4.7 rebounds per game over the last seven contests and 26.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over the last four games. He had four points (2-of-6 field goals) and five rebounds at ULM on Jan. 25.

LOCURE, HOWELL FACE FORMER TEAMS    
Friday night's game between ULM and South Alabama features two players taking on their former schools. ULM's Tyreke Locure makes his final visit to the Mitchell Center Friday night, where he played for South Alabama for two seasons from 2019-21. South Alabama's Thomas Howell faces ULM for the second time since playing three seasons in Monroe from 2020-23.

Locure, a New Orleans native, faces South Alabama for the fourth time since transferring to UAB prior to the 2021-22 season, and then to ULM before the 2022-23 season. In two seasons at South Alabama, Locure played in 55 games with 38 starts, averaging 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He broke out as a sophomore in 2020-21, averaging 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. 

In three previous meetings with South Alabama, Locure is averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.3 steals per game against the Jaguars while hitting 5-of-8 3-point field goal attempts. In the first meeting on Jan. 25, he had 15 points (3-of-4 3-point field goal attempts), four rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Howell, a Natchitoches, Louisiana, native, played in 89 games with 66 starts over three seasons at ULM, averaging 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Last year, Howell averaged a career-best 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while handing out 67 assists and blocking 19 shots. In Howell's return to Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Jan. 25, he scored two points  on 1-of-8 field goal attempts in 24 minutes, pulling in nine rebounds with one assist.

SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING SCENARIOS    
ULM enters the final game of the regular season fighting for a Top-10 seed in next week's Sun Belt Conference Championship. The top 10 teams earn a first round bye and are off until Thursday's second round at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. Teams that finish 11th to 14th in the final SBC standings will play in Tuesday's first round. The Warhawks enter play on the final night tied for 11th in the SBC standings with Texas State. A loss to the Jaguars means ULM will play in Tuesday's first round. However, ULM is only one game back of seventh place in the standings. If ULM wins, the Warhawks could potentially move into the top 10 and earn a first round bye. There are eight possible tiebreaking scenarios if ULM wins over South Alabama Friday night. Only three allow ULM to advance with a first-round bye and play on Thursday. They are as follows:

• ULM defeats South Alabama, Marshall defeats Georgia State and Georgia Southern defeats Old Dominion on Friday, while Texas State loses to Troy: The result would be a three-way tie for ninth place between ULM, South Alabama and Georgia State at 7-11 in the SBC, with ULM seeded 10th. In this case, South Alabama is eliminated in the first step of the tiebreaker due to ULM and Georgia State each being unbeaten against USA. Georgia State wins a tiebreaker over ULM for the ninth seed. Both ULM and GSU are winless against the top three teams in the conference standings (App State, James Madison and Troy), but GSU is 1-0 against Arkansas State while ULM is 0-1 against the fourth-place Red Wolves. This gives GSU the ninth seed, ULM the 10th seed and South Alabama the 11th seed.

• ULM defeats South Alabama, Georgia State defeats Marshall, Georgia Southern defeats Old Dominion and Texas State loses to Troy: The result would be a three-way tie for ninth place between ULM, South Alabama and Marshall at 7-11 in the SBC, with ULM seeded ninth. In this case, ULM wins the three-way tiebreaker in the first step by having a 2-1 combined record against USA and Marshall (2-0 vs. USA, 0-1 vs. Marshall), while USA would be 1-2 and Marshall would be 1-1. ULM is granted the ninth seed, while South Alabama wins a head-to-head tiebreaker over Marshall for the 10th seed.

• ULM defeats South Alabama, Georgia State defeats Marshall, Georgia Southern loses to Old Dominion and Texas State defeats Troy: The result would be a five-way tie for eighth place between ULM, USA, Texas State, Marshall and Georgia Southern, with ULM seeded 10th. Nobody wins the first tiebreaker, which is the cumulative record against all teams tied for the seed. In the next step, Texas State is granted the No. 8 seed by virtue of its win over App State, while the other four teams are winless against the top seed Mountaineers. The tiebreaker resets with ULM, USA, Georgia Southern and Marshall. Nobody wins the first tiebreaker, which is the cumulative record against all teams tied for the seed. In the next step, USA is granted the No. 9 seed by virtue of its 1-1 record against third-seed Troy, after all four teams are winless against No. 1 App State and No. 2 James Madison. The tiebreaker resets again with ULM, Georgia Southern and Marshall. No team gains an advantage in the first tiebreaker, which is the cumulative record against all teams tied for the seed. In the next step, ULM is granted the No. 10 seed by virtue of its 1-1 record against No. 4 seed Arkansas State. Marshall is granted the No. 11 seed in the next tiebreaker by virtue of its 1-0 record against No. 5 seed Ragin' Cajuns, while Georgia Southern did not face the Cajuns.

WARHAWK OFFENSIVE RENAISSANCE    
Over the last 13 games, ULM has found its footing on the offensive end of the floor. The Warhawks have scored at least 70 points in nine of the last 13 games after hitting the mark just five times over the first 15 games of the season. Since Jan. 17, ULM ranks fifth in the SBC in 3-point field goal percentage (.354), sixth in field goal percentage (.446) and eighth in scoring offense (73.2 points per game). Individually in that span, Nika Metskhvarishvili is ninth in the SBC at 15.2 points per game and fifth in field goal percentage at .481 (65-of-135).

ULM has shot over 43% from the field in eight games in that span, including over 46% seven times and 50% three times.

METSKHVARISHVILI CONTINUES STRONG STRETCH RUN    
Senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili has scored in double figures in eight of the last 10 games after posting 18 points (7-of-13 field goal attempts) with seven rebounds and three assists on Senior Day last Saturday vs. Troy. He led ULM with 17 points while adding eight rebounds, two blocks and one assist last Thursday vs. the Ragin' Cajuns. His only two games in single figures in the stretch are a six-point effort in 16 minutes at Troy on Feb. 17 and five points on 2-of-11 field goal attempts on Tuesday at Texas State. He has led ULM in scoring 11 times and leads the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game while shooting 43% (119-of-276) from the field. He leads the team in rebounding at 5.9 boards per game and also leads the team with 16 blocks. He is second on the team with 52 assists. Inside SBC play, he leads the team with 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He is second on the club at 1.7 assists per game. Over the last nine games, he is averaging 16.2 points per game while shooting 49% (63-of-128) from the field and 33% (13-of-40) from the 3-point line.

Metskhvarishvili scored 20-or-more points in four out of five games from Jan. 28 to Feb. 10. He scored 20 points (8-of-13 field-goal attempts) and added six rebounds with three steals last Saturday vs. Eastern Michigan. He had his third 20-point game of 2023-24 on Feb. 7 against Coastal Carolina, scoring a career-high 28 points (10-of-16 field goal attempts) with seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. Against Arkansas State on Feb. 3, he once again led ULM in scoring, knocking down 8-of-12 field goal attempts and all three 3-point field goal attempts on the afternoon to finish with exactly 20 points and three rebounds against the Red Wolves. The effort came six days after he came off the bench to score a career high 24 points, including the game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime with five seconds left in regulation, while matching a career best 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season on Jan. 28 vs. A-State. He followed that effort up with 10 points and five rebounds on Jan. 31 at the Ragin' Cajuns. 

He returned to the floor from injury on Jan. 25 against South Alabama and played 14 minutes, scoring five points with four rebounds and two assists after missing the previous two games. 

He paced ULM with 14 points (7-of-8 free throw attempts) on Jan. 11 vs. Southern Miss. He led ULM in scoring and rebounding for the second-straight game with 16 points and nine rebounds at App State on Dec. 30. 

His three double-doubles on the season rank second on the team. He posted his second double-double of the season and fourth of his career on Dec. 18 at Jacksonville with 17 points and 11 rebounds. He totaled 10 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the year at Lamar on Dec. 14. 

Metskhvarishvili scored a season-high 19 points, pulled in eight rebounds and added a career-high five blocks on Nov. 28 vs. Northwestern State. He played a key role in ULM's second-half rally, scoring 12 of his 19 points while adding seven of his eight rebounds and four of his five blocks. He had six of his eight rebounds on the offensive end.

Metskhvarishvili tallied 15 points with six rebounds, three assists and three steals on Nov. 16 vs. Louisiana Tech. He had 16 points (7-of-11 field-goal attempts) while adding three rebounds, three assists and one steal on Nov. 11 at Central Michigan. He dished out a team-best five assists on Nov. 20 vs. Ecclesia.

Metskhvarishvili was cleared to return to action just before the start of official practice in late September, and returns to the Warhawk lineup after missing all but five games in the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury.

LOCURE HEADS DOWN THE STRETCH OF SENIOR SEASON    
ULM senior guard Tyreke Locure led the Warhawks in scoring in each of the last two games, picking up 13 points on Tuesday night at Texas State after scoring 20 points and matching his career high with six steals last Saturday on Senior Day vs. Troy. His effort against Troy was his fifth 20-point game of the season. All five of his 20-plus point games have come inside Sun Belt Conference play. He has 10 20-point games in his ULM career after topping 20 points five times last season. He has scored in double figures 13 times this season. 

Locure was named Preseason Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference following a vote of the league's head coaches, the conference announced Oct. 16. He is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game while adding 3.9 rebounds and a team-high 3.0 assists per game. He is second in the Sun Belt Conference in steals at 1.9 steals per game, ranks ninth in the SBC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.47) and is 12th in assists per game.

He poured in 20 points on the strength of a season-high five 3-pointers to go with five rebounds, five assists and five steals on Feb. 15 at Southern Miss. Locure came up with his best game of the season to help lead ULM past Eastern Michigan on Feb. 10 in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. He had his first career double-double with a season-high 25 points (9-of-16 field goal attempts) and career-high 10 rebounds while matching his season high with six assists while adding one block. He earned his second 20-point game of the year with 20 points (8-of-10 free throw attempts) and five rebounds on Jan. 20 at Old Dominion. He had the first 20-plus point game of any Warhawk on the season on Jan. 6 against Georgia Southern, scoring a game-high 24 points (8-of-16 field-goal attempts) while adding four rebounds. 

He posted 15 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists on Feb. 7 vs. Coastal Carolina. He played only the second half on Feb. 3 at Arkansas State, scoring 11 points with two rebounds, three assists and two steals. He added 15 points with four rebounds, four assists and four steals on Jan. 25 vs. South Alabama. He totaled 17 points with a career-high matching nine rebounds (four offensive) and two assists on Nov. 28 vs. Northwestern State. He picked up 11 points with five rebounds and two steals vs. Ecclesia on Nov. 20, scored 15 points with five rebounds, four assists and three steals on Nov. 16 vs. Louisiana Tech and had 13 points and added team highs with six rebounds, six assists and three steals on Nov. 11 at Central Michigan. He had just nine points, three rebounds and four assists in nearly 11 minutes of playing time on Dec. 5 vs. Champion Christian.

WATSON LEADS NEWCOMER IMPACT ON 2023-24 TEAM    
ULM junior guard Tyreese Watson has reached double figures 12 times this season after scoring 13 points (7-of-9 free-throw attempts) on Feb. 22 against the Ragin' Cajuns. He is averaging 8.8 points per game on the season, ranking third on the team, while shooting 41% from the floor. Inside Sun Belt Conference action, he improves to 9.4 points per game.

He reached double figures in seven out of eight games from Jan. 11 to Feb. 3. He chipped in 19 points (6-of-10 field-goal attempts) on Feb. 3 at Arkansas State. Watson exploded for a career-high 21 points (8-of-12 field goal attempts) on Jan. 31 at the Ragin' Cajuns. He picked up eight of his 10 points after halftime on Jan. 28 vs. Arkansas State. Watson knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer from the left wing with nine seconds left in overtime against the Red Wolves. He set a new career high with 16 points (6-of-10 field goal attempts, 2-of-3 3-point field goal attempts) on Jan. 20 at Old Dominion. He scored 14 points while also tying his career best with five rebounds on Jan. 18 at James Madison.

Watson returned to the starting lineup and scored in double figures for the second straight game with 10 points vs. Texas State on Jan. 13. He had 12 points off the bench on Jan. 11 vs. Southern Miss. He picked up his first career start on Dec. 30 at App State, scoring eight points. He added season highs with five rebounds and four assists. Watson had his first double-figure game with 13 points (3-of-4 3-point field goal attempts) at Central Michigan on Nov. 11. He reached double figures in back-to-back games with 13 points vs. Ecclesia on Nov. 20 and a season-high 14 points (6-of-10 field goal attempts) at SMU on Nov. 26. He posted 10 points with one rebound at Sam Houston on Dec. 12.

GALLION CONTINUES CONTRIBUTING ROLE    
ULM senior guard Savion Gallion has started 24 of the first 28 games of the 2023-24 season and ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 8.5 points per game. He scored a career-high 19 points (7-of-10 field goal attempts) on Senior Day last Saturday vs. Troy for his 11th double-figure effort of the season. He scored 11 points and two assists at Southern Miss on Feb. 15. He had 11 points on Feb. 10 vs. Eastern Michigan to go with four assists. He picked up 10 points, all in the second half, vs. Coastal Carolina on Feb. 7.

He had an efficient game at the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 31, scoring 14 points (6-of-9 field goal attempts) while adding three rebounds and three assists. He earned nine points (3-of-5 field goal attempts) with three assists at Old Dominion on Jan. 20. He collected 16 points, with 15 coming in the second half, on Jan. 18 at James Madison. He posted a career-high 18 points (6-of-10 field goal attempts) with three assists vs. Georgia Southern on Jan. 6. 

He has led ULM in scoring three times, doing so on Jan. 18 at JMU, posting 17 points (5-of-7 field-goal attempts) at Lamar on Dec. 14 and with eight points in the season opener at No. 7/6 Houston on Nov. 6. He reached double figures for the first time this season with 14 points (5-of-8 field-goal attempts) while adding five rebounds and four assists on Nov. 20 vs. Ecclesia. He had his second double figure game with 10 points and three rebounds at Sam Houston on Dec. 12. He scored in double figures for the third-straight game with 12 points at Jacksonville on Dec. 18. He added eight points with a career-high six rebounds on Nov. 26 at SMU.

BOLDEN STEPS UP AS SOPHOMORE    
Sophomore guard Jalen Bolden has emerged as a reliable option in the 2023-24 season. He is fifth on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game and is second on the team at 5.8 rebounds per game. In SBC action he is averaging 7.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He reached double figures for the 10th time this season on Tuesday at Texas State with 12 points.

He has five double-doubles on the season, with three coming in Sun Belt Conference play after posting 10 points and 11 rebounds on Jan. 25 vs. South Alabama. He tallied 11 points and 13 rebounds (seven offensive) on Jan. 20 at Old Dominion. He had his first double-double in SBC play and third of the season on Jan. 11 vs. Southern Miss with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He had his fourth double-figure rebounding effort of SBC play and sixth of the season on Feb. 22, grabbing 13 rebounds to go with seven points vs. the Ragin' Cajuns. 

He tallied 12 points, three rebounds and three steals on Jan. 18 at James Madison. He stuffed the stat sheet with seven points (7-of-12 free throw attempts), eight rebounds, four assists and two steals on Jan. 6 vs. Georgia Southern.

He reached double figures for the fourth-straight game with 11 points at Lamar on Dec. 14. He picked up his second double-double by leading the team in scoring with 14 points and rebounding with 12 boards on Dec. 12 at Sam Houston. He made his first career start on Dec. 5 against Champion Christian and posted his third double-figure scoring game of the season with 10 points (4-of-6 field-goal attempts, 2-of-2 3-point field-goal attempts) and three rebounds.

He had his first career double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds on Nov. 28 against Northwestern State. He scored 10 of his 12 points and pulled in nine of his 14 rebounds in the second half as ULM rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit for the 74-70 win. His 14 rebounds set a new career high.

He had his first double figure effort of the season with a career-high 15 points (6-of-7 field-goal attempts) against Ecclesia on Nov. 20. He has scored at least six points in each of the last six games while adding at least five rebounds three times.

WILLIS STARTS TO EMERGE IN THE POST    
ULM junior forward Makai Willis has been one of the top options off the bench for ULM. Willis is averaging 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on the season and 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in Sun Belt Conference play. He is nearly averaging a double-double per 40 minutes played at 15.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per 40 minutes. He had his first double figure scoring effort since Jan. 28 on Feb. 17 at Troy, going for 10 points and four rebounds.

Willis had a stretch of five-straight double-figure efforts from Jan. 13 to Jan. 28, and has scored in double figures seven times this season. He scored 10 of his 12 points and pulled in five of his eight rebounds after halftime as ULM rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat Arkansas State in overtime on Jan. 28. He topped 20 points for the first time in his career with 21 points (9-of-13 field goal attempts) and nine rebounds on Jan. 25 vs. South Alabama. He picked up his second double-double of the season with 14 points (6-of-8 free throw attempts) and 12 rebounds on Jan. 20 at Old Dominion. He scored a career-high 15 points (5-of-10 field goal attempts) and added seven points last Thursday at James Madison. He totaled 11 points with seven rebounds vs. Texas State on Jan. 13.

He earned his first double-double with 13 points (5-of-8 field goal attempts) with 10 rebounds on Nov. 20 vs. Ecclesia. He also scored in double figures with 10 points vs. Champion Christian on Dec. 5.

RICHARD EARNS 300TH CAREER WIN, SECOND IN SBC CAREER WINS    
ULM head coach Keith Richard earned his 300th career win in the 72-59 victory for the Warhawks at Georgia Southern on Jan. 19, 2023.

Richard is in his 14th season as the head coach at his alma mater. The win against Georgia Southern also marked his 150th victory as the head coach at ULM, making it an even split in career victories with another 150 wins over nine seasons at Louisiana Tech from 1998-99 to 2007-08. 

He has won 122 Sun Belt Conference games as a head coach, with 90 at ULM and 32 over his first three seasons at LA Tech before the Bulldogs joined the Western Athletic Conference in 2001-02. With his win over Old Dominion on Jan. 20, Richard passed former Middle Tennesse coach Kermit Davis for the second-most SBC wins by a head coach.

He has been involved in 753 of the 2,042 games (37%) in ULM program history either as a player, graduate assistant, assistant coach or head coach.