ULM Warhawks

Game 22: Coastal Carolina (6-16 overall, 3-8 Sun Belt Conference) at ULM (7-14 overall, 3-8 Sun Belt Conference)
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 | Fant-Ewing Coliseum | Monroe, Louisiana
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GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM men's basketball team returns to Fant-Ewing Coliseum for a pair of contests, starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against Coastal Carolina. It marks the second-straight year for CCU to visit Monroe, with the Warhawks winning, 83-70, on Feb. 2, 2023.

• ULM (7-14 overall, 3-8 Sun Belt Conference) lost to hot-shooting Arkansas State, 95-80, last Saturday. A-State shot 60% (30-of-50) from the field for the game and 55% (12-of-22) from 3-point range. ULM hit over 50% from the field for the second-straight game, going 53% (29-of-55) from the floor. Nika Metskhvarishvili led ULM with 20 points (3-of-3 3-point field goal attempts), while Tyreese Watson added 19 points and Tyreke Locure had 11 points. Caleb Fields led five Red Wolves in double figures with 24 points.

• Since ULM's offensive resurgence began in the second half at James Madison on Jan. 18, the Warhawks have become one of the top offenses in the Sun Belt Conference. Over the last six games for all SBC teams, dating back to Jan. 17, ULM is second in the SBC in field goal percentage (.470), 3-point field goal percentage (.384) and fifth in scoring offense (77.8 points per game). Overall on the season, ULM is 11th in the SBC in field goal percentage (.423), 14th in 3-point field goal percentage (.286) and 12th in scoring offense (70.05 ppg.).

• Watson has now scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games, averaging 12.9 points per game over that span. He averaged 20.0 points per game last week, scoring a career-high 21 points at the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 31 and 19 points at Arkansas State last Saturday.

•ULM ranks second in the SBC and 19th in NCAA Division I at 13.52 offensive rebounds per game. The Warhawks are also second in the SBC and 26th nationally at 28.62 bench points per game. ULM also is second in the SBC free throw attempts per game (21.7 pg.).

WEDNESDAY'S GAME BASICS    
ULM and Coastal Carolina meet at Fant-Ewing Coliseum for the second-straight season at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The last four meetings have been decided by double digits, with ULM winning 83-70 last season in the closest matchup in that span. Coastal Carolina won the last two meetings in Conway, South Carolina, by 30 and 29 points respectively, while ULM won a matchup at the Sun Belt Conference Championship by 30 in 2019.

ULM has dropped back-to-back games to move the Warhawks to 7-14 overall and 3-8 in the Sun Belt Conference after last Saturday's 95-80 loss at Arkansas State. The Warhawks are 5-5 at home this season with wins against Arkansas State (85-82, OT), South Alabama (80-66), Champion Christian (110-63), Northwestern State (74-70) and Ecclesia (103-74) and with losses to Louisiana Tech (73-63), Marshall (68-57), Georgia Southern (76-68), Southern Miss (71-58) and Texas State (67-54). The Warhawks' other two victories this season came at Central Michigan (74-64) in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge and at Old Dominion (80-73).

Coastal Carolina has lost five of its last six games coming into Wednesday night's contest to sit at 6-16 overall and 3-8 in Sun Belt Conference action. The Chanticleers are 1-6 on the road this season, with their lone win coming at Texas State (71-63) on Jan. 4. They have lost road matchups against College of Charleston (84-81), Ragin' Cajuns (85-77), Georgia Southern (73-70), App State (88-59), James Madison (105-67) and Marshall (91-74).

ULM head coach Keith Richard is 3-6 in his career against Coastal Carolina, all while coaching at ULM. Coastal Carolina interim head coach Benny Moss is facing ULM for the first time in his head coaching career.

Wednesday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Chris Harris (play-by-play) and Mike Vining (analyst) on the call. 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 COASTAL CAROLINA    
Coastal Carolina enters Wednesday's game as one of the top rebounding teams in the Sun Belt Conference, ranking second in the SBC and 18th in NCAA Division I at 40.36 rebounds per game, second in the SBC and 32nd nationally at 27.95 defensive rebounds per game and fourth in the SBC and 49th nationally at 12.41 offensive rebounds per game. They rank fourth in the SBC in field goal percentage at .445.

John Ojiako is averaging a double-double at 12.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. His 13 double-doubles lead the Sun Belt Conference and ranks sixth most in NCAA Division I. He has scored in double figures 18 times and pulled in 10-or-more rebounds 15 times. He leads the SBC and ranks in the top 25 nationally in rebounds per game (10.5 pg., 9th), offensive rebounds per game (3.64 pg., 14th) and defensive rebounds per game (6.86 pg., 25th). He is third in the SBC and 10th nationally in field goal percentage (.635). He has netted a season-high 20 points three times, including last Saturday at Marshall, where he posted his 13th double-double with 13 rebounds while shooting 9-of-12 from the floor. He posted a season-high 16 rebounds in a double-double with 18 points at App State on Jan. 20.

Jacob Meyer leads Coastal Carolina in scoring at 13.9 points per game while sitting second on the team at 2.3 assists per game as a freshman. He has scored in double figures in 19 of 22 games and is coming off back-to-back 20-point games, the first two of his career. He scored 20 points (3-of-5 3-point field goal attempts) last Thursday at James Madison before going for 22 points (2-of-4 3-pointers) last Saturday at Marshall. He has scored in double figures in each of the last five games, averaging 18.6 points per game in the stretch.

Kylan Blackmon is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has scored in double figures 12 times, and has crossed 20 points twice. He scored a season-high 23 points (5-of-8 3-point field goal attempts) vs. Furman on Nov. 17. He scored 20 points (3-of-5 3-pointers) wtih six rebounds vs. Winthrop on Dec. 2. He has scored in double figures four times in Sun Belt Conference action, including 14 points last Thursday at James Madison. He led CCU with 15 points (6-of-7 field goal attempts, 3-of-4 3-pointers) last season at ULM.

Two other Chanticleers are averaging at least 9.0 points per game in Kevin Easley at 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and Jimmy Nichols Jr. at 9.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Easley has scored in double figures nine times, including three of the last four games. He had 10 points and seven rebounds last Saturday at Marshall, and scored a career-high 28 points (11-of-15 field goal attempts) and added 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season against Georgia State on Jan. 27. Nichols has six double-figure games, but has not played since Jan. 6 at the Ragin' Cajuns.
 
METSKHVARISHVILI HITS 20 POINTS FOR SECOND TIME IN THREE GAMES    
Senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili had his second 20-point game of 2023-24 last Saturday against Arkansas State, 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 with an injury. He has led ULM in scoring eight times and leads the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game. He is second on the team in rebounding at 5.8 boards per game. He is second on the team with 43 assists and 11 blocks.

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.

When he left the lineup after five games last season, Metskhvarishvili was second on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game and rebounding at 5.8 boards per game. The Tbilisi, Georgia, native was named a Preseason Third-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection prior to the 2022-23 season.

Metskhvarishvili appeared in 28 games with five starts in his first season at ULM as a second-year sophomore in 2021-22, averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He totaled 12 double-figure scoring games, including four games with 20-or-more points and had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards at Texas State. He scored a career-high 23 points while playing 40 minutes at UT Arlington on Jan. 15. He scored in double figures in five consecutive games from Jan. 8-22, and improved inside SBC action, averaging 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

LOCURE HEADS DOWN THE STRETCH OF SENIOR SEASON    
ULM senior guard Tyreke Locure posted the team's first two individual 20-point outings of the season. He earned his second 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 has seven 20-point games in his ULM career after topping 20 points five times last 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 9.9 points per game while adding 3.6 rebounds and a team-high 2.7 assists per game. He has tallied double figure scoring in eight games. He played only the second half, scoring 11 points with two rebounds, three assists and two steals at Arkansas State last Saturday. 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.
 
Locure returns for his second season at ULM after leading the team in scoring (14.4 points per game), steals (1.8 pg.), field goals made per game (5.0 pg.) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.1 pg.) in 2022-23. He added 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He ranked fourth in the SBC in steals per game, sixth in 3-point field goals made per game, eighth in scoring, 14th in free-throw percentage (.762) and minutes per game (31.9) and 15th in assists per game and 3-point field goal percentage (.370). He scored in double figures 26 times and topped 20 points five times. He scored a career high 33 points vs. Troy on Feb. 22. His numbers improved inside of SBC play to 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while adding 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He shot 41% (43-of-104) from the 3-point line and 83% (53-of-64) from the free throw line in SBC action.

WATSON LEADS NEWCOMER IMPACT ON 2023-24 TEAM    
ULM junior guard Tyreese Watson has reached double figures in seven of the last eight games after chipping in 19 points (6-of-10 field-goal attempts) last Saturday at Arkansas State. Over the last eight games, he is averaging 12.9 points per game while shooting 46% from the floor. He is averaging 9.5 points per game on the season, ranking third on the team, while shooting 42% from the floor. Inside Sun Belt Conference action, he improves to second on the team at 10.8 points per game. He has scored in double figures a team-best 11 times.

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.

The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native is a transfer from Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Cochise finished the 2022-23 season with a 29-3 record, which included a 27-game winning streak, and finished ranked No. 11 in the NJCAA poll. The Apaches compiled a 58-7 record over Watson's two seasons.
 
Watson led the team in scoring with 19.6 points per game and increased his scoring average to 20.6 points per game in conference play. He totaled 20 or more points 18 times and posted a season-high of 36 points. Watson scored 1,077 points over his two seasons at Cochise. He added 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 37% from the 3-point line. He shot 42% from deep inside conference play.
 
Watson is the brother of former Creighton standout and current professional player Maurice Watson, Jr. He played high school basketball at Monsignor Bonner High School.

BOLDEN STEPS UP AS SOPHOMORE    
Sophomore guard Jalen Bolden has broken through in the first half of the 2023-24 season. He is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.5 points per game and leads the team at 6.1 rebounds per game. 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. It was the ninth time this year he scored in double figures. 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. In SBC action he is averaging 8.0 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game.

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.

As a freshman in 2022-23, Bolden played in 16 games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures twice, doing so with 13 points and four rebounds against Dallas Christian on Nov. 10 and with 11 points and three rebounds at the Ragin' Cajuns on Feb. 16.

GALLION CONTINUES CONTRIBUTING ROLE    
ULM senior guard Savion Gallion has started 18 of the first 21 games of the 2023-24 season and ranks fifth on the team at 8.3 points per game. 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.

Gallion returns after playing a pivotal role off the bench and as a spot starter in 2022-23. He played in all 32 games with 12 starts in his first season at ULM and averaged a career-best 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while adding 32 assists and 19 steals. He shot 38% (78-of-204) from the field and 26% (20-of-73) from 3-point range while knocking down 72% (65-of-90) from the free-throw line. He reached double figures 10 times.

WILLIS STARTS TO EMERGE IN THE POST    
ULM junior forward Makai Willis has scored in double figures in five of the last seven contests and picked up his first six starts of his Warhawk career over the last six games entering Wednesday's contest against Coastal Carolina. Over the last seven games Willis is averaging 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He has shot 32 of his 53 free-throw attempts on the season over the last seven games, knocking down 24 (75%). Willis is averaging 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game on the season and 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in Sun Belt Conference play. He is nearly averaging a double-double per 40 minutes played at 14.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per 40 minutes.

Willis 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 has scored in double figures seven times on the season, and earned his first double-double with 13 points (5-of-8 field goal attempts) with 10 rebounds on Nov. 20 vs. Ecclesia.

Willis played two seasons at Fairfield before transferring to ULM for the 2023-24 season. He played in 27 games for the Stags, including 23 as a sophomore in 2022-23. He averaged 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last season. He played high school basketball for former NBA veteran, Heisman Trophy winner and Florida State legend Charlie Ward at Florida State School in Tallahassee, Florida.

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 120 Sun Belt Conference games as a head coach, with 88 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 748 of the 2,035 games (37%) in ULM program history either as a player, graduate assistant, assistant coach or head coach.