ULM Warhawks

Game 30: (13) Coastal Carolina (8-21 overall, 5-13 Sun Belt Conference) vs. (12) ULM (11-18 overall, 6-12 Sun Belt Conference)
5 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, 2024 | Pensacola Bay Center | Pensacola, Florida
WATCH: ESPN | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The 12th-seed ULM Warhawks open the men's portion of the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship against 13th-seed Coastal Carolina at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. The winner advances to take on fifth-seeded Ragin' Cajuns in the second round at 5 p.m. Thursday, while the loser's season comes to an end.

• ULM is participating in the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the 15th time in program history, and for the fourth time in Pensacola. The Warhawks are meeting Coastal Carolina for the second time in tournament history. ULM won the first postseason meeting with the Chanticleers, 80-50, on March 14, 2019, in a second round game at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Michael Ertel tallied 20 points in the win, while Travis Munnings had 17 points. The Warhawks are 0-3 in the tournament since it moved to the Pensacola Bay Center, including a 66-57 loss to Georgia Southern in last season's second round.

• Tuesday's game is the second meeting this season between ULM and CCU. ULM bounced back from a slow start, rebounding from an 11-point deficit to build as much as a 12-point lead before hanging on for a 79-75 win over Coastal Carolina on Feb. 7 in Monroe. Nika Metskhvarishvili led the way with a career-high 28 points (10-of-16 field goal attempts), while Tyreke Locure added 15 points, Jacob Wilson chipped in 13 points and Savion Gallion pitched in 10 points.

• ULM senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili was named Third-Team All-Sun Belt Conference Monday following a vote by head coaches around the Sun Belt Conference. The Tbilisi, Georgia, native has played in 27 of the 29 games for ULM with 22 starts, picking up his play inside Sun Belt Conference action. He averaged a team-best 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the regular season while shooting 43% from the field. Inside SBC play, he averaged 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while ranking second on the team with 1.7 assists per game.

• ULM (11-18 overall, 6-12 Sun Belt Conference) lost its third-straight game with an 80-69 loss at South Alabama on Friday in Mobile. The Warhawks led for most of the first half, and after losing the lead, reclaimed it at the break on Tyreke Locure's 3-pointer to go on top, 36-34. However, South Alabama pushed in front in the second half and led by as much as 12 before picking up the victory. Nika Metskhvarishvili led ULM with 18 points, while Jerry Ngopot added a career-high 17 points.

TUESDAY'S GAME BASICS    
ULM and Coastal Carolina face off for the second time this season in the first round of the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. ULM won the first meeting, 79-75, in Monroe on Feb. 7. It is the second time for ULM and CCU to meet in the SBC Championship, with the Warhawks picking up an 80-50 second round win in 2019 in New Orleans.

ULM has lost its last three games entering Tuesday's contest after an 80-69 loss at South Alabama on Friday, a 73-55 loss to Texas State last Tuesday and an 84-78 loss to Troy on Feb. 24 to drop to 11-18 overall and 6-12 inside the Sun Belt Conference. The Warhawks have a 3-11 record away from Fant-Ewing Coliseum 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), Texas State (73-55) and South Alabama (80-69). 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.

Coastal Carolina has lost its last four contests entering Tuesday evening's contest to sit at 8-21 overall and 5-13 in Sun Belt Conference action. The Chanticleers are 1-9 away from the HTC Center 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), Marshall (91-74), ULM (79-75), Georgia State (72-71) and Old Dominion (75-59).

Tuesday's game is the 12th all-time meeting between ULM and CCU, with the Chanticleers leading the series, 7-4. Tuesday's meeting is the fourth all-time meeting at a neutral site, with CCU winning 77-68 at the Hawaii Pre-Holiday Tournament on Dec. 18, 1992, in Honolulu, and 61-48 at the Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland Bracket in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Nov. 26, 2014. ULM's neutral site win was the 80-50 win in the second round of the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championship on March 14, 2019, in New Orleans.

ULM head coach Keith Richard is 4-6 in his career against Coastal Carolina, all while coaching at ULM. Coastal Carolina interim head coach Benny Moss is 0-1 against ULM in his head coaching career.

Tuesday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (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 and nation, ranking second in the SBC and 10th in NCAA Division I at 40.38 rebounds per game and second in the SBC and 9th in NCAA Division I with 28.86 defensive rebounds per game. The Chanticleers are third in the SBC and 76th nationally in field goal percentage defense at .421.

John Ojiako is averaging a double-double at 12.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. His 17 double-doubles lead the Sun Belt Conference and ranks ninth most in NCAA Division I. He leads the SBC and ranks eighth in NCAA Division I in rebounding, leads the SBC and ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage (.637) and leads the SBC and ranks 16th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (7.28 pg.). He ranks second in the SBC and 23rd nationally with 3.48 offensive rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures 23 times and pulled in 10-or-more rebounds 20 times. He has netted a season-high 20 points three times, most recently on Feb. 3 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. He had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds at ULM on Feb. 7.

Jacob Meyer leads Coastal Carolina in scoring at 14.9 points per game while sitting second on the team at 2.6 assists per game as a freshman. Inside SBC play, he averaged 15.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 40% from the 3-point line. He has scored in double figures in 26 of 29 games, including 12-straight games entering Tuesday's contest. He has scored 20-or-more points four times, all since Feb. 1. He had a season-high 23 points with nine rebounds at Georgia State on Feb. 21. He had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds vs. Georgia State on Jan. 27. Over the last 12 games, he is averaging 18.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He had 18 points, four rebounds and six assists at ULM on Feb. 7.

Kylan Blackmon is third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has scored in double figures 17 times, and has crossed 20 points three times. He scored a season-high 31 points (11-of-14 field goal attempts, 6-of-8 3-point field goal attempts) vs. Georgia Southern on Feb. 15. He has scored in double figures five times in the last seven games, a stretch which started with 16 points (5-of-9 field goal attempts, 4-of-7 3-point field goal attempts) at ULM on Feb. 7. In 2023, he led CCU against ULM with 15 points (6-of-7 field goal attempts, 3-of-4 3-pointers).
 
ULM RETURNS TO HERCULES TIRES SUN BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP    
ULM enters the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship as the No. 12 seed, taking on No. 13 seed Coastal Carolina in the first game of Tuesday's first round at 5 p.m. at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. It marks ULM's 15th appearance at the SBC Championship and fourth time to play in the event in Pensacola. The Warhawks are looking for their first-ever win inside the Pensacola Bay Center.

Tuesday's matchup with Coastal Carolina is the second time for ULM to meet the Chanticleers in the tournament, with the Warhawks winning an 80-50 decision in the second round on March 14, 2019, in New Orleans. This season, ULM defeated CCU 79-75 on Feb. 7, 2024, in Monroe.

WARHAWK OFFENSIVE RENAISSANCE    
Over the last half of the season, ULM found its footing on the offensive end of the floor. The Warhawks have scored at least 70 points in nine of the last 14 games after hitting the mark just five times over the first 15 games of the season. Since Jan. 17, ULM ranks sixth in the SBC in 3-point field goal percentage (.347), seventh in field goal percentage (.441) and eighth in scoring offense (72.9 points per game). Individually in that span, Nika Metskhvarishvili is eighth in the SBC at 15.4 points per game and fifth in field goal percentage at .477 (72-of-151).

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

METSKHVARISHVILI NAMED THIRD-TEAM ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE    
ULM senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili was named Third-Team All-Sun Belt Conference Monday following a vote by head coaches around the Sun Belt Conference. It is his first postseason All-Conference honor after previously being named Third-Team Preseason All-SBC before the 2022-23 season.

The Tbilisi, Georgia, native has played in 27 of the 29 games for ULM with 22 starts, picking up his play inside Sun Belt Conference action. He averaged a team-best 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the regular season while shooting 43% from the field. Inside SBC play, he averaged 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while ranking second on the team with 1.7 assists per game.

Metskhvarishvili has scored in double figures in nine of the last 11 games after posting  18 points (7-of-16 field goal attempts) at South Alabama last Friday. He picked up 18 points (7-of-13 field goal attempts) with seven rebounds and three assists on Senior Day on Feb. 24 vs. Troy. He led ULM with 17 points while adding eight rebounds, two blocks and one assist on Feb. 22 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 Feb. 27 at Texas State. He has led ULM in scoring 12 times. Over the last 11 games, he is averaging 16.4 points per game while shooting 49% (70-of-144) from the field and 33% (15-of-45) 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 ENTERS FINAL SBC CHAMPIONSHIP    
ULM senior guard Tyreke Locure led the Warhawks in scoring in two of the last three games, picking up 13 points on Tuesday night at Texas State after scoring 20 points and matching his career high with six steals on Feb. 24's 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 11.1 points per game while adding 3.9 rebounds and a team-high 3.1 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 (1.57) and ninth 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 8.7 points per game on the season, ranking third on the team, while shooting 40% from the floor. Inside Sun Belt Conference action, he improves to 9.2 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 29 games of the 2023-24 season and ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 8.3 points per game. He scored a career-high 19 points (7-of-10 field goal attempts) on Senior Day on Feb. 24 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 tied for the team lead at 5.8 rebounds per game. In SBC action he is averaging 7.0 points and leads the team at 6.2 rebounds per game. He reached double figures for the 10th time this season on Feb. 27 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 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game on the season and 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in Sun Belt Conference play. He is nearly averaging a double-double per 40 minutes played at 14.9 points and 9.1 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 754 of the 2,043 games (37%) in ULM program history either as a player, graduate assistant, assistant coach or head coach.