TIP-OFF

• The ULM women's basketball team is set to begin play in the Sun Belt Conference Championship with a second-round matchup versus Georgia Southern on Wednesday (March 6). The Warhawks and Eagles will square off at 2 p.m. from the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.

• ULM secured the fifth seed in the SBC Tournament after finishing the regular season with a conference record of 10-8. It marks the first time the Warhawks finished in the top five in the Sun Belt regular season standings since the 2010-11 season. The Warhawks' 18 regular season wins is the highest win total in 16 years and ULM won a stretch of six-consecutive conference games during January, which was the longest conference winning streak since the 2004-05 season.

• The Warhawks were well represented on the SBC Women's Basketball 2023-24 postseason awards list. Nunu Bradford became the first ULM women's basketball player to win conference Newcomer of the Year since 1988, and also earned a spot on the All-SBC Second Team. Katlyn Manuel was named the SBC Sixth Woman of the Year, becoming the first Warhawk in program history to win the honor. Jakayla Johnson joined Bradford as a member of the all-conference team and received All-SBC Third Team honors. With Bradford and Johnson earning all-conference recognition, it marks the first time multiple ULM women's basketball players appeared on an All-SBC team in program history, and the first time more than one ULM player landed a spot on an all-conference team since 2001.

Bradford, a transfer from Clemson, was one of the most electrifying guards in the conference this season. The Mobile, Ala., native appeared on the SBC leaderboard in a plethora of statistical categories including fourth in scoring (19.4 points per game), third in defensive rebounding (5.7 defensive rebounds per game), third in 3-point 

field goals per game (2.3/game), fifth in assists (4.3 assists per game), seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.4), seventh in rebounding (7.5 rebounds/game) and 10th in free-throw percentage (78.2%). She also led ULM with 50 steals and reached double figures in all but three games, including a trio of 30-point games. Bradford was named SBC Player of the Week on Jan. 23 and earned LSWA Women's Basketball Player of the Week three times, the most out of any ULM women's basketball player.

Manuel, a three-year letterwinner at ULM, provided 10.2 points per game and 5.7 boards per game off the bench for the Warhawks this season. The Lawtell, La., native turned in three double-doubles and shot 52.7% from the field, the highest average out of any ULM player with at least 25 attempts. Manuel led the Warhawks with 30 blocks and ranked fifth in the SBC with 1.0 blocks per game.

Johnson, a junior from Clinton, Miss., was ULM's second-leading scorer and averaged 15.2 points per game, the ninth-highest average in the conference. Johnson reached double figures in 24 games and eclipsed the 30-point mark in two games. The Auburn transfer ranked fourth in the conference with an 83.6 free throw percentage and was the top free throw shooter for ULM. Johnson won LSWA Player of the Week honors on Jan. 29.

• The Warhawks are 3-13 in Sun Belt Conference Tournament games, with the last win coming in 2013. The Warhawks defeated FAU in the first round by a score of 71-63. ULM has lost seven-straight SBC Tournament games.

 • 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.

WEDNESDAY'S GAME BASICS

ULM and Georgia Southern will meet for the second time this season on Wednesday in the second round of the SBC Championships. ULM dropped a heartbreaker to Georgia Southern back in early January, when Terren Ward hit a go-ahead three-point shot from just beyond half court in the final moments. Lauren Gross scored a career-high 20 points in the first game versus Georgia Southern.

Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Noah Frary and Kelley Deyo on the call. The game also will air on KMLB 105.7 FM/540 AM and the TuneIn app on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield with Mike Hammett on the play-by-play.

PREVIEWING GEORGIA SOUTHERN

Georgia Southern's All-SBC First Team selection Terren Ward hit the game-winning basket with 3.6 seconds left in the Eagles' first-round game versus Texas State on Tuesday, as Georgia Southern advanced with a 72-70 win. Ward notched a game-high 24 points and led her team to advance to the second round.

Ward was voted to the All-SBC First Team after completing the regular season ranked No. 10 in the nation in scoring with a 22.1 points per game average. She compiled the SBC's top rebounding average with 9.1 boards per game as well. Point guard Ja'nya Love-Hill handed out a team-high 77 assists, while Simone James racked up 51 steals to match Ward for the team best.

Anita Howard is in her fifth season leading Georgia Southern women's basketball. Howard started her coaching career at NCAA Division II Columbus State, where she captured a pair of national championships.