PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Jakayla Johnson led the way with 25 points, while Daisha Bradford recorded the first triple-double of the season as the ULM women's basketball team won its first Sun Belt Conference Tournament game since 2013 after dominating Georgia Southern, 78-57, at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. 

"We are really excited, and I thought our team played really well overall," said ULM head coach Missy Bilderback. "We challenged our team over the last few weeks to play a complete 40 minutes of basketball. We played with full intensity throughout all 40 minutes of this game." 

ULM snapped a seven-game winless streak at the Sun Belt Tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals round for the first time since 2013. 

Bradford's triple-double featured 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and it was the first time a ULM women's basketball player recorded a triple-double at the Sun Belt Tournament. 

"Throughout the season, I was close to getting a triple-double," said Bradford, the SBC Newcomer of the Year. "It feels good to finally get that, especially being at the Sun Belt Tournament for the first day to set the tone." 

"It shows what a complete player Nunu is," added Bilderback. "What she does for her team is so much more than just points per game. She leads our team in assists and rebounds at the guard position." 

Johnson, an All-SBC Third Team selection, shot an impressive 10-for-13 from the field and drained 5-of-6 shot attempts from the 3-point line. 

"I feel amazing, and I was grateful for setting the tone in transition," said Johnson. "Coach told me to 'Let it fly,' and I let it fly. I am ready for more." 

"There is not a better duo than Nunu [Daisha Bradford] and JK [Jakayla Johnson]," said Bilderback. "These two have been fantastic, they are fun to coach and their leadership has been first class. I am so proud they both had tremendous individual efforts today." 

The Sun Belt Sixth Woman of the Year, Katlyn Manuel, pumped in 12 points and tracked down a trio of offensive rebounds. Sania Wells had seven points and six assists, while Lauren Gross chipped in seven points. Sha'Miya Butler provided valuable minutes off the bench after scoring five points and tacking on five boards. 

The Warhawks outrebounded Georgia Southern, one of the top rebounding teams in the country, 50-47. ULM held the Eagles scoreless for over eight minutes in the opening quarter and seized a 20-6 lead after one quarter of play. 

After controlling the opening tip, Johnson knocked down her first shot of the day from the corner to give the Warhawks an early 3-0 lead. Georgia Southern took a 4-3 lead with consecutive baskets. The Warhawks surged ahead and closed out the opening period with an 18-2 scoring run. Johnson buried her second triple of the quarter and put the Warhawks back in front. Bradford found Gross open on the wing for another three. Bradford added a layup that pushed ULM's advantage to 11-4. Miles delivered a pass to Manuel for a layup, and a Wells free throw pushed ULM's lead to 10. Butler piled on four points to increase ULM's lead to 18-6. Another layup by Johnson wrapped up the dominant first quarter for ULM, as the Warhawks held a 20-6 cushion. 

ULM's lead increased to 20 points with 5:29 left in the second quarter following an 8-0 run that featured baskets by Kyjai Miles, Bradford, Manuel and two free throws by Wells. Miles stole a pass that turned into a Bradford step back jumper to push ULM's lead to 22. Johnson and Bradford sank back-to-back triples that brought the lead to 29 points with 1:38 left in the half. The Warhawks held a 40-14 advantage at the break. 

Georgia Southern trimmed the lead to 21 out of the locker room. ULM countered the Eagles' momentum after Gross made her second 3-pointer, and Johnson followed with another triple to bring the lead back to 27. Bradford handed out an assist to Johnson on a fast break to pull ULM ahead 54-25 with 5:09 in the third. The Warhawks led by as many as 31 when Bradford skipped an assist to Manuel for a layup at the 3:32 mark. ULM maintained a 26-point lead after three quarters of play. 

Bradford earned her triple-double after her 10th assist came from a pass to Johnson for a layup. Georgia Southern would not come closer than 20 points of ULM's lead down the stretch. Olivia Knight, Rhi Ockwell and Chardai Watkins all added points in the closing minutes to wrap a bow on ULM's impressive performance in the conference tournament. 

The ULM women's basketball team will take on Old Dominion in the SBC Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday (March 8) at 2 p.m. in Pensacola. It will be the first matchup of the season between the two teams. 

"This group wants more," said Bilderback. "They want an opportunity to play in the postseason and want a 20-win season. All those things are right there and still attainable."