PENSACOLA, Fla. -- The ULM women's basketball team (19-13) was eliminated in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Quarterfinals to Old Dominion after the Monarchs held on for a 67-64 win on Friday (March 8) at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. After trailing by 16 points with 2:53 to go in the third quarter, the Warhawks, who appeared in the SBC Quarterfinals for the first time since 2013, stormed back and snatched the lead with less than two minutes to go. Old Dominion recaptured its lead in the final minute, and escaped with a three-point win to advance to the semifinals.
"It's obviously tough to lose this one," said ULM women's basketball head coach Missy Bilderback. "I have a really good group of players and a good group of kids. I think we really believed we were going to make a run. I am proud of our team's fight at the end, and they never quit. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for us."
SBC Newcomer of the Year Daisha Bradford finished with a game-high 27 points and was two rebounds shy from registering a double-double. She added a trio of steals and a pair of assists in her performance. Brianna Harris tallied 12 points and added five rebounds and one block. All-SBC Third Team honoree Jakayla Johnson reached double figures with 10 points and kicked in a pair of assists, four rebounds and one steal.
For Old Dominion, Jordan McLaughlin led the way with 19 points and added five assists and a pair of steals. Brenda Fontana finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while SBC Defensive Player of the Year Kaye Clark scored 12.
Old Dominion forced ULM to commit 19 turnovers and held the Warhawks to 4-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc. ULM scored 22 points off of 16 turnovers by the Monarchs. The game featured nine lead changes and eight tie scores.
Lauren Gross drained her first 3-point shot of the day on ULM's first offensive possession. After an ODU triple, Johnson drove through the lane and made a layup and was fouled, completing a three-point play. With ULM trailing by one, Johnson connected on a pair of free throws that swung the lead back to ULM, 10-9. Johnson picked off an ODU pass and finished at the other end for a layup to push the ULM lead to three. The Monarchs jumped back in the lead after one quarter of play, 19-16. SBC Sixth Woman of the Year Katlyn Manuel tied the game at 26-26 on a Johnson assist at the 4:42 mark of the second quarter. After the Monarchs pushed the lead back to four points, Sania Wells made a pull up jumper at the elbow to put ULM back within one possession with under two minutes to go. ODU went on a key 8-0 scoring run at the end of the first half and surged ahead 38-28 at the end of the first half.
The Monarchs added to their lead at the start of the second half and maintained a double-digit advantage through most of the third quarter. Fontana made a layup at the 2:53 mark of the third to give ODU its largest lead of the game, a 53-37 cushion. ULM trimmed ODU's lead to 10 before the end of the third quarter after a Harris 3-pointer and a Bradford layup on a pass from Wells.
The Warhawks rallied and narrowed ODU's lead to single digits at the start of the fourth quarter. A Johnson free throw and a Manuel offensive board and basket brought ULM within seven points with 8:37 left in the fourth quarter. Wells knocked down a huge 3-pointer, and Harris made three free throws at the line to bring the Warhawks within one point of ODU. Bradford tied the game with 4:19 to go after finishing a driving layup. After both teams made a pair of free throws, the score was tied at 60-60 with less than two minutes on the clock.
Bradford was fouled on an offensive rebound and made one free throw to give ULM its first lead of the second half with 1:21 left. Clark connected on two shots at the line, and ODU went back ahead by one. Bradford again delivered a huge bucket on a jumper to pull the Warhawks back ahead with 45 seconds to go. McLaughlin answered with a pull up jumper, and ODU again preserved its lead. After the Monarchs got a stop on the defensive end, McLaughlin went 1-of-2 at the line to make it a 65-63 game. Harris was fouled and went 1-of-2 at the line with nine seconds left, and ODU led 65-64.
McLaughlin made a pair of clutch free throws to give the Monarchs a three-point lead with eight seconds to go. ODU recorded a stop, and the Warhawks were forced to foul with two seconds left. The Monarchs missed both shots at the line, and ULM had one more opportunity to tie the game. The Monarchs managed to come up with one last stop, and survived with a three-point win.
After winning a total of 14 games over the previous three seasons, ULM had a historic turnaround season that featured the most victories in program history since the 2005-06 season. ULM reached the Sun Belt Quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 and won its first postseason game in 11 years with Wednesday's win over Georgia Southern. The 2023-24 team earned its highest Sun Belt regular season finish in 13 years and went on the largest conference winning streak since the 2007 season.
Quotes
Coach Missy Bilderback on being asked what this team meant to her this year: "This is the hardest part because this is such a special group. I am really appreciative of them coming to ULM. They'll be able to look back and know what a historic season we have had. It's got to be one of the greater turnarounds in college basketball. This group came in and created so much excitement and energy. It's been a fun year to spend each day with these ladies. They're great people, they're great players and there hasn't been one day I've walked in the gym where I didn't enjoy being their coach. Right now, it's tough we didn't win in the tournament, and with uncertainty about the postseason, and the chance of not getting to be their coach anymore is the hard part."
Brianna Harris on being asked what the season meant to her: "The whole group is a sisterhood. It's been great being a part of this program with the players and the coaches. To get my last year back and to spend it with the coaches and this group was amazing, and it is something I will not forget."
Daisha Bradford on being asked what the season meant to her: "This was like being on a dream team for me, especially for it being my last year. I had a coach who I really wanted to play for and teammates I have played with in the past. For example, Bre [Harris] and I played together the first time I picked up a basketball in Mobile...Coming into a locker room where I felt loved and everyone wanted the same end goal and mission was great."
