STATESBORO, Ga. – The ULM men's basketball team held an 11-point lead at the half, but Georgia Southern utilized 11 second-half three-pointers and stormed back to defeat the Warhawks, 90-82, on Thursday (Jan. 2) at the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center in Statesboro, Ga.
 
Coltie Young was a perfect 4-for-4 for the Warhawks beyond-the-arc in the second half and finished with 20 points while Jerry Ngopot netted a career-high 19 points in the Warhawks' first game of the new calendar year. Five Warhawks registered double figures.
 
"I am proud of our players' effort," said ULM Head Coach Keith Richard. "Our rotation was down and there was some fatigue on our end in the second half. When you get down the stretch, there are a few key plays that we need to make."
 
As a team, ULM connected on 12 3-pointers, the most versus a Division I opponent this season. The Warhawks shot 50% from long distance and 44.1% from the floor in the opening half. ULM's shooting percentage from 3-point range dropped to 31.3% in the second half. The Warhawks missed nine shots at the free-throw line, going 16-for-25. Georgia Southern drained 15 3-pointers and shot 32-for-61 from the field. The Eagles converted 11-of-12 attempts from the free-throw line.
 
Young added five rebounds and a block while Ngopot corralled five rebounds and forced a steal and a blocked shot. Jalen Bolden produced 16 points and snagged seven rebounds and created a team-high three steals. Tyreese Watson scored 13 points and dished out five assists while Jacob Wilson recorded 10 points and five assists.
 
Georgia Southern's Bradley Douglas finished with a game-high 30 points and drained eight triples. Nakavieon White delivered 17 points while Micah Smith and Braylhan Thomas both scored 10 for Georgia Southern.
 
Young knocked down his first three-point attempt of the night on ULM's first possession to give the Warhawks an early lead. Following a pair of free throws by the Eagles, Ngopot scored five straight points that increased the Warhawks' lead to six. ULM maintained its six-point cushion after Watson drained his first three-pointer of the night. The Eagles evened the score, 11-11, after a 6-0 scoring run. Watson scored the next four points on a bucket and a pair of free throws.
 
After Georgia Southern closed the gap to two, ULM netted seven unanswered points thanks to buckets by Watson, Young and Bolden. Bolden connected on a free throw that put ULM ahead by nine, its largest lead of the first half. A ULM technical foul gave two free throws for Georgia Southern, and a basket by the Eagles trimmed the Warhawks' lead to five. Bolden sank his first three-pointer of the game with less than four minutes to go, giving the Warhawks a six-point edge. ULM closed out the first half on a 6-0 scoring run featuring three-pointers by Ngopot. The Warhawks' 46 points were the most scored in the first half by ULM versus a Division I opponent this season.
 
Georgia Southern began to find its shooting rhythm in the second half. White made a triple and swished two free throws to cut ULM's lead to four with just over 15 minutes remaining. Thomas knocked down 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give the Eagles their first lead of the second half, forcing a ULM timeout. An AD Diedhiou offensive rebound led to a Bolden layup assisted by Wilson to even the count, 55-55.
 
The Eagles regained the lead and pushed their advantage to eight after a Douglas 3-pointer with 8:33 left. The Warhawks answered after a 7-0 scoring run from a Bolden steal-and-score, two Bolden free throws and a Young 3-pointer to tie the game at 74-74. Diedhiou put ULM back in front to complete the run and pull the Warhawks ahead, 76-74. Douglas provided Georgia Southern's response with a layup, and his assist on a Banks triple put the home team ahead. Young again delivered a clutch 3-pointer to even the score, 79-79 with less than 2:30 to go.
 
Douglas cashed in two consecutive 3-pointers and increased the Georgia Southern lead to six with 1:24 on the clock. Young connected on his fourth triple of the final half and whittled the deficit to three points. Out of a timeout, White drained the Eagles' 11^th longball of the second half and increased Georgia Southern's lead to six with 34 seconds to go. ULM was unable to respond, and the Eagles claimed the conference matchup.
 
ULM will continue its road trip on Saturday (Jan. 4) at Coastal Carolina with action beginning at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT from the HTC Center in Conway.