MONROE, La. – Jalen Bolden and Tyreese Watson registered double-figure point totals and Makai Willis recorded his third double-double of the season, but App State pulled away in the closing minutes and edged the ULM men's basketball team by a score of 66-58 on Saturday (Jan. 25) afternoon inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
"Both teams' defenses were good today," said Keith Richard. "We did a few things we wanted to do defensively and I thought our players really played with energy. Both teams made adjustments and it was difficult for both of us to score. They scored a little bit more than us late, and we were unable to get the ball in the basket late."
 
Neither team held a double-digit lead the entire game and the game featured seven tied scores and six lead changes. App State's largest lead was nine points with 1:11 in the second half, while the Warhawks led by eight points with 7:03 remaining in the first half.
 
Both teams shot at or below 40 percent from the field in the defensive battle. ULM committed a season-low four turnovers and forced the Mountaineers into committing 14 turnovers. The Warhawks outscored App State 19-2 in scoring off turnovers. App State outrebounded ULM 42-34 and scored 20 points from 11 offensive rebounds.
 
Jacob Wilson made two of the Warhawks' three 3-point buckets and scored nine points. Watson facilitated a team-high five assists while Willis and Bolden each had three steals. Willis recorded a pair of blocks to lead ULM.
 
Myles Tate was App State's leading scorer with 16 points on three 3-point baskets. Jalil Beaubrun finished with 10 points and six rebounds and CJ Huntley secured a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.
 
The Mountaineers (12-8, 6-3) took a 4-0 advantage to start the game. Facing a 6-2 deficit, the Warhawks (4-17, 0-8) responded with 10 consecutive points, including four from Willis, to take a 12-6 lead.
 
The two teams exchanged leads early in the first half, which included two triples from App State and one from ULM. ULM pushed forward for a 19-14 lead with 9:18 left to play in the first half. Bolden doubled the Warhawks' lead to six points with a triple at 7:31 in the first half.
 
Following two free throws by Bolden, the Mountaineers went on a 10-0 scoring run to take a 26-24 lead with 4:25 left in the half. After the Warhawks tied the game at 28-28, App State made a second-chance shot to reclaim the lead. Trailing 32-28, Watson made a jumper with five seconds left in the half to bring the Warhawks within two points at the half.
 
After one half of play, the Warhawks led in points off turnovers 7-0 and points in the paint 20-12. The Mountaineers took advantage with second-chance points in the first half with ten points compared to ULM's two.
 
App State started the scoring in the second half with a driving layup before Coltie Young slammed a dunk off a fast break. Willis tied the game with a second-chance layup. With two free throws, the Mountaineers took the lead at the media timeout with 15:55 in the game.
 
App State took a 41-35 lead from five free throws. With a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Watson tip-in layup and Bolden free throws, the Warhawks regained the lead for the first time since the 5:04 mark in the first half. ULM increased the lead to three before a 3-pointer from the Mountaineers tied the game at 44-44 with 10:36 left.
 
AD Diedhiou made two free throws to keep the Warhawks in front. App State responded with two free throws of its own to even the score with 8:48 remaining. Another two free throws made by Watson swung the lead back into ULM's favor.
 
A three-pointer by the Jackson Threadgill put the visitors with a two-point lead with 6:56 left. With a 54-52 lead, Dior Conners made a three-pointer to increase App State's advantage to five. The Warhawks whittled App State's lead to four when Jacob Wilson connected on a jumper, but App State responded with a shot beyond the arch to pad the lead to 62-55 with 2:17 left. ULM never closed the gap within one possession and App State hung on for an eight-point win.
 
The Warhawks return to action and will complete a four-game homestand on Monday (Jan. 27) night for a rescheduled game versus South Alabama at 6:30 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.