MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team (1-3) is back at Fant-Ewing Coliseum, looking to continue success at home by facing Lamar (1-1). Tip-off against the Cardinals on Monday (Nov. 17) is slated for 6:30 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY –
The Cardinals and the Warhawks are playing for the 55th time in program history, last playing at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in 2022. This makes the first matchup in the storied series for ULM head coach Phil Cunningham. The series dates back to 1958, the majority of their history occurring from the 50's to the 80's. The matchup returned in 2020 after a 15-year hiatus. The Cardinals hold an 28-26 advantage in the 54-game series, ULM holding the 16-9 advantage when playing in Monroe. The teams have gone to overtime four times, the results falling within five points a whopping 17 times.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS –
The Cardinals currently post a 1-1 record, claiming a win over Texas A&M-San Antonio and fighting a tough battle with TCU before falling, 78-65. Rob Lee Jr. posted 26 points against the Horned Frogs, leading by as much as five points in the contest. Last season, Lamar went 20-13, reaching the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament. The team returns two starters in Cody Pennebaker and Andrew Holifield from the 2024-25 team, along with six letterwinners.
FROM BEYOND THE ARC –
The Warhawks are currently shooting 34% from three, already hitting 33 triples across four games. The 33 three-pointers ranks sixth in the Sun Belt. Dylan Diaz and MJ Russell lead the team together with seven triples each, ranking 15th in the conference.
LEADING THE TEAM –
MJ Russell leads the pack in scoring, averaging 14.8 points. He also leads in three-pointers made (7) and free throw percentage (1.000). Krystian Lewis averages 4.8 assists, 3.5 defensive rebounds and 35 minutes a game to lead the team. Renars Sondors has collected 16 rebounds across four games, averaging 4.0 to lead the Warhawks. Freshman Przemek Hartman averages 1.0 blocks per game, collecting two in the season opener.
CENTURY MARK –
Two ULM players reached the century mark in scoring in the last game at HCU (Nov. 13). Renars Sondors tallied 12 points in the contest to reach 102 career points, and MJ Russell scored 15 points to reach the 100-point mark as well. Both players have also scored in double figures in three-straight games.
AT THE HELM –
Head coach Phil Cunningham gets started in his first year at the helm for ULM, capturing his first win as head coach against Rust College on November 10. He joins the ranks of seven other head coaches to capture their first win at the head of the ULM men's basketball program. Cunningham brings six years of Sun Belt head coaching experience, spending 2013-19 at Troy with an 80-111 record. He spent the 2024-25 season at ULM as an assistant coach, claiming the head coaching gig after former head coach Keith Richard's retirement.
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Monday's game will be available on KLIP 105.3 with Josh McGehee on the call. Streaming will be available for games on ESPN+. Links to live stats for all games, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com. Navigate to the men's basketball schedule page and select that day's opponent.
NEXT UP –
The men's basketball team will travel to Johnson City, Tennessee to compete in the ETSU MTE, first taking on Morehead State on November 22 and ETSU on November 23.
