MONROE, La. – The ULM women's basketball team (1-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) started head coach Scotty Fletcher's tenure on the right track Monday night as they defeated Eastern Michigan (0-1, 0-0 MAC) 80-71 as a part of the MAC/SBC Challenge. The win marks the sixth consecutive season that the Warhawks have been victorious in their home opener at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
 Keshunti Nichols and Nakiyah Mays-Prince each scored 12 points to lead the team with Nichols adding five rebounds and Mays-Prince recording a team best five assists. J'Mani Ingram and Asjah Inniss rounded out the group of double-digit scorers for the Warhawks with each chipping in 11 points while Inniss tied for the team lead with six rebounds and posted a team high three steals.
 
Inniss scored the first basket of the season after initially stealing the ball at half-court before eventually taking it in for a layup. After an offensive surge by EMU to get out to a 12-8 lead, the Warhawks would go on an 6-0 run to take the lead. Both teams went back and forth on the scoreboard before the Eagles put together a 5-0 run to close out the quarter with a lead.
 
Both sides traded baskets to begin the second quarter before the Warhawks initialized an 8-0 run to take a five point lead off of a basket by Nailea Nicholas. Despite an offensive response by EMU, ULM took a one possession lead into halftime thanks to a stepback jumper by Mays-Prince.
 
Early in the third quarter, an Asia Barclay basket gave ULM a two-point lead that they would end up never relinquishing. The defense held the Eagles to their lowest point total in a quarter for the game while offense pushed the lead to 11.
 
The Warhawks pushed the lead even further halfway into the fourth quarter with baskets by Jazmine Jackson and Inniss moving the margin as high as 17 points. EMU's full-court pressure proved to be a minor inconvenience as ULM showed savvy at the free-throw line to ice the game.
 
ULM shot 48.4 percent from the field while holding EMU to 38.6 percent shooting for the game. The Warhawks forced 18 turnovers which they turned into 14 points of their own. They also won the battle inside, outrebounding the Eagles 37-29 and outscoring them in the paint 30-18. A 40-11 discrepancy in bench points also aided the home side to their first win of the season.
 
The Warhawks return to Fant-Ewing Coliseum for their next contest this Friday vs. in-state rivals Louisiana Tech. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.