OXFORD, Miss. – The ULM men's basketball team (0-2) fell on the road to Ole Miss (2-0), as three Warhawks put up double-digit scores on the evening.
Krystian Lewis led the team with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists.
MJ Russell followed that up with 15 points, four boards, three assists, a block and a steal.
Renars Sondors rounded out the double-figure scorers, notching 11 points while shooting 3-4 from beyond the arc.
ULM shot 37% from the field, while the Rebels went 31-66 (47%), also hitting 15 three-pointers. Ole Miss also found scorers off the bench, collecting 37 bench points to ULM's 13. The Warhawks did capture a leading 19 fast-break points, with Ole Miss posting 13.
The Rebels got off to a hot start, early fouls forcing free throws and AJ Storr nailing a triple. After a 7-0 run for Ole Miss,
Alex Molofeev got hot from beyond the arc, hitting a triple for the first score for ULM.
MJ Russell then logged a dunk to close the gap to four with 15 minutes left in the half. Russell followed things up with a three-point shot, but Ole Miss continued to score in the paint to remain on top. Molofeev hit his second triple of the contest to make it a one-possession game. The Rebels fought back, going on a 12-0 run as the halfway point came in the first 20 minutes.
Micah Caster got in on the action with 8:54 left in the half, hitting ULM's fourth three-pointer of the night. Just as the Warhawks were solid beyond the arc, as were the Rebels, hitting three over the span of two minutes. As ULM continued to find their stride with Russell and
Krystian Lewis, time expired in the half, Ole Miss ahead with a score of 47-28.
The second half started just the same as the first, with both teams hitting triples early. With Russell and
Dylan Diaz battling for ULM, it was a tough fight to keep Ole Miss from scoring. The Rebels outscored ULM 17-9 in the first seven minutes of the half to extend the lead further for a 64-37 score.
The Warhawks, falling down 30, began to force turnovers and find scores late in the half. They sent Ole Miss on a three-minute scoring drought to chip away at the deficit. But the margin was too wide for ULM, however, as time ran down and the Rebels sailed to a home victory with a final score of 86-65.
ULM men's basketball will open play at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Monday (Nov. 10), taking on Rust College. The Warhawks are set to tip off at 6:30 p.m.
