JONESBORO, Ark. – The ULM women's basketball team (5-4) are set to open Sun Belt Conference play on the road as they travel to take on Arkansas State (8-3). Tip-off at First National Bank Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday (Dec. 17). The Warhawks are coming off a 98-54 loss at Indiana.
 
SERIES HISTORY –
 
ULM and Arkansas State are set to meet for the 57th time in their histories. The Red Wolves lead the series 38-18, including a 19-6 advantage in Jonesboro. Arkansas State took both meetings last year against the Warhawks after ULM were victorious in both encounters the prior season. The 69-60 win on Feb. 27, 2024, snapped a streak of nine straight losses at Arkansas State. This will also be the fourth time that the Warhawks will face the Red Wolves in their Sun Belt Conference opener.
 
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
 
Wednesday's game will be available on KMLB 105.7 FM with Josh McGehee on the call. Streaming will be available for the game on ESPN+. Links to live stats for all games, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com. Navigate to the women's basketball schedule page and select that day's opponent.
 
SCOUTING THE RED WOLVES–
 
Arkansas State enter Wednesday's game at 8-3 on the season and winners of their last six games including last time out over Southern Arkansas by a score of 97-46. The Red Wolves are led by by a pair of all-conference selections from last season in senior Zyion Shannon (15.3 PPG) and junior Crislyn Rose (11.0 PPG). Arkansas State have been prolific on both ends of the court as they reside inside the top-10 in several categories. They lead the nation in three-point attempts per game at 33.4 and are sixth averaging 10.1 three-pointers per game. The Red Wolves also lead all of DI in forcing 28.1 turnovers per game and are 10th in steals averaging 14.7 per game.
 
OPENING ON THE ROAD –
 
This will be the ninth time that ULM will open Sun Belt Conference play on the road dating back to when the program first entered the league in 2006. The Warhawks have been unsuccessful in their previous eight conference openers on the road and are looking for their first conference opener win of any kind since they defeated Arkansas State 81-66 in Monroe during the 2022-23 season.
 
LEADING THE WAY –
 
ULM feature a balanced scoring attack as five different players average at least 7.4 points per game. J'Mani Ingram leads the team averaging 10.1 points per game, followed by Asjah Inniss (9.4), Marcavia Shavers (8.0), Keshunti Nichols (7.6) and Jazmine Jackson (7.4). Marcavia Shavers averages 6.9 rebounds per game to lead the team while Nakiyah Mays-Prince has posted a team-best average of 3.6 assists per game. Asjah Inniss leads the team in steals with 17 while Keshunti Nichols has paced the team with four blocks this season. Jazmine Jackson has held firm as the team's top shooting option beyond the arc as she has connected on 15 of her 31 three-point attempts.
 
OUTSTANDING ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASS –
 
The Warhawks completed their game at Indiana with a sizable 19-1 advantage in offensive rebounds. It was ULM's second-best output on the offensive glass of the season–behind their 23 offensive rebounds at Sam Houston–but it was their largest discrepancy in offensive rebounding margin since their matchup with Champion Christian in 2022 (23-4). The last time the Warhawks held an opponent to one offensive rebound was against UT Arlington in 2021. ULM are top five in the Sun Belt in offensive rebounding, averaging 14.4 offensive rebounds per game.
 
FREQUENTLY FORCING TURNOVERS –
 
ULM have been proficient this season when it comes to causing their opponents to make mistakes. The Warhawks are ranked inside the top 60 in all of Division I with 20.8 turnovers forced per game. ULM have seen three different players establish career highs for steals in a game this year. Graduate student Keshunti Nichols recorded four steals vs. Louisiana Tech, junior Kamille Brown posted five steals vs. Grambling State and graduate student Asia Barclay notched five steals at Alabama. As a team, the Warhawks are inside the top 85 teams in Division I averaging 10.1 steals per game and have seen five players record at least one game of three or more steals so far this season.
 
RELENTLESS REBOUNDING –
 
Graduate student Marcavia Shavers has continued her excellent career on the glass over the last few games. The Biloxi, Miss. native has pulled down six or more rebounds in five straight games, including a season high of 12 vs. Lamar and Mississippi State. Shavers now has six games of double-digit rebounds for her career which includes a high of 20 at St. Bonaventure during her time with Saint Louis.
 
JACKSON WITH 25 –
 
Redshirt junior Jazmine Jackson put on a show in the win against Lamar on November 23, becoming the first ULM player this season to break the 20-point mark. The Jacksonville, Fla. native scored a career-high 25 points including hitting five-of-six attempts from beyond the arc. Jackson also put in work on the glass as she finished with four rebounds. The 25 points also moved Jackson into the lead for best single-game total by a Warhawk this season.
 
MEMORABLE MILESTONES –
 
Graduate student Asjah Inniss achieved a pair of impressive career benchmarks vs. Grambling State. On a three-point shot late in the second quarter, Inniss would record her 500th career point in what was her 100th career game. Inniss became the fourth player on the Warhawks to reach 500 career points. Katelyn Chomko also reached a career milestone in style as her final three-pointer vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff brought her to an even 100 points for her career. J'Mani Ingram (800) and Nakiyah Mays-Prince (600) each passed important scoring marks for their careers at Mississippi State.
 
UP NEXT –
 
The Warhawks will remain on the road as they travel to San Marcos, taking on Texas State (Dec. 20). Tipoff against the Bobcats is scheduled for noon CT.