MONROE, La. – Solid shooting that included ten three-point shots propelled the Ragin' Cajuns over the ULM men's basketball team in a 76-62 loss Saturday afternoon.
 
"They were just faster than us today," head coach Phil Cunningham said. "We were a step too slow for the entire game."
 
The Cajuns (2-11, 1-1 Sun Belt) shot over 51% in the game, including a percentage of 66.67 in the first half. In comparison, the Warhawks (3-10, 0-2 Sun Belt) shot just 35.7% for the contest.
 
"Give them credit, they were able to make shots in the first half, and that gave them momentum," Cunningham said.
 
Krystian Lewis led the team in scoring with 16 points, which included three triples. Renars Sondors, MJ Russell, and Lavell Brodnex also collected double-digit scoring figures.
 
The Cajuns started hot with five unanswered points, powered by a three-pointer made by De'vion Lavergne. The Warhawks found the scoreboard as a flagrant foul gave Lavell Brodnex two free throw shots. A 5-2 run helped by a Joshua Lewis three-point shot gave the away team a 10-4 advantage before two consecutive buckets by Sondors, and Alex Molofeev put ULM within one possession at the media timeout.
 
The next two minutes of play only saw one basket for the Cajuns before a shot beyond the arc by Milan Mejia put them up by seven. ULM didn't answer until a free throw made it an 18-9 game with 11:03 to go in the first half.
 
Trailing by ten, Sondors and Dylan Diaz drilled three pointers to close the gap to six. The Cajuns responded with a 9-0 scoring run in the next four minutes to establish firm control of the game with a commanding 31-16 lead. Trailing by 19, the Warhawks were able to salvage the half with five points to close it out, resulting in a score of 39-25 at the break.
 
Both teams opened the second half with high scoring, with the away team having the slight 9-7 advantage on the run. With a 52-37 Cajuns lead, Lewis drilled a three-pointer and then slammed a dunk to put ULM within 10. The Cajuns responded with a 7-2 scoring run, which included a Jaxon Olvera triple, making the deficit 15 points with 9:55 to play. The Warhawks never got within 13 points the rest of the way, resulting in a 76-62 loss.
 
The Warhawks are back on the court next weekend when they head up to Manhattan, Kan., to take on Kansas State Sunday, Dec. 28.