MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team (2-6) hits the road this weekend, facing the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (6-2) in Nacogdoches, Texas. Tipoff against the Jacks is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 7).

SERIES HISTORY – 

The Warhawks will take on the Lumberjacks for the 56th time in program history, holding the series advantage with a score of 33-22. The last time Stephen F. Austin hosted ULM, it was a 82-69 Warhawk victory in 2021. SFA does hold the advantage in Texas, however, posting an 15-11 record in favor of the host team Jacks. Most recently, SFA came to Monroe and defeated the Warhawks, 68-60.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS –

Stephen F. Austin sits at 6-2 this season, claiming notable wins over Arkansas State, Rice and Pepperdine. The two losses for the Jacks came from Fresno State and UT Arlington, with the most recent victory being a 73-60 home win over UTRGV. Keon Thompson leads the team and ranks fourth in the Southland Conference with a scoring average of 17.5. Thompson also picked up the first Southland Player of the Week recognition this season, after posting 26 points against Arkansas State and shooting 57.6% from the floor. In averaging five blocks per game, the team ranks 35th nationally and second in the conference, SFA's Jerald Colonel leading the NCAA with 4.13 blocks per game. 

LEADING THE TEAM –

MJ Russell leads the pack in scoring, averaging 16.8 points, placing him fourth in the Sun Belt. He also leads the team in three-point percentage (.419) and blocks (1.0). Krystian Lewis averages 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 34.2 minutes a game to lead the team. Lavell Brodnex has collected 35 rebounds across five games, averaging 7.0 to lead the Warhawks, while Renars Sondors leads in field goal percentage with .525. 

MILESTONE MARKERS –

A handful of Warhawks have crossed milestones in the opening eight games of the 2025-26 season. Against HCU, Renars Sondors broke the 100-point milestone, since reaching 138 career points. Just a game later, ULM scoring leader MJ Russell reach his own 100-point mark. Russell sits with 175 career points, on track to cross the 200-point threshold in a few games. Most recently, Krystian Lewis broke the century mark against Mississippi Valley State, sitting at 106 career points. Micah Caster is on the lookout for that 100-point mark, just nine points away at 91 across his career.

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR –

The Warhawks have 14 players from five different countries, including the U.S. Noted countries include: Poland, Spain, Russia and Latvia. Alex Molofeev takes the cake being the farthest from home, as Monroe is 5,672 miles from Moscow, Russia. On the other side of things, junior Krystian Lewis is the basketball team's lone hometown resident, as he is from Monroe.

FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –

Sunday's game will be available on KLIP 105.3 with Mike Hammett on the call. Streaming will also 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 men's basketball schedule page and select that day's opponent.

NEXT UP –

The Warhawks will next return to Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Tuesday (Dec. 9), welcoming youth to their game in Lil Warhawk Day. ULM will host Arkansas Baptist at noon on Tuesday.