JONESBORO, Ark. -- The ULM men's basketball team (7-22, 3-13 Sun Belt Conference) fell in its regular season road finale on Saturday (Feb. 22) afternoon to Arkansas State (20-9, 11-5) by a score of 95-70 at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Ark.
Three Warhawks reached double figures led by
Makai Willis' 21 career-high points on 9-for-17 shooting. Willis was perfect from beyond the arc at 2-for-2 and was two rebounds shy of a double-double with eight.
Jalen Bolden scored 16 and pulled down six rebounds to go along with three assists.
Coltie Young rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14 points and four 3-point baskets.
Dyondre Dominguez led the way for the Red Wolves with 20 points while Izaiyah Nelson scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double. Taryn Todd and Derrian Ford both netted 14 points.
A-State shot 38-for-69 from the field, good for a 55.1 shooting percentage and held ULM to 42.6% on 26-of-61 shooting. The Red Wolves drained 15 3-point buckets while ULM made eight. The Red Wolves forced ULM into committing 13 turnovers and limited their turnovers to eight.
The Red Wolves led 11-6 within the first five minutes of action. The Warhawks surged ahead after going on a 7-0 scoring run that included a layup and a pair of free throws by
Tyreese Watson and a steal by Watson that turned into a 3-pointer by Young to give ULM a 13-11 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining. A 3-pointer and layup by Ford put the Red Wolves back in front, 16-13 with 10:40 left in the first half. Another Ford triple and a layup by Dominguez expanded A-State's lead to double figures, 26-15, with just over eight minutes remaining. The Red Wolves led by as many as 21 in the first half and a 3-pointer before the final horn by Julien Kobe gave A-State a 50-29 lead at the break.
A 3-pointer by Willis trimmed Arkansas State's lead to 18 early in the second half. Young connected on a triple with 12:26 in the second half to bring the Warhawks within 17. After Young's 3-pointer, the Red Wolves went on an 11-2 run and led by 28 with less than nine minutes on the clock. The Red Wolves' lead increased to 33 when Todd found Joseph Pinion for a triple. Arkansas State cruised to a 95-70 win in its final home game of the season.
The ULM men's basketball team begins its final homestand of the season on Tuesday (Feb. 25) versus James Madison with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
