MONROE – The combination of 12 three-point shots for James Madison and the lack of scoring in the final minutes of the game resulted in an 85-79 loss for the ULM basketball team on Tuesday night.
 
"We weren't guarding the three-point line the way we needed to," head coach Keith Richard said. "I think our players were shocked with how many three they were shooting. We had to cover the entire line because everyone was making them."
 
In the first half alone, the Dukes (20-10, 13-4) sunk in nine three-pointers which accounted for over half of their points in the half.
 
The Warhawks (7-23, 3-14) made two shots from beyond the arc with Jalen Bolden and Jerry Ngopot producing a 6-5 early lead. With the score tied at 10-10, JMU went on a 19-4 scoring run to grab a demanding 15-point lead with 10:01 left in the first half.
 
Trailing 38-21, ULM scored six straight to close the deficit to 11. With 3:45 left in the half, after a three-point bucket by the Dukes ULM pushed it to a ten-point game with two free throws and a layup by Tyreese Watson. Bryce Lindsay responded with one of his six three-pointers of the game, and JMU produced three more points to make it a 16-point contest with 1:38 to go. A layup by Makai Willis and a jumper from Ngopot resulted in a 47-35 game at the half.
 
"We finally settled in towards the end of the first half," Richard said. "We talked about how to stop the three-point shot at halftime. I thought we did an excellent job defensively for the most part in the second half."
 
Behind 52-39, the Warhawks scored five points capped by a slam by Coltie Young to pull within single digits with just over 16 minutes remaining. After two James Madison free throws, ULM came to life with an 8-0 scoring run highlighted by threes from Young and Willis to force a two-point game.
 
After JMU responded with four points, the Warhawks made five free throws in six attempts, putting themselves within one possession with 9:19 left to play. The Dukes answered with a three-pointer from Mark Freeman to make it a five-point game. Freeman ended the night with a team-leading 27 points.
 
ULM forced the deficit to one possession on four different occasions in the next four minutes, but James Madison answered every time to keep its lead.
 
Leading 72-69, The Dukes finally broke away, scoring five straight points to produce an eight-point contest with less than a minute to play.
 
"We didn't score in that time, and they took advantage," Richard said. "At the end of the game, we didn't make the necessary plays to win."  
After a series of fouls on Freeman by the Warhawks, which resulted in six made free throws for JMU, despite eight points late, they fell in a six-point loss at the end.
 
Watson led the way with 26 points including ten free throws. Two players produced double-doubles with Willis having 14 points and 16 rebounds and Ngopot scoring 12 points and 12 rebounds. Bolden also had 18 points on the night.
 
The Warhawks will end the regular season on Friday, Feb. 28, taking on Arkansas State. The game will honor their seniors in their final game of the regular season. It will also be the last game for Richard in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.