MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team (3-12, 0-3 Sun Belt) dropped a Sun Belt game against Southern Miss (8-7, 2-1 Sun Belt) on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 1), in a score of 87-73.
The Golden Eagles shot 54% from the field and outrebounded the Warhawks by 22 to secure the victory. But the Warhawks were able to capitalize off the Southern Miss mistakes, finding 23 points off turnovers.
Lavell Brodnex led the team with 20 points for a second-straight game, also pulling down five boards to lead the Warhawks.
Krystian Lewis shot five-for-five from the free throw line in his 18-point showing.
Right out the gate, Brodnex posted six points, claiming an alley-oop to swing momentum in the Warhawk favor. But the Golden Eagles opened with the lead and held on as the game continued. As the half went on, Southern Miss hit five of seven shots to extend the lead to double figures.
Brodnex continued to drive the team momentum, scoring 17 of the team's 38 points in the first half.
Dylan Diaz also got action from beyond the arc, hitting two triples to chip away at the deficit. A three-point play at the buzzer extended the four-point Southern Miss advantage to seven, leaving it 45-38 at the half.
The Warhawks forced 11 turnovers in the second half to keep things close, getting the lead down to six. A 12-2 scoring run by the Golden Eagles created a strong lead yet again, triples further extending the advantage.
Alex Molofeev and Lewis were able to pick up the momentum for ULM, Lewis scoring 16 of his 18 points in the second half. Molofeev hit a triple for a four-point play to close in on Southern Miss, but multiple scoring runs kept the visitors ahead. Fouls on the Golden Eagles allowed for ULM to shut down the 20-point deficit and create some life as the game came to a close, Southern Miss maintaining their full-game lead with a score of 87-73.
The Warhawks remain in Fant-Ewing Coliseum on January 3, competing in another doubleheader with the women's basketball team. The men's team will face Texas State, tipping off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
