MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team (3-16, 0-7 Sun Belt) will head east this week, first traveling to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd (12-7, 4-3 Sun Belt) on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT / Noon ET. The Warhawks will then follow up with a trip to Boone, facing App State (11-9, 4-4 Sun Belt) on Friday at 11 a.m. CT / Noon ET.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MARSHALL –
ULM will face Marshall for just the third time in series history in Thursday in Huntington. The Thundering Herd have the most recent win in 2024, taking an 11-point 68-57 win in Monroe. The Warhawks have the lone victory in Huntington, winning a 86-82 double overtime thriller.
SERIES HISTORY VS. APP STATE –
ULM trails in the all-time series with the Mountaineers which inlcudes five straight losses coming into Friday. App State took last season's matchup in Monroe with a close 66-58 win. The Warhawks last won in 2019, 89-80.
SCOUTING THE THUNDERING HERD –
Marshall enters Thursday with a 12-9 overall record, sitting just above .500 in conference play with a 4-3 mark. It currently stands at sixth in the conference standings, placing behind South Alabama and Arkansas State due to tiebreaker despite the teams having the same record. The Herd are led by Jalen Speer who averages 15.1 points per game and overall three-pointers with 53. Matt Van Komen leads the team in average boards with a mark of 7.5 and also leads in total blocks with 46 on the year.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS –
App State comes into the weekend hosting an 11-9 overall record with a .500 mark in Sun Belt Conference play at 4-4. The Mountaineers sit in the middle of the pack at eigth place, two spots behind Marshall and one spot behind Georgia State. Kasen Jennings is the leading scorer with 14.8 ppg and has posted four games straight with double-digit points. Leading with 7.3 rebounds per game is Luke Wilson, and with 3.8 assists per game is Alonzo Dodd. Both players also post double-figure scoring averages.
LEADING THE TEAM –
Four Warhawks average over 10 points per game, with Krystian Lewis leading the pack at 16.7 ppg. He tallied three-straight 20+-point games from Jan. 3-10. He also leads the team in assists (3.0) and steals (1.6). MJ Russell (15.7), Lavell Brodnex (13.9) and Renars Sondors (10.9) also post double-digit scoring averages in 2025.
BRODNEX BOARDS –
Lavell Brodnex has been leading the charge in rebounding since his debut for ULM on November 13, averaging 8.7 boards per game. The rebound average ranks 48th nationally and second in the Sun Belt. Brodnex is also fourth in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.7) and second in defensive rebounds (5.9). The forward reached a career high of 18 rebounds against Arkansas Baptist, the second-most recorded by a Sun Belt player this season.
FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE –
The Warhawks have attempted double-digit free throws in 17 of their 19 contests, attempting a whopping 41 free throws against Arkansas Baptist on December 9, making 31. The 41 attempted free throws is the second-most attempted by a Sun Belt team this season. Against the Ragin' Cajuns on December 20, ULM hit 26 free throws. Krystian Lewis led the charge, hitting 15 of his 18 free throws. Lewis leads the Sun Belt and is ranked ninth nationally with 98 free throws made.
MAC/SBC CHALLENGE –
The Warhawk men's basketball team has been participating in the third MAC-SBC Challenge this season, next hosting Ball State on February 7, in matchups jointly announced by the Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference on January 6. The men's basketball matchup against the Cardinals will be the fifth in series history. ULM traveled to face Northern Illinois in November to open the season, falling in a 102-82 contest.
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Both games 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 return home to Fant-Ewing Coliseum for a Thursday evening (Jan. 29) matchup vs. Georgia Southern. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
