PENSACOLA, Fla. – It's now three wins in this year's Sun Belt Conference Championships as the ULM Warhawks (17-15, 7-11 Sun Belt) took down Old Dominion (18-14, 8-10 Sun Belt) in a one-point, comeback game. Despite shooting 40% to ODU's 47%, the Warhawks shot 56% from beyond the arc and claimed 21 points off turnovers to keep the team afloat.
Two 20+-point performances from Marcavia Shavers (26 points, 6 reb) and Nakiyah Mays-Prince (21 pts, 5 ast) led both teams, Shavers shooting 12-of-24 from the field. Marissa Gasaway led the team with nine boards as the defense drove the team to victory. Asjah Inniss also scored in double figures, landing two triples.
The win remains historical for a multitude of reasons, the Warhawks winning an unprecedented third game in the Sun Belt tournament, having never before won three games in a conference tournament. The game also marks the first-ever victory over Old Dominion, a revenge win dating back to 1985, when the Monarchs defeating then-NLU in the NCAA Final Four.
Both teams struggled to hit shots early in the game, but the first score of the game came for Old Dominion. ULM was able to snag the lead with a Shavers layup, but the game remained low scoring in the opening quarter. ULM shot 23% from the field and ODU 33% in the first quarter, a rare slow start. A fast-paced game, Gasaway turned the tides with a block on Old Dominion, which then forced a miss. With just over two minutes on the clock, the Monarchs found the lead from Simone Cunningham. The Warhawks were able to keep things tight thanks to free throws, but ODU remained ahead, 12-11.
An opening and-one from the Monarchs had the pendulum swinging in their favor, but the momentum quickly shifted to ULM as Mays-Prince dropped three triples to begin a scoring run. Old Dominion would not go away without trying, however, the game remaining a five-point game or less. Just as quickly as the Warhawks found the lead, ODU was able to string together a run from five ULM turnovers, concluding the first half with a four-point lead, 34-30.
Straight out the gate, Inniss drills a three-pointer, as Riley Stack from ODU battling to prevent the lead change. A free throw–one of 13 made for the Warhawks–from Shavers tied the game, but four consecutive points settled the Monarchs back into the driver's seat. Another run by Shavers to break 20 points (and her career high) made it a one-possession game, tying things at 49 at the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter of the game brought a back-and-forth game, as ULM claimed the lead with 8:21 on the clock. But ODU took it right back, both teams trading shots. A triple by Simaru Fields tied the game with just under five minutes to go, the team's first of the day. But five unanswered points gave ULM its largest lead of the day with five. Three more three-pointers from Fields brought the Monarchs back from the brink, ULM forging ahead to find the lead with a minute to go. En'Dya Buford hit three free throws in the final minute to claim the one-point lead, fouls coming into play. But it was Gasaway with the jumper in the final seconds the secured the victory for ULM. Old Dominion took a shot at the end, but Gasaway picked up a steal as the buzzer rang out, ULM securing the 68-67 win.
The Warhawks will get a shot at (3) Arkansas State for the third time this season on Saturday (March 7). ULM and the Red Wolves will face off at 2:30 p.m. at the Pensacola Bay Center.
