THE BASICS
Teams: ULM (5-16, 2-8 SBC)
Troy (15-6, 8-2 SBC)
Location: Monroe, La. (Fant-Ewing Coliseum)
Video - Listen - Stats
Monroe, La. - The ULM women's basketball team returns home Thursday night as they open a three-game homestand when they welcome in Sun Belt Conference foe Troy inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
NOTABLES
Last Time Out: ULM's first half battle wasn't enough in a 76-65 Sun Belt Conference road loss at Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon. ULM led the charge with 22 points in the first frame to lead by seven points, but Georgia Southern closed the gap to tie the score at 33-all at the half. The Eagles came out of the break and created some distance in the third quarter, going on a 17-2 run while outscoring the Warhawks 25-12 overall in the quarter.
Head to Head: The Warhawks lead the series with a 13-6 record. The Warhawks hold a 6-2 record against the Trojans in Monroe. ULM posted a six-game winning streak against Troy from 2011-2014.
Home Court: The Warhawks will be playing at home for five of the remaining seven games in the regular season. The home dates down the stretch include Troy, South Alabama, Louisiana, UTA and Texas State.
Opponent: The Trojans have won three of their last four games. The team has been most successful on its home court with a 7-2 record. Troy is averaging 83.5 points per game and ranks seventh in scoring in the NCAA. Caitlyn Ramirez is the player to watch for the Trojans as she leads the team in at least four different categories: points (254), free throws (75), rebounds (200) and steals (37).
Sun Belt Tournament: The top 12 teams in the Sun Belt will gain a bid to the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament. The teams will descend on New Orleans and compete at Lake Front Arena from March 7-12. Tickets can be purchased through the ULM ticket office.
FROM COACH DOW
About Troy: Troy is a very explosive team offensively and they play at a faster tempo than probably anyone that we will see in the Sun Belt Conference. A lot of that is instigated by what they do defensively. More often than not they are going to try to pick you up full court and do everything they can to speed up the game. They have one of the outstanding players in the league in Caitlyn Ramirez. They also have a number of guards that can hurt you in a number of ways, whether that's shooting three's or making plays off the bounce.
What we need to do: It will be important that we take care of the ball offensively, limit our turnovers and at the same time we have to be in attack mode in terms of when we break their press and look to get shots around the rim or in rhythm three's. Essentially, we can't play back on our heels and play tentative in the offensive game. We have to use good judgement in terms of our shot selection and not settle for too many pull-up jumpers because that plays right into their hands.
