THE MATCHUP
Teams: ULM (8-22, 2-15 SBC)
Texas State (17-12, 10-7 SBC)
Location: Fant-Ewing Coliseum/Monroe, La.
Time: 2:00 p.m.
LIVE AUDIO (Warhawk Radio Network)
LIVE STATS (ULMstats.com)
Live Video (Warhawks All-Access)
MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team closes out its 2016-17 home slate with a Senior Day matchup on Saturday against Texas State. Tip off is slated for 2:00 p.m. and is available to watch on Warhawks All-Access and you can also listen to the game with the Bobcats on the Warhawk Radio Network on Saturday.
The Warhawks enter the tilt with a 8-22 mark, coming off of a 72-57 loss on Thursday to the SBC regular season champions UTA, while the Bobcats enter 17-12, coming off of a 10 point loss on Thursday night against the Ragin Cajuns in overtime.
NOTABLES
Last Time Out: ULM could not overcome a hot three-point shooting performance from UT Arlington on Thursday night as the Warhawks fell 72-57 to the regular season Sun Belt Conference champion Mavericks.
Head-to-Head: The Warhawks and Bobcats meet on Saturday for the 49th time in school history. The Warhawks hold a 29-19 all-time series lead against Texas State as the Bobcats broke a four-game win streak against the Warhawks earlier this season in San Marcos with a 63-57 victory on January 23.
Scouting the Bobcats: The Bobcats come into Saturday's game following a 10-point OT loss to the Ragin Cajuns on Thursday night. Kavin Gilder-Tilbury and Nijal Pearson had 21 and 20 points, respectively, in the loss on Thursday for the Bobcats. On the season the Bobcats are led by Kavin Gilder-Tilbury with 16.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game averages, while Nijal Pearson has a 13.1 points per game average and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game. Gilder-Tilbury sits in seventh in the league with 62 made three-pointers on the year.
Sun Belt Leaders: Following the March 2 slate of SBC games, Travis Munnings sits in fourth with an 8.0 rebounds per game mark while ranking third in the league with a 5.8 defensive rebounds per game mark. Munnings also ranks seventh in the league with a 33.3 minutes per game average. Senior Nick Coppola leads the league with a 37.2 minutes per game mark while he also leads the league with a 2.9 assist to turnover mark on the season. Coppola ranks third in the league with 4.5 assists per game.
Senior Class: ULM's three seniors are set to play in their final home game as Warhawks on Saturday afternoon when the team welcomes Texas State to Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The trio – Prince Cooper, Nick Coppola and Marcus Washington – has been through some of the biggest moments in recent program history, including making the 2015 CBI Championship final. The group was also part of a Warhawk team that posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for just the third time in school history and the first-time since the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons after the Warhawks won 24 games two years ago and had 20 wins last season.
Sharing the Basketball: The Warhawks have 403 assists on 744 made baskets so far this season. Nick Coppola leads the way with 134 assists, while Travis Munnings has 62 assists so far this season and Marcus Washington has 54 assists on the season. As a team, the Warhawks have assisted on 54.2 percent of their made baskets this season. The Warhawks have had four games with 20+ assists including a pair of games with 23 assists.
UP NEXT
-Following Saturday's contest, the Warhawks will await their first round opponent in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament which is slated to begin on Wednesday, March 8 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.
