MONROE, La.-Mona Martin moved into
a first-place tie on the ULM career women's basketball coaching victories list
as the Warhawks defeated Nicholls State, 76-53, Monday night in Fant-Ewing
Coliseum. The victory, fueled by 19 points from Jesse Carrier and Sannisha
Williams, was Martin's 213th career win.
Martin will have her first
chance to pass Linda Harper for the all-time wins record on Wednesday night
when the Warhawks (6-6, 0-2 Sun Belt) host Troy (7-2, 1-0). The Sun Belt
Conference showdown is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
"I didn't even know about the
record until I was told after the game," Martin said. "I am very proud of the
way we played tonight. When you think about all the great teams that this
University has had in its past, I am truly honored to have achieved this
special accomplishment."
Carrier, who scored 13 points
in the opening half, tied her career-high hitting five 3-pointers on the night
and shot 77.8 percent from the floor. Williams added 12 rebounds for her second
double-double of the season and fifth of her career. Ashley Wakefield scored a
career-high 10 points.
ULM hit a season high 11
3-pointers on the night and connected on 64.7 percent of its attempts from
beyond the arc. The Warhawks shot 43.8 percent overall for the game - it was
their second best shooting performance of the season.
The victory improved ULM to
22-7 against in-state foes since the 2006-07 season and 4-1 against Louisiana
schools this season. It was also the eighth straight win for ULM over Nicholls
State as the Warhawks have now won 39 of the 44 all-time meetings between the
two schools.
The Warhawks scored the game's
first seven points and opened the contest on a 19-3 run sparked by 11 points
from Carrier's hot hand. During the run, the Warhawks held Nicholls State to
just 1-of-11 shooting and forced seven Colonels (2-9) turnovers. ULM connected
on 8-of-13 attempts from the floor and 3-of-4 from 3-point range as it built
its 16-point lead.
Nicholls State answered with a
9-0 run to pull within 19-12 with just over eight minutes to play in the half -
the Warhawks were 0-for-8 from the floor during that stretch.
Ricshanda Bickham led Nicholls
State with 18 points, despite shooting just 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from the
floor. Alisha Allen added 17 points for the Colonels, while Cassie Hearon and
Jamia Akins led the team with six rebounds.
The night's theme of runs
continued as the Warhawks stretched its lead out to 19 points, 31-12, with a
12-0 run highlighted by five points from Wakefield off the bench.
The Colonels fought back and
closed the deficit to 12, 36-24, at the half. The Warhawks shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33)
from the floor in the opening half and a remarkable 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from
beyond the 3-point line.
The Warhawks built as much as
a 31-point lead (75-44) in the second half as they cruised to their third home
victory of the season in four tries. They put the game out of reach with a 9-0
run over the middle portion of the second half.
ULM's 23-point victory was the
highest margin of victory this season and the largest since a 24-point win over
Denver on Feb. 25, 2009.
