The ULM women's basketball team (6-15, 4-4) looks
for its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference win Saturday when UL-Lafayette
(5-15, 0-8) travels to Fant-Ewing Coliseum for a 2 p.m. tip-off. The Warhawk
men will take the floor against the Ragin' Cajuns at 4 p.m.
ABOUT ULM
There are
eight letterwinners and two starters from last season's 16-15 squad on the
2011-12 Warhawks. Center Larrie Williams is averaging 15.0 points and 6.1
rebounds per game, while guard Elizabeth Torres has contributed 10.2 points and
5.2 assists per contest through 21 games.
SATURDAY'S
OPPONENT
UL-Lafayette
enters Saturday's game with a 5-15 record, including a 0-8 mark in the Sun Belt
Conference after dropping a 66-45 decision to North Texas Jan. 25. Krystal
Motley leads the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and assists (29). Josie West has
chipped in 5.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. The Ragin' Cajuns are
without Mercedes Johnson (9.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Kemi Rotibi (8.9 ppg, team-high
7.2 rpg) for the remainder of the season. UL-Lafayette is ranked second in the
Sun Belt with 9.0 team steals per game. Head coach Errol Rogers is 36-105 in
his fifth season at the helm of the Ragin' Cajuns.
THE LAST
TIME OUT
A
last-second steal by sophomore Elexar Tugler preserved a 49-46 ULM Sun Belt
Conference victory at Troy Jan. 21 inside Sartain Hall.
Senior
Larrie Williams led ULM with 11 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore
Jasmine Shaw added 10 points and two steals.
INSIDE
THE NUMBERS
The
Warhawks forced 19 Trojan turnovers, converting 21 of those miscues into
points. ULM also held the edge scoring in the paint (20-16) and fast break
scoring (10-4).
PLAYING
WELL FROM BEHIND
In three
of ULM's six wins this season, the Warhawks have had to overcome a deficit of
nine or more points. ULM trailed by 12 points before downing Nicholls State
78-68 Dec. 3; nine points at Northwestern State (84-68, Dec. 21); and by 15
points with under 10 minutes to play in the Sun Belt Conference opener against
Western Kentucky (53-49, Dec. 29).
SECOND
LIFE IN CONFERENCE PLAY
The
Warhawks have been resurgent in the so-called "second season," tripling their
win total from the non-conference slate at the halfway mark of league play. ULM
has held Sun Belt opponents to a stifling 55.5 points per game while forcing
18.1 turnovers per contest.
REJECTIONS
APLENTY
ULM has
blocked 4.4 shot per game in conference play. Conversely, Warhawk opponents have
turned away 2.9 ULM shots on average in eight conference matchups.
CASHING
IN AT THE STRIPE
The
Warhawks have two of the top 10 free throw shooters in the Sun Belt Conference.
Senior Elizabeth Torres is fifth in free throw percentage, connecting at a .786
clip. Fellow senior Larrie Williams ranks ninth in the conference, converting a
team-best 86-of-117 attempts for .735 percent.
WILLIAMS
REACHING RARE COMPANY
Senior
Larrie Williams became the 22nd player in the history of ULM women's basketball
to score over 900 career points during the first half against UALR Jan. 12. The
6-2 center is just 51 points shy of joining the prestigious 1,000-point club as
its 16th member.
WARHAWK
TO WATCH
Sophomore
Alexar Tugler has assumed an expanded role on the score sheet since conference
play began Dec. 29. The 5-10 guard is averaging 1.5 more points per game since ULM
began its Sun Belt slate (6.4 ppg SEA-7.9 ppg SBC), including 16-point outings
against Arkansas State (Dec. 31) and UALR (Jan. 12).
THE 411
ON UL-LAFAYETTE
ULM leads
the all-time series over the Ragin' Cajuns 35-5, including a 17-0 mark in games
played in Monroe. The Warhawks swept both meetings between the schools last
season, including a 70-55 decision inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum Feb. 26.
Priscilla Mbiandja led all scorers with 17 points and added a game-high 10
rebounds and three steals. Elizabeth Torres chipped in 15 points, six assists
and two steals.
MILESTONE
TRACKER
Larrie
Williams and Elizabeth Torres are both within reach of scoring 1,000 points in
their respective careers. Williams has tallied 949 points as a Warhawk, while
Torres has scored 860 points at ULM. Torres became the fifth player in program
history to register 400 career assists at FIU (Jan. 7), and is just 28 assists
from moving into second place all-time in career helpers behind All-American
guard and longtime ULM associate head coach E.J. Ok.
UP NEXT
ULM
travels to Arkansas State Feb. 1 for a 7:05 first tip. The Warhawks defeated
the Red Wolves 83-57 inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum Dec. 31.
