One of the oldest adages in college basketball is if you don’t make free throws, you aren’t going to win.
ULM found this out the hard way on Saturday night, as Troy escaped Fant-Ewing Coliseum with a 71-64 overtime win.
The Warhawks (3-13, 2-8) used a furious second half comeback to force overtime against the Trojans (9-12, 4-6). But the rally came up short. Mostly at the free throw line.
An abysmal 10-26 shooting performance from the charity strip—including 2-15 in the second half and overtime—left Keith Richard chuckling and shaking his head.
“That’s the ballgame,” Richard said. “Missed free throws are like turnovers. It’s an opportunity you lost that you gave to the other team. That’s a shame because that’s why we lost. Period.”
ULM struggled to score against Troy’s man-to-man defense during the first half, shooting 38 percent from the field. Richard made several adjustments at halftime that opened things up for his team offensively.
“They were daring us to shoot the ball from the outside in the first half,” Richard said.
Things began to open up for the Warhawks, thanks to increased ball movement that sparked a 10-1 run and made it a one-possession game. Richard used several lineup combinations in the final minutes, and two timely three’s from reserve guard Trey Lindsey helped the Warhawks stay in the game.
After swapping the lead several times during the final two minutes, Trent Mackey drained a three-pointer with one second left that forced overtime.
Troy pulled away in the extra session, building an early four-point lead that ballooned to a seven-point victory for the visitors. And to add insult to injury, they put it the game away with four consecutive free-throws.
“I wish better things for them because there’s a lot of competitiveness in these guys. They want to win more games,” Richard said. “I’m not mad at them. I’m dissapointed for them.”
Guard Amos Olatayo got out of his resent scoring slump and led ULM with 21 points. Forward Jayon James filled up the stat sheet with 14 points and seven rebounds, while also getting his teammates involved with five assists.
The Warhawks travel to Boca Raton for a rematch with FAU on Thursday, Jan. 31. ULM beat the Owls by a single point, 65-64, back on Dec. 29 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
