Keith Richard walked off the floor like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.
Snapping a nine-game losing streak will do that. For the last month Richard has been searching for answers. Turns out a visit from North Texas was just what the doctor ordered for ULM.
The Warhawks (4-17, 3-12) scored a season-high 85 points, storming back from a 15-point second half deficit to beat the Mean Green (9-18, 4-12) on Thursday night at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
“I’m happy for these players who have been working hard,” Richard said. “We’ve played some good basketball in the last month but haven’t been able to get a win.”
The game began as a back-and-forth affair that saw multiple lead changes. Thanks to a 15-5 run, North Texas was able to pull away late in the half, taking a 42-33 lead into intermission.
Things did not go well for ULM early in the second half. The Warhawks got down by as many as 15, but used an 18-2 run to build a one-point advantage.
The Mean Green regained the lead only once. ULM pulled away for good with under six minutes to play, going on a 14-6 run and holding UNT without a basket for five minutes.
“Fatigue is an issue with our lack of depth but I thought we fought threw it,” Richard said. “We had enough energy left in the tank to stretch that thing back out.”
The Warhawks shot 56 percent from the field, including 63 percent in the second half.
Richard’s gameplan called for his team to get the ball to the rim, even if that meant going through North Texas forward—and potential NBA lottery pick—Tony Mitchell. Milaun Brown executed it perfectly.
“We put some sticky glue on his hands at halftime so he could catch the ball and make layups,” Richard said.
Jokes aside, Brown’s play was key in ULM’s second half rally. The junior forward finished the game with a career-high 21 points, most of which came against Mitchell in the paint.
Guard Amos Olatayo was the team’s leading scorer with 22 points. Olatayo rarely left the floor, playing 39 minutes in the game. Brown pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Trent Mackey had an on-night from the three point line, sinking five of seven treys.
After some frustrating losses, Richard was happy to be back on the good side of the win-loss column, but he was quick to shift the focus of the victory to the players.
“If anything this is a lesson to the players that you don’t give up during the season,” Richard said. “That’s a tremendous win for these kids.”
