Whenever ULM and Louisiana Tech match up in any athletic event, the teams always leave much more on the surface.

The ULM men’s basketball team could not overcome a hot start to the Bulldogs and lost 67-58, at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston on Saturday.

“I thought both teams played really hard,” ULM coach Keith Richard said. “Obviously they played better offensively than we did. The threes in the first half put us in a hole and gave them tremendous momentum.”

ULM (2-7) had a tough time containing the Louisiana Tech offense in the first half, with the Bulldogs shot 54.5 percent from the floor.

Sophomore forward Brandon Gibson sparked Louisiana Tech’s offense early with 11 of the Bulldogs’ first 21 points. He added three three-pointers during that stretch, giving Louisiana Tech a 21-11 lead with 13:05 left in the first half.

“We wanted to get off to a great start and we did,” Louisiana Tech head coach Kerry Rupp said. “But those guys had no quit in them. I really admired how hard they played.”

Facing a 37-25 deficit at halftime, ULM controlled the Bulldogs’ hot shooting and attacked more aggressively, cutting the lead down to six points with 9:13 left in the second half.

However, Louisiana Tech (7-2) prevailed due to a big game by junior guard Olu Ashaolu. Ashaolu scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the second half.

Despite the loss, Hugh Mingo and Fred Brown each led the Warhawks with 18 points, and Warhawks continued to improve under Richard’s watch.

“I was really proud of our effort, and I hadn’t been for the last couple of games,” Richard said. “I believe that if we play that hard every night then we will get our offensive figured out sooner or later and we will do a better job.”

The Warhawks hope to return to the win column when they return to Fant-Ewing Coliseum at 6 p.m. Saturday to take on the Centenary Gents.