All good things must come to an end, and ULM basketball is no exception. Austin Peay defeated ULM 80-66 in a game where the first half was the story of the game.

Travis Munnings played the best game for ULM, scoring 20 points, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out five assists.

Sun Belt freshman of the year, guard Micahel Ertel scored 14 points. Senior guard Marvin Jean-Pierre and senior forward Sam McDaniel put up identical stats with nine points and six rebounds a piece.

“We didnt play as hard as we needed to. The season was a rollercoaster, but I’m proud of this team as a whole and what we were able to do this year,” Sam McDaniel said.

Austin Peay came off a 13-day break and it helped them as they came out and controlled the game. The Governors used an early 10-0 run to put the pressure on ULM. Center Averyl Ugba led the Governors in the first half scoring.

At the 11-minute mark, he had 12 points, leading to a 26-14 deficit for the Warhawks.

Offensive rebounding and turnovers contributed to the deficit. ULM simply was not physical enough. Every time it looked like a patent comeback was going to happen, Peay shut it down with timely plays.

The team couldn’t match the physicality of the Governors as the front court was overmatched.

ULM scored six straight to close the gap to ten points, but they went into halftime down 41-29. Junior forward Travis Munnings led ULM with seven points going into the second half. This was a familiar position for the Warhawks, needing to turn things around in the second half.

The game-saving run never materialized as the second half was more of the same for Austin Peay. A game of cat-and-mouse ensued with ULM trying to cut into the lead. They would cut the deficit to nine points; however, ULM could never close the gap all the way. Using size to their advantage, the Governors continued to dominate the glass. They outrebounded the Warhawks 22-15 at halftime.

In the second half, both teams shot 50 percent, but this could have been ULM’s downfall. Scoring improved for the Warhawks, but they were still unable to stop Austin Peay’s inside game.

ULM’s campaign now comes to an end finishing 16-16, a seven-game improvement from last season’s record.

The Warhawks will now look forward to recruiting as seniors Sam McDaniel, Marvin Jean-Pierre, Jordan Harris and Lance Richard leave behind holes to fill. However, ULM is in good shape with Munnings and Ertel set to return next season.

The Warhawks are hopeful that they can win the Sun Belt next season and receive an NCAA tournament bid.