Following a blowout loss to No. 7 Houston, the ULM men’s basketball team has shaken off the cobwebs and won against the Chippewas of Central Michigan 74-64.
ULM was able to handle the ball better and reduce how often the opponent scored off of turnovers since its match against Houston. At the same time, the Warhawks made better use of steals to create opportunities to score.
The Chippewas drew first blood and held onto the lead for much of the first half. Guards Tyreese Watson and Tyreke Locure and forward Nika Metskhvarishvili led an offense that took the lead with eight minutes left and held on for the rest of the half.
A layup by Metskhvarishvili and a jump shot in the paint by Central Michigan kept the lead at seven with ULM winning 38-31.
The trio accounted for 42 points of the team’s final score of 74.
The second half started slowly with both teams unable to hit their marks and score. It wasn’t until roughly 12 minutes left that the Warhawks began closing out the game. Watson and the team were on the board again to extend their lead against Central Michigan.
A 3-pointer by the Chippewas with nine minutes left put Central Michigan within striking distance of the lead, but an answer by ULM’s Jalen Bolden extended the lead back to five.
With less than seven minutes to go in the contest, ULM never let go of its lead. Scoring from both teams subsided toward the end of the match, and any chance at a come-from-behind victory by Central Michigan was thwarted by Jacob Wilson and Locure’s free throws in the final minute to ice the game.
ULM ruled the stats sheet, only coming up short in free throw percentage. The Warhawks shot for a combined 48.3% from the field and 41.7% at the 3-point line, whereas the Chippewas struggled to break 40% on both stats (40.7% from the field and 35.7% at the 3-point line.)
The Warhawks also had more points from turnovers, 21-13, and steals, 12-5.
The men’s basketball team will host its first match in Fant-Ewing Coliseum of the season on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. against I-20 rival Louisiana Tech.
This win also hands ULM the first round of the MAC-SBC Challenge, the second round of which will be hosted by ULM on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024.
