With a 68-59 win in Hattiesburg, the ULM men’s basketball team served the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles their first home conference loss since joining the Sun Belt.
The Warhawks (10-14; 5-8 SBC) held the lead for the entirety of the match. After allowing the Golden Eagles (14-12; 7-6 SBC) to get as close as 1 point away, ULM put the game to rest with an 8-point scoring run.
“Obviously, it’s our best road win of the year, and one of the better wins of the year, no question,” head coach Keith Richard said. “They had not lost a Sun Belt game here, and I can see why. It’s loud. It’s hectic. It’s chaos in here.”
ULM hit the ground running with a steal and layup by Tyreke Locure, who went on to have his second-straight 20-point game.
The Warhawks kept the offense hot while putting USM’s scoring on ice. A jumper by Jerry Ngopot brought the lead to nine and forced the Golden Eagles to take a timeout.
ULM ruled the turnover game with six steals in the first half, a stat spearheaded by Locure. Additionally, Savion Gallionand Nika Metskhvarishvili helped force turnovers while also getting into double-digit points.
The Golden Eagles failed to maintain the ball much in the first half. When USM did have possession, the team missed most of its shots.
Rebounds and steals allowed the Warhawks to keep their offensive momentum and push ahead. An 8-point scoring run resulted in another USM timeout as they made substitutions to break through. After the break, the ball got into the hands of Metskhvarishvili, who drilled a 3-pointer and gave ULM its largest lead of the night, 28-11.
ULM’s offense stalled after Metskhvarishvili’s 3-pointer as it was the Warhawks’ last field goal of the half. Free throws helped stretch ULM’s lead, but the Golden Eagles managed to bring their deficit down to just 12 before halftime.
USM exited the locker room and entered the court, ready to make a comeback. The Golden Eagles went on an 8-point run to bring their deficit to 4 points. Both teams struggled to find the net until USM went on another run and trailed the Warhawks by 2 points.
The Warhawks found their offensive tempo to keep the Golden Eagles multiple possessions away.
With three minutes left in the match, a layup by Southern Miss’ Austin Crowley brought the team to its closest margin of the night, with a score of just 60-59. Missed jumpers for ULM stacked on the pressure, but a foul by USM gave the Warhawks some breathing room and an opportunity to stretch the lead once more.
Jalen Bolden tacked on 4 points with a pair of free throws and a fastbreak layup. After another pair of free throws by AD Diedhiou, Gallion capped off the game with a dunk from an assist by Locure.
