After women’s basketball dropped its last game of the season in a close match to Southern Miss, the team left for Pensacola, Fla. to compete in the Sun Belt Conference Championship. A season with plenty of struggles on the road left the Warhawks as the ninth seed for the tournament, where the team would surge past its ranking to make the quarterfinals.
March 4 – University of Louisiana Lafayette (79-63)
ULM matched up against the Ragin Cajuns for the first round of the tournament, an opponent the Warhawks faced twice in the regular season, winning both games. ULL fell behind early, going scoreless for almost 4 minutes as ULM added up 9 points. The Warhawks continued to stifle the 14 seed throughout the first, holding the Cajuns to 7 points while gaining a 10-point lead to end the quarter (17-7).
ULM continued to outperform ULL for the second quarter, raising the gap to 28 at the highest. The Warhawks slipped a little when closing the half but maintained a 20-point lead heading into the third (41-21).
The Warhawks’ lead hovered around 20 points for the rest of the game, keeping ULL out of reach until the game ended 79-63.
March 5 – Southern Miss (89-72)
ULM’s second round matchup was a rematch against Southern Miss, where the Warhawks hunted for revenge.
A first quarter where the Warhawks stumbled, scoring only 12 points, saw Southern Miss up 7 to end the quarter 12-19. Southern Miss seemed determined to repeat ULM’s senior night heartbreak early in the game.
Southern Miss’ Jakayla Johnson started the scoring off in the second, knocking down a pair of threes while ULM’s J’mani Ingram matched the scoring with a mid-range jumper. Early shooting by the Golden Eagles saw the lead climb to a high of 10. The Warhawks battled throughout the quarter but were unable to make significant ground. When ULM pushed, Southern Miss held. With 3:42 left in the quarter, a Jazmine Jackson three ignited ULM, starting a 16-8 run through the rest of the quarter that chopped Southern Miss’ lead to one point (40-41).
ULM carried momentum from the offensive surge of the previous quarter into the third, taking the lead from Southern Miss 10 seconds in with a pair of free throws. Southern Miss responded with a jumper, taking the lead back during the next possession. The Warhawks ground in the next possession, grabbing three offensive rebounds that eventually resulted in another two free throws, wrestling the lead back from Southern Miss. ULM outpaced Southern Miss for the rest of the third with a hefty 28-points to extend the Warhawks’ lead to 9 (68-59).
ULM continued to score in the final quarter while Southern Miss fell flat, ending the game (89-72).
March 6 – Old Dominion (68-67)
Neither team could get the upper hand in the first quarter, ending the quarter (11-12), Old Dominion lead.
Momentum started to swing in the second quarter, with a J’mani Ingram turnover leading to a three-point play for Old Dominion in the opening seconds. Old Dominion continued to pressure ULM defensively, grabbing another steal leading to a fastbreak layup. Mays-Prince answered the play with another three that tied the game, then the next possession hit her third three in a row to take the lead (20-17). Additional scoring by Marcavia Shavers and J’mani Ingram allowed ULM to maintain a small lead until 2:42, where Old Dominion and the Warhawks would exchange leads three times, ending the quarter (30-34).
ULM continued to have consistent scoring throughout the third quarter, closing the gap to Old Dominion while maintaining defensive pressure. Marcavia Shavers carried the offensive load in the third for ULM, scoring 14 points, nearly matching Old Dominion’s 15 points by herself. The Warhawks’ sustained effort combined with a dominant quarter by Shavers ended the quarter with the score tied (49-49).
The final quarter started slow; neither team was able to score, with even a pair of free throws going awry for Marcavia Shavers. With 8:30 left in the game, Keshunti Nichols stole the ball, giving ULM an opportunity to score the first points of the fourth. Shavers made good on the opportunity with help from an Asjah Inniss assist to take the lead (51-49). Both teams continued to stagnate until there was 5:14 left in the game, where Shavers 26th and final point marked the beginning of both teams’ last effort to keep their seasons alive.
A pair of Asjah Inniss free throws gave ULM a 3-point lead; Old Dominion’s Simaru Fields responded with a three to tie the game. Another pair of free throws along with an Inniss three allowed ULM to regain the lead, before Simaru fields caught fire, hitting three consecutive threes in a row. Mays-prince broke up the solo run with six points of her own. This back and forth resulted in the lead changing four times, ending with ULM ahead. Back-to-back ULM fouls on Old Dominion’s En’Dya Buford gave up four free throws, but Buford missed a single shot (66-67), leaving the door open for ULM to win. As time ran low, Marissa Gasaway got the ball. After missing her last six attempts, Gasaway took her seventh and potentially last shot of the season. With 0:07 left in the game, Gasaway’s shot went through the net, stunning Old Dominion and sending ULM to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference.
March 7 –Arkansas State (68-76)
ULM faced Arkansas State twice in the regular season, dropping both games with large deficits. Arkansas State continued this trend in the first half of play, going up by 15 by the end of the second quarter (30-45).
ULM went even in scoring with Arkansas State in the third, scoring 18 points to Arkansas’ 19. Marcavia Shavers helped push the Warhawks’ score with eight points of her own in the third quarter. The effort was not enough to lower the lead; Arkansas State retained its lead heading into the final quarter (48-64).
The Warhawks refused to give up despite the deficit, going on a 12-2 run until 6:10 where a ULM technical foul gave up two free throws. Arkansas State’s Zyion Shannon took the free throws making the first, then missed the second and grabbed her own rebound and scored (60-69).
ULM could not complete the comeback, as the game ended at the free throw line.
ULM’s women’s basketball team ended its season with a 7-11 record in the conference and a 17-16 record overall. Despite some struggles in the Conference, the Warhawks managed an impressive push in the Sun Belt Conference Championship that showcased the team’s capabilities.
