ULM Pulls Away in Final 10 Minutes

LAFAYETTE ? Ahead 46-45, ULM scored on nine consecutive possessions to gradually pull away and post an 81-70 victory over Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns here Sunday afternoon at the CAJUNDOME.

It began with layups from Lottie Moore and Elizabeth Torres at 11:55 and 11:29 of the second half which extended the lead to 50-45. The Ragin' Cajuns got a basket by Alexis Green to pull within three points, but the Warhawks responded five unanswered points on three consecutive touches to increase the lead to 55-47.

Louisiana (2-10, 0-2 Sun Belt) cut the deficit to 59-53 with 7:30 remaining. ULM (7-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) capped off the string of possessions with a field goal make by Sumar Leslie at 7:07 and after an Green turnover gave the visitors the ball back, Jesse Carrier buried a three-pointer at the 6:46 mark to make it 64-53.

From that point on the ULM lead never fell below double digits

Green made four 3-pointers in the final 1:09 of the contest to finish the game with 32 points. Green became the first UL player to reach 30 points since Yolanda Jones (2006-07) had 30 against Troy on Jan. 21, 2007. She was a perfect 6-of-6 from three-point range.

ULM received a double-double from Sannisha Williams as she scored 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Moore also scored 18.

The Warhawks had a decisive 52-26 edge in points in the paint and scored 23 points off of 22 UL turnovers.

The Warhawks began the game on a 6-0 run through the 17:15 mark. Louisiana responded with a six-point spurt of its own to draw even one minute later.

The Ragin' Cajuns grabbed their first lead when Whitney Dunlap made a layup, was fouled and made the free throw at 15:19 to put UL in front 9-8. A D'Mya Clay steal on the ensuing possession led to a layup by Green at 15:04.

The Cajuns gained their largest lead of the first half when a Lyndra Bell layup at 12:27 triggered an 8-0 run which turned a 14-12 edge into a 22-12 advantage by the 8:53 mark.

Sannisha Williams started a 9-0 ULM run with a field goal make at 8:00 and capped it off with a layup at 5:31 which gave the Warhawks a 23-22 lead.

Louisiana received a layup from Dunlap at 4:59 to move ahead 24-23. That was the first of seven lead changes in the final five minutes. The last lead swap occurred when Mercedes Johnson broke a 33-all tie with a jumper with 43 seconds remaining before halftime.

That lead held and Louisiana took a lead into the locker room for the first time since the Nicholls State game on Dec. 5. The Cajuns shot well from the floor going 11-of-24 (46 percent) and from the free throw line going 11-of-13 (85 percent).

The Warhawks did most of their damage in the paint as 24 of 33 points came from inside (72 percent).

The Ragin' Cajuns stretched the lead to four points in the first two-plus minutes of the second half. Bell snapped a 35-all tie with a layup at 18:12. A pair of free throws later would extend the lead to 39-35 by the 16:38 mark.

Louisiana hit a cold stretch and ULM chipped away and eventually reclaimed the lead. A basket by Moore cut the UL lead to 39-38. After a defensive stop on the other end, it was Leslie pulling ULM ahead when she scored a layup at 15:49.

The Warhawks scored on their next two possessions to extend the lead to 44-39 with 14:26 remaining in the game.

Baskets from Johnson on the Cajuns' next two trips down the floor sliced the ULM lead to 44-43. ULM countered with a layup by Leslie at 13:19 preventing the Cajuns from taking the lead after two Johnson freebies at 13:03.

The Warhawks then followed up with a stretch which helped them pull away in the final 10 minutes.

Louisiana continues its current four-game homestand on Tuesday, Dec. 23, but the venue changes. The Ragin' Cajuns will be at Earl K. Long Gym for a 2 p.m., contest with Savannah State. It will be the 112^th and final home event for UL Athletics in the 2008 calendar year.

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