Late run by Louisiana-Monroe lifts Warhawks over Lady Indians
January 12, 2008
By Van Provence
ASU Sports Information
MONROE, LA - Louisiana-Monroe got 24 points from junior forward Lottie Moore, including 19 in the second half as the Warhawks overcame a 6-point halftime deficit and defeated the Arkansas State Lady Indians 68-59 in a hard-fought Sun Belt Conference West Division battle Saturday night at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe.
Freshman forward Sherina Scott posted her second consecutive double-double for Arkansas State, finishing the night with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
After ULM built a 51-46 lead with just over six minutes to play, Scott scored back-to-back baskets, part of a 7-0 Arkansas State run that put the Lady Indians on top 53-51 when sophomore Veronica Smith drained her third three pointer of the night with 4:36 remaining. The Warhawks countered with an 11-0 run over the next 2:52 to reclaim the lead for good at 62-53.
With the win, ULM takes over sole possession of first place in the SBC West, improving to 4-1 in league play and 11-5 overall. Arkansas State drops to 4-2 in Sun Belt action and 9-8 on the season.
"We knew Monroe was good, but we came in and matched them and played really well for the most part," said ASU Head Coach Brian Boyer. "The difference was the understanding of how to make the plays to finish games. We just didn't make those toughness-type plays that we needed late in the game to get the victory."
Seven players scored in the first half for ASU, led by Smith and Scott with six each as the Lady Indians built a 29-23 lead at the break.
Moore scored ULM's first 12 points of the second half, including eight that were unanswered by the Lady Indians as Louisiana-Monroe grabbed its first lead of the game at 31-29. The Warhawks and Lady Indians traded buckets until ASU finally regained the lead at 37-35 on a basket from junior Brittney Hiles with 13:32 remaining.
Neither team led by more than four until the 6:12 mark when ULM went up 51-46 on a three-point play by Moore, but ASU answered with a 7-0 run that ended with Smith's three-pointer that gave the Lady Indians their final lead at 53-51.
ULM senior Shannon Lloyd tied the game at 53 on a free throw with 3:51 remaining, then gave the Warhawks a 56-53 lead with 3:17 to play when she scored inside, drew a foul on Scott, and sank the free throw to convert the three-point play. Sophomore guard Jesse Carrier hit back-to-back three-pointers to stretch the Warhawk lead to 62-53 before Arkansas State stopped the run with a 3-pointer from junior Caroline Starr with 1:47 to play.
Two free throws from Hiles cut the ULM lead to 62-58 at the 1:21 mark, but ULM outscored the Lady Indians 6-1 in the final minute to preserve the win.
Hiles and Smith both finished in double figures on the night, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively. Starr scored eight points, sophomore Ebonie Jefferson and freshman Angie Criner added six points each, and sophomore Lyndsay Schlup completed the ASU scoring with three points.
The Lady Indians return to action Monday night when they host Middle Tennessee in a 7:05 Sun Belt matchup at the ASU Convocation Center.