Box Score LITTLE ROCK - Senior
D'Andre Williams scored 21 points and converted 11-of-12 free throws to lead the UALR men's basketball team (11-13, 8-2 Sun Belt) to a 70-66 win over ULM (2-22, 1-10) on Saturday night at the Jack Stephens Center. UALR outscored the Warhawks 32-to-15 at the foul line to pick up its third-straight victory and improve to 8-2 in conference play.
Williams scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second half to help fend off a ULM squad which shot 43.8 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes (6-of-13 from three-point range) while holding the Trojans to an 8-of-24 effort. The Amarillo, Texas-native went to the foul line with 4.9 seconds remaining and the Trojans holding a slim 68-66 lead, and promptly knocked down both foul shots to seal the win.
Marcelis Hansberry and Hugh Mingo combined for 39 points in the loss, as Hansberry led all players with 22 points off a 7-of-11 shooting performance (3-for-4 from three-point range). Mingo added 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Steven McClellan chipped in eight points and a game-high 10 boards.
Sophomore Chuck Guy and freshman Ben Dillard totaled 14 and 12 points, respectively, with Dillard going a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line. UALR committed less than 10 turnovers for the third-straight game on Saturday, as the Trojans turned the ball over just seven times while forcing ULM into 14 miscues.
UALR never trailed after taking the lead at the 10:59 mark of the first half, but was unable to put ULM away as the Trojans shot just 34.0 percent from the field and went 4-of-18 from three-point range. UALR overcame its shooting deficiencies by getting to the free-throw line 46 times in the game, and outscored the Warhawks 20-to-4 at the charity stripe over the final 20 minutes.
The Trojans led by 11 points, 61-50, with 4:53 left to play, but ULM rallied to make it a four-point ballgame, 64-60, with 1:49 to go as the Trojans missed four-straight foul shots. After McClellan missed the front end of a one-and-one situation, Williams made two free throws to put the Trojans ahead by six, 66-60.
UALR appeared to have the game wrapped up after senior Courtney Jackson made 1-of-2 free throws with 25.1 seconds left to give the Trojans a 67-60 lead, but Trent Mackey and Fred Brown nailed three pointers on ULM's next two possession to make it a two-point game, 68-66. However, Williams prevented any last minute heroics by making both of his free throws with 4.9 seconds left to secure the win.
UALR took a 33-28 lead into the intermission after forcing the Warhawks into 11 first-half turnovers which it parlayed into an 11-to-2 scoring edge in points off turnovers. Tied at 9-all early on, UALR embarked on a 9-1 run to build a lead it would never relinquish. Dillard, who paced the Trojans with 10 points at the break, capped off the run with a three pointer to put UALR on top 18-10 with 8:42 to go.
Trailing 20-11, ULM used a quick 9-2 spurt to cut its deficit to two points, as UALR followed up Dillard's first three pointer with a 4:31 drought between field goals. A three pointer by Hansberry pulled the Warhawks within two, 22-20, but UALR answered with seven-unanswered points, sparked by Dillard's second three pointer, to build a 29-20 advantage.
The Trojans shot 34.6 percent from the field in the first half, including a 3-of-13 effort from three-point range (23.1 percent), but took a five-point lead into the break behind a defense which came up with seven steals.
UALR pushed its lead to double figures on three occasions in the second half, but the Warhawks refused to go quietly. Mingo scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome UALR's scoring advantage at the foul line.
UALR returns to action Thursday, Feb. 9 when it travels to Lafayette, La. to take on Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns at 7 p.m.
