LR Downs ULM for Sixth Straight Victory

MONROE, La. – The Little Rock women's basketball team had three double-digit scorers and got its sixth consecutive victory on Thursday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum, downing ULM by a 53-37 score.
 
Kaitlyn Pratt had 12 points off the bench in the first half on 6 of 7 shooting, and the junior finished the evening with 20. Sharde' Collins got 13 points and Shanity James earned a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Trojans (11-11, 9-4 Sun Belt Conference) are now back up to .500 overall on the season for the first time since the team was 2-2.

Little Rock's defense had another excellent game, holding ULM (9-13, 3-10) to just 30.2 percent shooting. The Warhawks had just 15 points at halftime and shot just 7.7 percent in the third quarter.
 
The win was Little Rock's ninth straight against ULM and sixth straight overall. Little Rock is now tied for second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings with Louisiana. The Trojans and Ragin' Cajuns are set to play for sole possession of second place at the Cajundome on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Thursday's contest was decided in the very early going. The Warhawks scored just four points in the first quarter, going nearly seven full minutes without a basket in the middle of the quarter. Little Rock only managed 11 points in the period and missed its final seven shots of the quarter but the team still managed a 7-point lead heading into the second.
 
Little Rock's lead grew in the second quarter, and the Trojans held a 29-15 lead at the break. Pratt had a team-high 12 points at the break and would add 8 more in the second half.
 
In the third quarter, the Trojans extended their lead all the way to 26 points as they outscored the home team 17-6. ULM missed 12 consecutive field goals in the quarter as Little Rock's defense locked down the Warhawks.
 
ULM managed a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to make a significant dent in the deficit as the Trojans won by 16.
 
Monique Townson had a team-best five assists, and James added four of her own. Townson scored just 1 point, but she managed six rebounds. Pratt had seven rebounds to finish second on the team in that category.
 
Alayshia Hunter was the only Warhawk player to do significant damage on offense, scoring 13 points in the first half on 6 of 7 shooting. But in the third quarter, Little Rock allowed her to make just one free throw as she missed her only two field-goal attempts. Hunter finished the night with 16 points.
 
During the night, Kaitlyn Pratt reached 400 career rebounds. Sharde' Collins also earned her 100th career defensive rebound.
 
Little Rock has a huge game coming up on Saturday as it travels to Lafayette to take on Louisiana with second place in the Sun Belt Conference potentially on the line. The Trojans and the Ragin' Cajuns are set for a 2 p.m. tipoff at the Cajundome.