Courtesy: Mark Wagner Mark Wagner Sophomore Taylor Gault led all scorers with 18 in the game.

MONROE, La. - The Warhawks cut the deficit to two late in the game, but a 6-0 run by the Trojans propelled UALR (16-7, 8-6 Sun Belt) past ULM (6-16, 4-9 SBC) Thursday night (Feb. 7) at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La.

UALR used a 43-28 edge in rebounds and a 24-2 advantage in second-chance points in the victory. The Trojans made 22-52 (42.3 percent) from the field, including 4-5 (80 percent) from beyond the arc. ULM made 20-56 (35.7 percent) from the field but was held to 3-11 (27.3 percent) from downtown.

Sophomore Taylor Gault led all scorers with 18 points, including a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc. Classmate Kiera Clark added 12 points, hitting 4-of-5 shots for the game. Freshman Shanity James contributed eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Sophomore Taylor Ford chipped in nine points and nine boards.

Elaxar Tugler hit 7-10 from the field to lead the Warhawks with 18 points. Ashleigh Simmons contributed 12.

Clark got UALR off to a quick 4-0 start thanks to a jumper in the lane and a mid-range shot along the baseline. Tied at six, Gault nailed a pair of three-pointers around a ULM triple to give the Trojans the lead for good with 11:32 left in the half.

Up 18-14, UALR started to get the second-chance points rolling. Sophomore Ka'Nesheia Cobbins followed her own miss with a layup. ULM cut it four with a pair from the charity stripe, but UALR answered when Gault banked in a free throw jumper while being fouled. She made the ensuing free throw and UALR led 23-16 with 6:25 left.

The Trojans ended the half with three-of-four baskets off of offensive rebounds. After a Merriex jumper, Cobbins cleaned up a Gault miss to give UALR its largest lead of the first half. After ULM scored the next four, Merriex recycled a freshman Jakeisha Wells miss and Clark grabbed a Ford misfire to push the lead back to nine.

The home team hit a pair of free throws, but Wells answered for her only basket of the half as UALR led 33-24 at the break. The Trojans went 3-3 from beyond the arc and held a 23-13 lead on the glass. UALR also rebounded 47.1 percent (8-17) of its missed shots for a 15-0 advantage in second-chance points at half.

UALR built a 43-31 lead on a triple from Ford with 15:27 left in the game, but ULM's Elexar Tugler single-handedly kept the Warhawks in the game. She hit a shot followed by a pair from the charity stripe. She finished her run with an old-fashioned three and Christina Gray split from the line. ULM trailed 44-39 with 10:59 left.

UALR led 48-44 when it went on a 5-0 run to push the lead back to nine. Ford hit a pair of free throws and James split from the line. Gault added a jumper and the visitors led 43-34 with 6:57 left.

ULM fought back and cut the deficit to two with three minutes left. Gray hit a three and after a defensive stand, Simmons hit a lay-up to draw the Warhawks within 58-56. However, UALR hit 9-12 from the charity stripe in the final minutes to seal the 69-62 win.

UALR takes almost a week off before a critical Sun Belt West game against Arkansas State next Wednesday (Feb. 13). Tip time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.