ULM Women's Basketball to Host Central Arkansas on Monday

ULM defense faces Central Arkansas test

The University of Louisiana Monroe women’s basketball team enters Monday night’s matchup against Central Arkansas riding a wave of defensive dominance that has redefined their early season.

According to ulmwarhawks.com, the Warhawks are looking to parlay their recent historic performance into a victory at b1Bank Fant Coliseum.

The stakes for Monday’s 6:30 p.m. CT tip-off involve more than just a single win. ULM is currently attempting to maintain a defensive identity that has already yielded league-leading statistics through the opening week of play.

ULM’s recent outing against Centenary was a statistical anomaly that shifted the program’s trajectory. The Warhawks secured a 106-26 victory, a result that produced an 80-point margin—the largest in the program’s history. During that contest, the defense forced 49 turnovers and recorded 32 steals, a figure that ties for the 10th most in NCAA Division I history.

The scoring threat of the Sugar Bears

Central Arkansas arrives in Monroe following a 72-44 loss to Baylor. Despite that defeat, the Sugar Bears possess enough scoring ability to challenge ULM's stifling perimeter pressure. Layla Reese, a fourth-year guard, led her team with 11 points in the Baylor game and currently holds a team-best average of 14.0 points per game.

The Sugar Bears' roster includes preseason award winners and recent postseason success. The team finished the 2025-26 season with 21 wins and a deep run to the ASUN Championship Semifinal. Key contributors include fourth-year forward Tiani Elison, who averages 10.0 points, and Cheyanne Kemp, a Second Team All-ASUN selection from last season. Both Kemp and Ellison were named to the Preseason All-UAC Team.

While Central Arkansas has historically held the upper hand in this series, the momentum has shifted. Central Arkansas leads the all-time series 5-1, but ULM claimed its first victory against the Sugar Bears in December 2024 with a 65-49 win in New Orleans.

Culver leads the Warhawks attack

While ULM has found its rhythm through defense, Aiyanna Culver has provided the necessary offensive spark. The third-year guard recently posted a career-high 35 points in a win over Centenary. That performance was the highest individual scoring total in the Sun Belt during the season’s opening week.

Culver’s efficiency has placed her among the conference leaders. Through the first week of play, her .591 field goal percentage and .529 three-point percentage both rank third in the Sun Belt. She is one of only two players in the conference to record a 30-point game this season.

Player	Team	Stat Category	Value
Aiyanna Culver	ULM	Scoring Average	19.0
Layla Reese	Central Arkansas	Scoring Average	14.0
Tiani Elison	Central Arkansas	Scoring Average	10.0

Warhawks defense leads Sun Belt in steals and turnovers

The success of the Warhawks is anchored by a defensive unit that currently leads the Sun Belt in several key categories. ULM has allowed an average of just 41.5 points through its first two games. This defensive pressure is driven by a high volume of steals, with the team averaging 21.0 per game.

Individual contributors are vital to this scheme. Erin Henry is averaging 4.5 steals per game, ranking fourth in the conference, while Kylee Hunt and Nuria Mucongo follow with 3.50 and 3.00 steals per game, respectively. This activity has resulted in a +11.0 turnover margin for ULM, the second-best in the Sun Belt.

Central Arkansas must overcome this pressure to find scoring opportunities for Reese and Elison. If the Sugar Bears can mitigate the turnover rate, they may find success against a ULM defense that has already allowed only 26 made field goals through two games.

Following Monday’s game, ULM will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff on November 16. That matchup will serve as the first part of a double-header at b1Bank Fant Coliseum, with the women’s team tipping off at 5 p.m.