Preview: Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at Buffalo Bulls

AMHERST, N.Y. (Interstat) — Two teams on divergent paths will meet Saturday when the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks visit the Buffalo Bulls in a nonconference women’s basketball matchup at Alumni Arena.

Louisiana-Monroe (10-12) enters with momentum from a decisive 81-62 victory over Georgia State on Wednesday. The Warhawks have shown offensive potency, averaging 74.5 points over their last two wins. Guard Marcavia Shavers has been a consistent catalyst, coming off a 13-point, 4-assist performance against Georgia State. Over her last five games, Shavers is averaging 13.0 points.

Buffalo (2-20) seeks to halt a 10-game losing streak, its most recent a 90-59 home loss to Central Michigan. The Bulls have struggled defensively, allowing an average of 80.3 points during the skid. Their bright spot has been the play of guard Aniya Rowe, who has shouldered a heavy scoring load. Rowe is averaging 21.1 points over her last seven games, including a 25-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist effort in Wednesday’s defeat.

The game pits ULM’s intermittent offensive surges against a Buffalo squad searching for consistency at both ends. The Warhawks’ Jazmine Jackson (19 points vs. Georgia State) and J’Mani Ingram (18 points) provide additional scoring options. For Buffalo, support for Rowe has been sporadic; Janyah Bohanon and Diann Jackson combined for 24 points in the last outing.

Saturday’s contest represents a final nonconference opportunity for both before resuming league play. ULM will look to build a winning record before returning to Sun Belt action next week. Buffalo aims to find a spark before a tough stretch of Mid-American Conference games.

Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.