HUNTSVILLE — The Sam Houston Bearkats put the defensive clamps on previously-unbeaten ULM all night long in a 57-34 win on Thursday night at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.  

The Kats (4-1) won their third game in a row behind a defensive effort that forced 36 turnovers and held ULM (4-1) to just 22.2 percent shooting for the game. The 34 points by the Warhawks is the second lowest by a Bearkat opponent in a single game in SHSU history, only bettered by in the 1987-88 season when the Kats held UT Pan American to just 31 points. Meanwhile, the 22.2 percent shooting percentage is a low for a Bearkat opponent in the Ravon Justice era which began in 2018-19. 

The win gives the Kats the program's best start to a season since starting 6-1 in 1993-94.

Fanta Kone led all scorers and set a new career high with 22 points, canning a pair of 3-point buckets along with picking up four steals. Annika Corcoran joined her in double figures for the second consecutive game with 13 points while Deborah Ogayemi reached double figures for the first time this season with 11 to go with five steals.  

Aysia Ward-Strong led the Kats with seven rebounds. 

Sam Houston held the Warhawks scoreless for nearly nine minutes to start the game and held ULM to just four points in the opening period and five in the third quarter, taking a commanding 47-23 lead into the final period after Ward-Strong nailed a long 3-point bucket as the third-quarter buzzer sounded.  

The Kats went on to dominate the entirety of the second half, holding ULM to just 5-for-30 shooting in the final 20 minutes of game time.  

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The Kats will play their third home game in a row on Tuesday when they host North American at Johnson Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.