MONROE, La. –  Alexis Collins banked in a 3-pointer with half a second to play to lift ULM past Texas State 61-59 in a Saturday matinee at the Warhawks' Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
Texas State ends the regular season at 16-13 overall and 11-7 in Sun Belt play. The Warhawks finish at 6-23 overall and 3-15 in conference play. ULM will be the No. 12 seed in the forthcoming Sun Belt Championship, while the Bobcats will learn their seeding at the end of the day's games.
 
Texas State rallied from as many as 11 down in the third quarter to twice tie the game in the fourth and eventually take a 59-58 lead on Toshua Leavitt's old-fashioned 3-point play with 23 seconds to play. ULM called time out to set up its final possession, finding Collins for the game-winner.
 
Leavitt scored a game-high 20 points, counting five triples, three free throws and a layup. Kaitlin Walla also scored in double-figures with her 13-point day. The Bobcats closed the contest shooing 48.9 percent overall (22 of 45), including 53.3 percent (8 of 15) from three.
 
Collins led ULM with 17 points, while Stephanie Ratliff and Andreanna Jackson added 10 apiece. The Warhawks also shot the ball well, making 23 of 54 attempts for a 42.6 percentage.
 
Both teams scored 22 points in the paint, ULM held a 10-8 edge in points off turnovers and the Bobcats a 22-7 advantage in bench production.
 
Texas State trailed 14-13 after the first quarter. Leavitt led the Bobcats' offense in the quarter with two 3-pointers – her 66th and 67th of the season, which moved her into second on the Texas State all-time single season 3-point field goals made list.
 
ULM outscored the Bobcats 21-15 in the second quarter for a 35-28 halftime lead. The Warhawks hit three 3-pointers in the period, while the Bobcats connected on two from deep, including Walla's triple from the left corner in the waning seconds of the half.
 
Both teams shot an even 50 percent in the opening 20 minutes with ULM knocking down 14 of its 28 attempts and Texas State 11 of its 22.
 
ULM scored four points in the first 1:30 of the third quarter to take a game-high 11-point lead at 39-28. Texas State stiffened defensively, holding the Warhawks scoreless for the next 4:32. However, the Bobcat offense only managed to score a Ti'Aira Pitts and-1 and committed four turnovers. After a ULM free throw, Erin Peoples scored inside, sparking a 12-3 Bobcat run to end the third and cut the ULM lead to 46-43. Leavitt scored eight straight during the TXTS scoring streak, including threes on back-to-back possessions.
 
Leavitt connected on her fifth triple of the contest to tie the game at 46-all 19 second into the fourth quarter. ULM answered with an 8-3 run to take a 54-49 lead. Walla then scored the game's next five points on a knifing layup and a right-wing three, knotting the game at 54 with 3:44 to go.
 
ULM's Ratliff and Cortez bookended an Amber Jones score inside with layup of their own to set the stage for Leavitt and Collins' final-minute shots.
  • Texas State turn its attention toward the 2017 Sun Belt Championship presented by First Bank and Trust in New Orleans, La. The Bobcats will learn their seeding and path to the championship Saturday evening after the conclusion of the day's games.
  • The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy.  New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships ­that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from the Texas State ticket office.  For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship – Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.
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