NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana-Monroe reserve forward Tommie Sykes hit a free throw with 22.7 seconds left to lift the Warhawks to a 48-47 win at New Orleans on Saturday.
The free throw helped ULM (9-12, 4-6 Sun Belt Conference) overcome 27 percent shooting in taking its first SBC road game this year.
Colby Carr and Dynile Forbes each had 10 points to lead ULM, while Forbes had a team-best eight rebounds.
Charles Carmouche, Devin McDonald and Jaroslav Tyrna each had nine points to pace the Privateers (7-13, 2-7). UNO had won its last two games at Lakefront Arena.
UNO could not overcome a rough night from the free-throw line. The Privateers were just 13-for-28 (46 percent) from the charity stripe and were 0-for-5 in the first half.
The hosts were also hampered by 39 percent shooting from the field.
UNO missed leading scorer Billy Humphrey for the fourth straight game. The Georgia transfer has been sidelined with a knee injury.
Despite the shooting struggles, UNO managed to overcome a five-point deficit in the last 90 seconds.
After Rudy Turner (9 points) hit a pair of free throws to give ULM a 47-42 lead with 1:23 remaining, UNO cut the margin to three after Carl Blair hit two free throws.
Turner turned it over on the next possession, and Tyrna gave UNO its first tie since midway through the first half with a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left.
But Sykes drew a foul inside, and - after missing the first free throw short - calmly drilled the second.
Blair missed a 15-foot jumper with five seconds left, and ULM's Brandon Williams got the rebound and threw the ball down the court as time expired.
It was ULM's fourth straight win against UNO and the fifth time in the last six meetings that the outcome was decided by six points or less.
The Privateers will return to SBC action on Thursday with a 7 p.m. matchup at Middle Tennessee.
