MONROE, La. (AP) -Tony Hooper scored 18 points and Louisiana-Monroe defeated Alcorn State 82-66 on Sunday.
Hooper opened the game with seven points to lead the Warhawks (1-1) to an 11-2 advantage with 16:59 left in the first half.
The Warhawks shot 51.6 percent in the first half (16-for-31), while the Braves (0-3) turned the ball over 16 times.
The Braves closed the deficit to 62-56 with 10:47 remaining, but a jump shot by Hooper ended their 8-0 run. Louisiana-Monroe pushed the lead to 80-60 with just over 4 minutes remaining in the game.
Louisiana-Monroe shot 50 percent from 3-point range (8-for-16) in the game, including a 4-for-5 performance by Lawrence Gilbert. He finished with 14 points and Tommie Sykes added 16 in the Warhawks' home opener.
Alcorn State was led by JaMarkus Holt with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Ian Francis added 15 points for the Braves.
