CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas Bears overcame a double-digit, second-half deficit on Sunday afternoon and remained perfect on Scottie Pippen Court and in the ASUN Conference with a rousing 93-88 victory over the Lipscomb Bisons.
UCA (5-10, 2-0) placed six players in double figures and finished off the the win with an emphatic alley-oop dunk by Jared Chatham, courtesy of a nifty pass from Darious Hall, who had his fifth double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and added a career-high seven assists.
The Bears did it with a balanced and efficient offense. UCA had a season-low five turnovers and recorded 20 assists and had six in double figures for the first time this season against a Division I opponent. UCA also got 35 points from its bench and made 11 three-pointers, the second-best outing this season.
UCA is now 2-0 in its initial season in the ASUN after being picked 11th and 12th in the preseason polls. The Bears earned a solid 79-72 road win at Eastern Kentucky last Tuesday in the conference opener. The Bears also improved to 4-0 on its new home court.
“I told the guys, I really think Lipscomb is a more experienced, more seasoned team than us,” said UCA head coach Anthony Boone said of the Bisons, who were picked fifth in the ASUN preseason poll. “We told them it was going to take a lot of toughness and effort in order to have a chance to win this game.
“And the guys showed that. Eddy (Kayouloud) had a huge first half and helped us get back in the game and get the lead. Then in the second half we spotted them awhile and then at the under-12 minute) media (time out) the guys just really turned it on. We had guys pick up the slack with Collin (Cooper) getting in foul trouble and eventually fouling out. It was just a great team effort.”
Kayouloud, a junior forward, came off the bench and carried the Bears in the first half, scoring all 18 of his points in just 10 minutes of action. UCA trailed by nine just seven minutes into the game before Kayouloud took over with a 14-point scoring spurt of his own. A layup by freshman Camren Hunter gave the Bears a 29-28 lead with 6:25 left in the half, and a three-pointer from Jaxson Baker gave them a 32-25 lead.
The Bears shot 55.9% from the field and made 4 of 11 (36.4%) from three-point range in the opening half and led 46-45 at the break.
In the second half, Lipscomb continually fed its 6-foot-9, 275-pound center Ahsan Adadullah and he responded with 32 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 15 of 20 from the field. His inside presence allowed the Bisons to run out to a 11-point lead with 12:14 to play before the Bears rallied. UCA got three-pointers from Collin Cooper, Hunter and Baker and finally drew even on Hall’s three-pointer with 2:10 remaining.
After Lipscomb’s Parker Hazen missed twice at the free-throw line, UCA freshman Ibbe Klintman nailed UCA’s 10th three-pointer with :41 left, good for a 91-88 lead. Hall then found Chatham behind the defense for the alley-oop dunk that sealed it.
“I feel very fortunate to be the coach of this bunch of guys,” said Boone. “They are incredible. We played some good basketball for stretches during the non-conference season, but at certain times we just got overwhelmed. But they have always come back and taken whatever I’ve thrown at them, and that just speaks to their character.
“And because of that,we’re able to come out and play with some confidence going into conference play, still believing that we can win some games. So we’re going to ride it as long as we can. And if we do get knocked off, we’ll say ‘hey, we’ve been here before, let’s pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and just keep going.'”
Kayouloud was 7 of 11 en route to his 18 points, while Hunter went 8 of 13, including 2 of 4 from three-point range, for his 18 points. Hall followed with 16, Chatham with 11 and Klintman and Baker with 10 apiece. UCA went 7 of 13 from beyond the arc in the second half and finished with at least one three-pointer from all eight players who saw action.
UCA returns to the road with a quick turnaround, facing Bellarmine on Tuesday night at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky. Game time is 6 p.m. (CT).
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI