Bears try to extend one streak, end another
If the University of Central Arkansas Bears are to make it three consecutive victories on Saturday, they are going to have to do it against a team they have never beaten.
The Lamar Cardinals come to town having already beaten the Bears (7-9, 2-2) once this season, by a score of 103-67 back on Jan. 7 in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals, under the direction of Pat Knight, son of legendary coach Bobby Knight, have never lost to the Bears in nine attempts.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game,” said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “Lamar is Lamar. They are going to come in shoot the ball well, they are going to push it in transition and they are going to run their motion offense. We have to be able to come in and play our style of basketball, and be effective with it and take good shots.
“If we can do that, we’ll have an opportunity to compete.”
The Bears are playing considerably better than they were two weeks ago, having won two consecutive Southland Conference games for the first time since the final two games of the 2006-07 season. In those two victories, UCA averaged 88 points, shot a combined 49.6 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three-point range.
“Everyone is totally committed to what we’re trying to do, which is the difference in the two wins and the two losses we have in conference play,” said Williamson.
In the first Lamar game, the Cardinals turned a 14-point halftime lead into a blowout with red-hot second-half shooting. Lamar shot 68.8 percent overall, 100 percent (7 of 7) from three-point range and 87.5 percent (7 of 8) from the free-throw line in the second half. Since then, the Cardinals (11-7, 2-2) have lost consecutive games to McNeese State and UT Arlington.
UCA had five players score in double figures Wednesday night in a 99-76 victory over Nicholls, led by sophomore LaQuentin Miles with 19 points. He added 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
Junior Robert Crawford and freshman Carlin Bremner continued with the hot hand from three-point range as the Bears tied their season high with 10 threes. Crawford was 4 for 6 and Bremner was 3 for 5. Over the past six games, Crawford has shot 15 of 25 (60 percent) from beyond the arc. Bremner is 8 for 12 in the past two games.
“As the young guys say, Carlin in playing with a little swagger,” said Williamson. “We’re excited for Carlin, to have him for four years and to watch him mature and get better throughout his career is exciting.
“And Robert struggled early in the season but now he’s come on with his shot and had a career-high 19 the other night. If we can continue to get these guys to be consistent with their shooting, as well as the rest of the guys, we can do some things.”
UCA has moved to No. 5 in the conference in three-point percentage at 32.9 percent.
Lamar is led by guard Mike James, who is third in the SLC in scoring (16.3), one spot behind UCA’s Miles (16.5). James also leads the league in free-throw shooting at 83.3 percent.
Tipoff is approximately 4 p.m., following the Sugar Bears’ game with Lamar, which begins at 2 p.m.
SUGAR BEARS
After playing three of their first four conference games away from home, Central Arkansas will get a break from the road as the Sugar Bears play their next three games inside the Farris Center.
But they won’t be getting much of a break on the court.
A swing that also includes defending league champion and current standings leader McNeese State along with divisional foe Southeastern Louisiana, the Sugar Bears must first face a stiff test Saturday at 2 p.m. in the form of the Lamar Lady Cardinals – the league’s winningest program over the last three years.
“It’ll be nice to be at home and we need to be at home,” said UCA head coach Matt Daniel, whose team will be trying to move to 10-0 at home this season. The Sugar Bears have won 35 of their last 41 at the Farris Center, an .854 winning percentage. “We need the environment of home to help bring us energy, because we’re tired. You can see it in our kids. We’ll need a really good environment in here to jump-start us and get us going, and hopefully we’ll have enough legs to be fine.”
Since the start of the 2009-10 season, Lamar has posted a league-best 60 wins, with 20 or more wins in each of the last two years. The Sugar Bears are second with 55.
One of those 55 came earlier this season in Beaumont as the Sugar Bears (13-4, 3-1 Southland) defeated the Lady Cards (9-8, 1-2) 62-37 for their first-ever win at the Montagne Center.
“Beating them before means absolutely nothing,” Daniel said. “We’re familiar with them, but they’re familiar with us as well and they’re going to come in here hungry for sure. And they’re going to come in rested, having had the week off. We’ve had three of four on the road, and the way they’ve come has been tough on our bodies. We’re pretty banged up and fatigued, which leads to illness. We’re going to have to come out with a lot of fight to have a chance to be in the game and hopefully put together enough fight and energy to give us a chance late to win it.”
Lamar is led by 6-foot-2 junior guard Kalis Loyd, who is averaging 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. Loyd had 28 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the Lady Cards’ 68-52 win at UT Arlington in their last game. She was held to eight points on 4-for-12 shooting in the first meeting this season with the Sugar Bears. Monqiue Whittaker, a Nebraska transfer who is the team’s second-leading scorer at 10.9 points per game, had 10 points against UCA in the first meeting and is coming off an 18-point performance at UT Arlington.
Junior forward Megan Herbert continues to lead the Sugar Bears in both scoring (14.9) and rebounding, posting a league-best 10.4 per game. In conference play she is averaging 12 points and 11.8 rebounds, and has been perfect in 15 free throw attempts. Junior guard Micah Rice, who had 16 second-half points against Nicholls, is averaging 11.5 points per game in Southland play and has moved into seventh place in UCA history in 3-point field goals made with 114. Senior guard Nakeia Guiden is averaging 11.3 points in conference games, and is 14-for-16 (87.5 percent) from the free throw line. As a team, the Sugar Bears are 80.8 percent.
Lamar leads the series 6-4, with the Sugar Bears winning the last two and three of the last five.
With a win, UCA coach Matt Daniel would become the second winningest coach in program history. He is currently tied with Checola Seals at 61.
