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Good win for the Bears

75 to 68

RPI had us projected to lose 65 to 80. Great job guys keep it up!!

Shame I'm out of radio reach for 91.3 and the live audio was not working, was watching espn gamecast until it went down at half time. Had to rely on slow updates from espn and cbssports.

Nice road win.

http://www.ucasports.com/news/2011/11/30/MBB_1130110815.aspx

Miles 4th straight 20+ game with 23....Harks added 15.....

Good job of coming from behind on the road...

A very nice road win indeed!

Knew the guys had it in them. In the Eastern Illinois game they looked like they'd made an 180˚ turn from where they had been only days before. There's still a lot of work to be done, but I'm glad to see them start to head down the right road. First road win since the end of the 2009-2010 season has to count for something

Looking forward to seeing what Miles can do in SLC play.
That guy has been a scorer like we haven't had in a long while.

But, THE FREE THROW SHOOTING must get better!

Glad to see the guys get some momentum this season. I look forward to the rest of the season now that we know what these guys are capable of. They have let the cat out of the bag (or should I say Bear). It goes without saying that they will have a better season than last, but I actually think we may surprise some folks when we get into SLC play (barring any unforeseen incidents or injuries). GO BEARS!!!! Way to go!!! Here's to a great season this year.

http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20111201/SPORTS/112010318/Skyhawks-show-lack-want-loss-Central-Ark-?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

Skyhawks show lack of 'want to' in loss to Central Ark.
11/30/11
MARTIN — Coming home from a big road win against UAB over the weekend, the UT Martin men's basketball team should have had some positive energy. But the Skyhawks lacked it Wednesday back at home against Central Arkansas.

Coach Jason James was unimpressed with his team's effort, particularly in the first half. The Skyhawks lost, 75-68.

"Not much to say. We didn't play very hard," James said. "Central Arkansas is a good basketball team, and they came out and outtoughed us in our own gym. It can't happen if you want to win games at this level."

The visiting Purple Bears used a full-court press to turn a 28-17 deficit into a 36-31 lead in the final eight minutes of the first half. Central Arkansas coach Corliss Williamson was a star on Arkansas' 1994 national championship team, which pressed regularly, so perhaps that strategy wasn't surprising.

In any case, the Skyhawks didn't handle the traps well and committed a few turnovers without being able to advance the ball.

"We've seen a press before. We played very tentative against it, and we didn't attack," James said. "We acted we weren't sure where the ball needed to go, and that showed. They were like sharks, they smelled blood and they jumped on us."
Even when UTM did make it upcourt successfully, it couldn't knock down shots going into the half. Several layups and short jumpers would hit the rim but roll off, making for a frustrating segment to close the first half.

But the Skyhawks didn't help their cause on the glass. They grabbed few offensive rebounds, while on defense they frequently gave up second-chance points.

Down 66-62 with 4:18 to go, UCA's LaQuentin Miles got three offensive rebounds on one possession, continuing to go up strong until he got fouled. He knocked down a free throw and UTM could not get closer than three points the rest of the game.

"There were just effort problems," James said. "There's not (just) one thing. Rebounding has a lot to do with desire and want-to. And we didn't really 'want to' tonight, and it showed."

Mike Liabo and Corderio Maclin led UTM with 12 points apiece.

James said he wants to see better leadership from his players, many of whom are young but playing a lot of minutes.

"This basketball game wasn't lost today," he said. "People saw the final score and thought 'Man we lost the game today.' The game was lost yesterday when we had a bad practice."

UTM hosts Ball State at 2 p.m. Saturday.