Stats That Stand Out
It happened yet again. The Bears (6-14, 1-6) were in control of the game for 34 minutes, leading from the score 10-7 until the 6:37 mark in the second half when Southeastern Louisiana (12-7, 4-2) took a 56-55 lead. The lead went back and forth until a three-pointer by Terry Bryant put the Lions up three, a lead that would hold up and actually expand down the stretch.
The Lions outscored the Bears 12-4 the final four minutes of the game and won 74-66 in front of an announced crowd of 3,450 at the Farris Center.
- Three bears scored in double-figures: Durrell Nevels (10), Fred Campbell (12), Marcus Pillow (15).
- The Lions had two players in double-figures, both broke the twenty point mark and shot 8-of-14 each. Southeastern Louisiana’s Quennell Green scored 17 second half points.
- The Bears shot 52% in the first half and led 39-32 at the half. They shot just 41% in the second half.
- UCA missed five of their last seven shots as the Lions pulled away.
- Marcus Pillow made back-to-back threes to begin the second half and put the Bears up 12. Pillow made three of the teams’ seven three-pointers.
- The Bears shot a total of 11 free throws. The Lions shot 11 free throws in the first half.
- UCA outrebounded SELU 35-30 and scored more points in the paint, 30-22.
- Where the game may have been won — The Bears committed five more turnovers than the Lions, which might not seem like much, but SELU scored 17 points off UCA’s 13 turnovers.
- SELU shot an amazing 64% from three-point range in the second half.
- The announced attendance was the fourth largest attendance in Farris Center history according to the box score.
The Bears just haven’t learned to protect a lead. It seems like each game they make the costly mistakes at the end of the game to put the opponent right back in the game. Once that momentum is gone, the Bears just fade away.
Sugar Bears out-woman Cowgirls
Sometimes you’ve just got to get the first one, and the second one comes a little easier.
Lamar came to Conway Thursday leading the Eastern Division of the conference and left with their first SLC loss and UCA’s first SLC win. Saturday night, the Sugar Bears faced the other end of the spectrum, winless in the conference McNeese State.
The result of the game was just how it looked like it would be on paper beforehand. The Sugar Bears coasted to a 85-73 win, but it didn’t look like it would be that way at the end of the first half when McNeese battled back to go to the lockerroom down just four, 36-32.
The start of the second half ended any hope that the Cowgirls had of upsetting the Sugar Bears.
Just eight seconds into the half, Caronica Randle scored the first of what would be a 21-4 run for UCA. Five different players scored during the run.
The Sugar Bears kept the Cowgirls at bay by shooting well from the field and the free throw line. Mariesha Piggee, on her 20th birthday, attempted a pair free throws on four straight possessions late in the game, missing only one.
- UCA blocked 10 shots, once blocked two shots in one McNeese possession.
- Caronica Randle, known for her offense, had four of those blocks on her own.
- Randle did score a game-high 21 points.
- Four Sugar Bears finished with double-figures in scoring.
- After outrebounding Lamar, UCA was outrebounded by 12 against the Cowgirls.
- Renita Dobbins may not have led the team in points, but she wasn’t far behind at 16.
- She did, however, lead the team in both assists (8) and rebounds (7). Pretty amazing for a player listed at 5’4”.
- Piggee had four of the team’s nine takeaways.
- Sharece Love, Shannon Oden, and Allyson Sample each finished with seven points.
- The Sugar Bears shot 55% from the floor and 80% from the free throw line.