15 Jan 2025 Bears back in Florida for two ASUN matchups

Posted at 8:12 PMh in Sports by

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The University of Central Arkansas Bears are back in Florida for the second consecutive week for a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference games in Jacksonville.

UCA (5-12, 1-3) will face the North Florida Ospreys at 6 p.m. (CST) Thursday, then take on the Jacksonville Dolphins at 1 p.m. (CST) Saturday.

The Bears just returned from the Sunshine State and matchups with Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast last week. UCA will play at home for the first time since Jan. 4 on Thursday, Jan. 23 when they host Austin Peay.

In its last outing, UCA trailed by as much as 16 points midway through the second half at FGCU before rallying within six at the end. Senior Elias Cato scored a career-high 29 points and made five of UCA’s 11 three-pointers. Sophomore D.J. Seixas had 11 points and 4 rebounds for the Bears.

UNF is 8-9 overall and 1-3 in ASUN play. The Ospreys knocked off South Carolina of the SEC in their season opener, then won twice more over Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech (ACC). They won their first conference game on Saturday, beating Bellarmine 98-83 on the road in Louisville, Ky.

The Ospreys are once again the most prolific scoring team in the ASUN, as well as the top three-point shooting squad. UNF averages a league-best 83.8 points per game, but is allowing a league-worst 85.1. The Ospeys are No. 1 in the nation in three-pointers with 215 (12.6 per game), with a sizable lead over No. 2 Queens (167, 9.8). They are also tops in three-point attempts (608) over No. 2 UCA (561).

Not surprising, UNF has five players averaging in double figures, led by 6-foot-8 freshman Josh Harris at 14.5 points per game and 6-6 sophomore Jasai Mills at 14.4. They have three players who have started all 17 games, including Mills, Nate Lliteras and Jaylen Smith. Mills had a team-high 20 points in the win over Bellarmine. Harris was held to eight points for the third consecutive game.

Freshman guard Layne Taylor, who only had 10 points against FGCU, leads the Bears at 17.4 points per game, which ranks fourth in the ASUN. Cato, off his career high, moved up to eighth at 16.2 per game.