08 Jan 2025 Bears hit road for ASUN matchup today

Posted at 6:55 PMh in Sports by

CONWAY — After recording their first Atlantic Sun Conference victory on Saturday, the University of Central Arkansas Bears will now have to take that momentum on the road Thursday for their first of four consecutive games away from the Farris Center.

UCA (5-10, 1-1) will take on the Stetson Hatters (3-12, 1-1) at 6 p.m. (CST) Thursday at the Edmunds Center in DeLand, Fla.

The Bears beat Bellarmine 71-65 at home on Saturday, getting a game and career-high 29 points from freshman guard Layne Taylor and 21 more points from senior Elias Cato. Their ASUN opener last Thursday was an overtime loss to Eastern Kentucky.

Stetson won its first two games of the season over non-Division I teams, but then lost 10 straight before a victory over Fort Lauderdale (NCCAA) on Dec. 22. The Hatters opened league play with a 96-87 loss at Queens before beating West Georgia 78-62 on Saturday in Carrollton, Ga.

The series between the Bears and Hatters is tied 2-2, with UCA winning the first two and Stetson the last two, including a 73-62 overtime win last year in Conway. Jalen Blackmon topped the Hatters with 27 points but transferred to Miami after the season. In fact, their top five scorers are all gone from last year’s ASUN Tournament champion and NCAA Tournament team. The Hatters lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the first round. 

UCA will follow up the Stetson game with three more in the state of Florida. The Bears will face Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday in Fort Myers, Fla., then return to the Sunshine State next week to face North Florida on Thursday and Jacksonville on Saturday, both in Jacksonville, Fla.