31 Dec 2024 Second half carries Bears past Eagles 

CONWAY — It took a half Sunday afternoon at the Farris Center, but the University of Central Arkansas Bears eventually put away the Southwestern Christian Eagles 87-69 in their final non-conference tuneup before conference play begins.

UCA (4-9) outscored SCU 49-29 in the second half, led by senior Elias Cato, who scored 20 of his team-high 22 points in the final 20 minutes. Cato led five Bears in double figures, with freshman Layne Taylor adding 15 points, sophomore Brayden Fagbemi 13, redshirt freshman Ben Fox 11 and sophomore Michael Evbagharu 10. 

Junior forward Glory Etim had 7 points and 13 rebounds as UCA dominated the boards by a 50-33 margin, including 16 offensive rebounds. The Bears scored 22 second-chance points and had 46 points in the paint.

The Eagles, an NAIA team from Bethany, Okla., led 40-38 at halftime on the strength of 10 three-pointers. SCU made 10 of 21 from beyond the arc in the opening half but went just 2 for 10 in the second half. UCA was 7 of 31 from three-point range, with Fox and Taylor making three each.

SCU sophomore Deondre Dunn led all scorers with 26 points, connecting on four of the Eagles’ threes. However, UCA’s defense held him to just six points in the second half. SCU shot just 35.3 percent overall in the second half.

“The big thing is we shot 15 threes in the first half, and they shot 21,” said UCA head coach John Shulman. “If you don’t want them to make 10, then don’t let them shoot 21. We just did a poor job. And when you’re pressing, you’re going to give up some threes on the back end, that’s just what it is. But that’s why we went completely away from it and had to just squat down and guard.

“And we did a decent job. They scored 29 points in the second half. But you have to give them a little credit, they were banking them in and throwing them in off their hips. You know, sometimes those basketball gods want to test you, and they tested us today.”    

The Bears, still playing without five players, got a spark off the bench from freshman Ethan Thomas, who played a season-high 16 minutes. Cato added 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, and fourth of his career. 

“I watched them yesterday against Tulsa, and it was a 12-point game,” said Shulman. “And Tulsa is good, and if they didn’t make shots they weren’t going to win by 30. But they made shots. Give credit to them (SCU) for coming out (today) and making shots. 

“But give credit to one kid in our program, and his name is Ethan Thomas. It was an honor to watch him do what he did out there today. And our kids rallied around him. And when I say multiple times, enthusiasm is contagious, that’s what I’m talking about. I couldn’t be more proud of Ethan. It just felt like the right thing to do, to play him. And he responded, and we took upon his personality.

“If you’re running a company, you want Ethan Thomas, because he’s going to show up 30 minutes early and stay 30 minutes late. He’s different, he’s uncommon. You know, sometimes life works out like it’s supposed to work out, and for that dude, it worked out today. He plays his guts out, he does everything we ask, he’s in the gym all the time. And (our) kids have great respect for him. 

“And he hadn’t done it in a game, but now he has, so they’re going to have even more respect for him.”  

UCA opens play in the Atlantic Sun Conference on Thursday night, hosting Eastern Kentucky as part of a doubleheader with the Sugar Bears. The Bears will tip off the nightcap at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Scottie Pippen Court.