UCA Bears Open SLC Play Thursday at Nicholls

Courtesy UCA Athletics Department

THIBODAUX, La. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears hope to carry the momentum from Monday’s easy victory over Central Baptist College into their Southland Conference opener on Thursday night at Nicholls State.

The UCA Bears (5-5) rolled past the cross-town Mustangs 107-82 in their final tuneup before league play opens. In that game, senior forward Jarvis Garner led five players in double figures with a career-high 38 points, and also added 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Senior center Anthony Borden, in just his second game back after missing the first semester, added 14 points and 7 rebounds.

“I told the guys we’re 5-5 overall and that means we’re 0-0, no wins, no losses,” said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “Now we have an 18-game grind coming up with conference play. We have to be ready to go. This is what counts.”

The Bears are just 1-5 in SLC opening games since joining the league for the 2006-07 season. The victory was a 70-68 overtime win over UT Arlington in 2008. UCA trails 7-6 in the series and is 2-2 in games played in Thibodaux.

The Colonels are just 1-9 and have lost seven consecutive games since beating future SLC member New Orleans 92-79 back on Nov. 26. Nicholls has one of the top players in the SLC in senior guard Fred Hunter (6-foot-5, 240 pounds), who is second in the conference in scoring (18.3), fifth in rebounding (7.6) and fourth in field-goal percentage (53.6 percent).

Garner is third in the SLC in scoring (15.9), while senior guard Robert Crawford is second in three-point shooting (46.3 percent) and sixth in the country. Junior forward Jordan Harks is second in field-goal percentage (62.3 percent). The Bears lead the league in three-point shooting at 37.1 percent and are 25th in the nation.

UCA made 10 three-pointers against Central Baptist, the fourth time in 10 games they have made at least 10 from beyond the arc. The Colonels rank just 10th in the SLC in three-point defense, allowing six per game. Oppoents are also shooting 49.8 percent from the field against the Colonels.

The Bears continue their two-game conference road trip on Saturday afternoon at Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond.