CONWAY, Ark. _ The Lamar Cardinals used superior depth and a combined 45 points from a pair of guards to down the University of Central Arkansas 99-75 on Saturday afternoon at the Farris Center.
Devon Lamb scored 23 points and Mike James added 22 as the Cardinals improved to 7-7 overall and 1-1 in Southland Conference play. Lamar got 53 points off the bench, including James’ 22 and 12 more from Charlie Harper.
“You can’t give up 52 points off the bench,’ said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “Sometimes with Lamar it can be a little deceiving because they change their lineup so much, guys coming off the bench could actually be starting.
“They do a great job. They are loaded at the guard spot and have a lot of depth. It’s just a constant wave of athletic guards attacking from the perimeter and we didn’t respond to it very well.’
The Bears (4-10, 0-1) were tied with the Cardinals at 33-33 with 2:05 left in the first half, but Lamar went on an 11-1 run the remainder of the half to take a 44-34 lead at the break. After that, the Cardinals never allowed the Bears any closer than seven points the rest of the way. The Lamar lead reached a high of 27 points in the final minute.
“When they jumped out to the lead, I thought we did a good job keeping our composure and getting back into the game,’ said Williamson. “But then toward the end of the half, I thought we got away from what we are capable of doing and took some ill-advised shots and some quick threes.
“At that point, we’ve been down before at halftime, and we felt like we could come out and make a run. I’m kind of at a loss for words about how we came back in the second half. It was kind of uncharacteristic of us. We’ve been able to fight back from that position, but in the second half, I think we completely got away from playing Central Arkansas basketball.’
The Bears, battling injuries and sickness, started their eighth different lineup of the season and had very little depth to contend with the up-tempo Cardinals. UCA, which shot a very respectable 53.3 percent from the field in the second half, managed only 17 points from its reserves.
Senior guard Imad Qahwash led the Bears with 19 points in his second consecutive start. Senior guard Mike Pouncy and junior guard Dewan Clayborn scored 13 each, while junior forward Mark Rutledge added 11. The Bears got to the free-throw line 24 times but made only 13 (54.2 percent).
Lamar shot 52 percent from the field for the game and made nine three-pointers.
“I think when we went in, we were looking to draw fouls rather than finishing,’ said Williamson. “It was a cocktail for disaster against them. You let a team shoot the ball like that and get to the basket, then on the other end you aren’t able to convert. We started playing like Lamar, taking quick shots, and that’s what they do best.’
UCA returns to SLC action on Wednesday at Stephen F. Austin. Game time is 7 p.m. in Nacogdoches, Texas.
