JONESBORO, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears saw their five-game winning streak come to an end Saturday night as the Arkansas State Red Wolves took a 71-64 victory before a crowd of 2,542 at the Convocation Center.
UCA (5-4) found itself down by as much as 12 points in the first half and by 11 at the break. The Bears turned up the defense early in the second half and got to within two points early on but could never get closer. ASU (4-5) connected on 21 free throws, including 14 in the second half, to hold on for the win.
“It seemed like in the first half our guys were kind of shell-shocked,’ said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “We turned the basketball over a lot and couldn’t get anything going. We felt a little more comfortable in the second half and turned the pressure up some. We made some opportunities for ourselves, but anytime you get down 11 on the road in the first half, it’s going to be one tough time to get back in it and try to find a way to win.’
Consecutive steals and layups senior Mark Rutledge sparked the Bears to a 10-3 run to start the second half as they closed an 11-point halftime deficit to just two points at 44-42 with 14:34 remaining. But the Red Wolves answered by scoring eight consecutive points to push their lead back to 51-42 on a jumper by Ed Townsell.
“We tried to do some pressing in the first half but for some reason it was like our guys were in mud,’ said Williamson. “They just didn’t have the energy that we had in the second half. We came out after the half an we turned it up some. But it’s like I tell them all the time, you can’t wait until you get down to decide that you want to play hard. You have to approach the game that way.
“We should learn a lesson from this. We have the next four games on the road and if we don’t come out and play with some energy early, our five-game winning streak could easily turn into a five-game losing streak.’
The Bears trailed by 13 points with 2:45 remaining when sophomore Ryan Williams made a three-pointer, Anthony Borden tipped in a shot and Jarvis Garner nailed another three to get the Bears within 66-60 with 1:10 to play. The Red Wolves made 1 of 2 at the free-throw line on three straight trips and Garner hit another three-pointer to make it 68-64 with 38.6 seconds left.
But ASU’s Brandon Peterson hit a pair at the line, UCA turned the ball over and Adam Sterrenberg hit 1 of 2 free throws to set the final.
Rutledge and Garner topped UCA with 13 points each, while sophomore LaQuentin Miles had a quiet 12 points, eight below his Southland Conference-leading average. Peterson led the Red Wolves with 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Ed Townsel added 15 points and Finn and Malcoln Kirkland 10 apiece.
ASU shot 35 free throws compared to 13 for UCA. The Bears shot 33.3 percent overall in the first half and 41.3 percent for the game.
UCA has a week off for final exams before hitting the road for four consecutive games, beginning at Iowa on Dec. 19.
