DES MOINES, Iowa _ The up-and-down University of Central Arkansas Bears will try to end one streak Wednesday night and begin another when they take on the Drake Bulldogs in the Knapp Center.
The Bears have lost two straight games, including Monday’s 105-64 loss at Iowa, after winning five in a row. UCA has fallen back to .500 at 5-5, with three more games in the current five-game road swing left to play.
Ironically, Iowa is the last team to beat both the Bears and the Bulldogs. Drake lost 82-68 at Iowa last Saturday.
“I was a little fired up after the (Iowa) game because I didn’t like our demeanor, I didn’t like the way we competed,’ said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “I challenged them and told them tomorrow (Tuesday) is going to be our most important practice of the year. If we can’t find the energy and have guys come out and compete in practice tomorrow, we have a serious problem.
“We have an opportunity to bounce back and go out and compete against a tough Drake team. After a 41-point loss, you have to find a way to come in and work the next day in practice and get that taste out of your mouth.’
The Bulldogs (6-4), from the Missouri Valley Conference, are tough at home, winning their last nine games at the Knapp Center. The Missouri Valley has also been solid this season, ranking eighth as a conference in RPI to date.
The Bears have struggled with their shooting in consecutive losses to Arkansas State and Iowa. UCA, third in the Southland Conference in field-goal percentage, shot an averaged just 36 percent in the two losses and were outscored by an average of 88-64. Leading scorer LaQuentin Miles, who leads the SLC in that category, was held to 12 points in both the losses.
The Bears were outrebounded 53-38 by the Hawkeyes on Monday, with the lone bright spot being sophomore forward Jordan Harks who had a career-high 15 boards. The top performance offensively came off the bench from senior guard Deway Clayborn, who made 6 of 8 from three-point range for a career-high 18 points. He made his first five three-pointers to keep the Bears in the game in the first half.
The Bulldogs are led by Rayvonte Rice, who had a career-high 23 points against Iowa, scoring 19 of those in the second half. Rice is the No. 3 scorer in the MVC at 17 points per game, and teammate Ben Simons is fourth (15.6).
Tipoff is set for 7:05. Follow the game at: www.ucasports.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
