CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears overcame a 14-point second-half deficit and put a scare in the Sam Houston State Bearkats on Saturday afternoon before falling 70-62 at the Farris Center.

UCA (5-20, 1-11) tied the game at 62-62 on senior Mike Pouncy’s driving layup with two minutes remaining in the game. But the Bearkats (14-11, 7-5) went 8 for 8 from the free-throw line after that to seal the victory in front of 1,151 fans.

“We were definitely proud of our effort there in the second half,’ said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “Our guys really buckled down and fought hard. I think our guys just mentally locked down and decided, hey, we want to try and win this game.

“I told them at the end of the game, compared to our effort in our last home game against Texas State, I was very proud of them. I told them I thought our fans would really appreciate the effort we showed today.’

The Bears dug themselves a hole in the first half, shooting only 38.5 percent from the field and attempting zero free throws. The Bearkats led 31-23 at the break, with All-Southland Conference center Gilberto Clavell scoring 12 first-half points.

Sam Houston State stretched its lead to 14 points midway through the second half on a layup by Drae Murray with 10:19 to play. The margin remained in that vicinity until the five-minute mark when a pair of free throws by junior guard Dewan Clayborn pulled UCA within 59-52 with 5:15 to play. After SHSU missed a three-pointer, reserve guard Jaquan McClinton scored inside for the Bears and was fouled. His free throw closed it to 59-55 with 4:52 left.

Senior forward Tadre Sheppard fought for a basket inside to pull the Bears within 62-60 before Pouncy tied it at 62. From there, the Bearkats won it at the line. For the game, SHSU went 22 of 28 (78.6 percent) at the line, including an 8-of-9 performance from Clavell.

Sheppard led the Bears with 16 points, hitting 6 of 7 from the field. Pouncy added 13 points and a team-high 8 rebounds, while Clayborn had 10.

“Tadre played like he was really inspired in the second half,’ said Williamson. “We kind of got on him at halftime about how we were playing inside. He took that challenge and came back in the second half and really gave us a spark and helped us get back in the game. His play in the second half was a big reason we got back in the game.’

Clavell finished with 22 points and 6 rebounds, while Lance Pevehouse had 13 points, including 3 three-pointers.

The Bears host Nicholls State at 7 p.m. Wednesday.