CONWAY, Ark. _ Finally, the University of Central Arkansas Bears are returning home to the Farris Center.
The Bears (5-8, 0-1) have played five consecutive road games and have not played on their home court since Dec. 7. That changes Wednesday night when they host Stephen F. Austin at 7:05 in a Southland Television game.
“It’s been a long, long time since we’ve played here,’ said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “I feel like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz.’ There’s no place like home.’
Not only have the Bears been on the road for a long stretch, that road has been tough, competition-wise. UCA played at Arkansas State, Iowa, Drake, UNLV and Lamar over the past 34 days, losing all five games. But Williamson is encouraged by a few things he has seen from his team.
“At times we’ve played really hard and played pretty well,’ he said. “For the most part, I’ve been pleased with the way our players are working and staying focused. They are still coming to work every day and wanting to get better.
“And I’m encouraged because we really haven’t had a game where everyone played at their best. I think we can do some good things in the conference if we do that. I really believe our best basketball is ahead of us.’
The Bears will need to be good Wednesday against a team they have never beaten. SFA (8-7, 2-0) has a 7-0 record against UCA since the Bears joined the Southland Conference in 2006. The Lumberjacks are rebuilding somewhat after winning at least 23 games for three straight seasons (2008-2010) under coach Danny Kaspar.
The Bears have the leading scorer in the conference in sophomore guard LaQuentin Miles, but he has struggled over the past five games. In those games, Miles is averaging only 12 points a game, well below his season average of 17.1 Miles is also first in the conference in steals (2.5 per game) and sixth in field-goal percentage (52.1 percent).
SFA counters with senior Jereal Scott, eighth in scoring (13.9) and eighth in field-goal percentage (49.0). The ‘Jacks are No. 1 in the league in scoring defense (53.6 ppg), rebounding margin (+7.5) and turnover margin (+4.3), and are second in scoring margin (+8.7).
UCA opened Southland play last Saturday with a 103-67 loss at Lamar, which leads the East Division at 2-0. SFA has beaten Texas State on the road and Southeastern Louisiana at home. The Lumberjacks held the Lions to 13 points in the second half Saturday in their 63-36 win at Johnson Coliseum.
The Bears are on the road at Northwestern State on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.
