NATCHITOCHES, La. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears overcame a big second-half deficit with hot three-point shooting and broke a six-game losing streak Saturday with a 77-73 victory over the Northwestern State Demons at Prather Coliseum.
Down by 17 points in the first 20 seconds of the second half, the Bears (6-9, 1-2) used a 17-3 run, fueled by freshman Carlin Bremner, to get back in the game. UCA then finished it off with four consecutive free throws from sophomore LaQuentin Miles in the final 18 seconds to break the losing streak.
UCA shot 59.3 percent from the field in the second half, including 8 of 13 from three-point range. Bremner, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard from Davidson, N.C., was 5 of 7 from three-point range and scored a career-high 17 points. For the game, UCA made a season-high 10 threes.
“We felt like if we came out in the second half and played good defense, we could get back in the game,’ said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “That was our mindset, just keep our guys focused on the defensive end of the court, then generate some offense off of that. Of course, we didn’t know Carlin Bremner was going to come out and shoot the ball the way he did.
“He’s one of our best three-point shooters, but as a freshman, he’s struggled to find his way a little bit. That’s why we recruited him, to shoot the ball. Sometimes we have to remind him of that in practice because he gets a little passive and doesn’t want to shoot the ball. We tell him, ‘that’s why you’re here.’
“But today was a big game for him, and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.’
UCA junior guard Robert Crawford hit all three of his three-pointers early in the second half to keep with Bears within striking distance before the scoring run began. Behind 61-48, Crawford started the spurt with a three-pointer, Mark Rutledge made a layup and Miles added a dunk and a free throw as the Bears pulled within 61-56 with eight minutes remaining.
Bremner then made three straight threes, with the third one giving the Bears their first lead, 65-64, since the opening minute of the game. Neither team led by more than three points the rest of the way as the Bears found a way to win for the first time since Dec. 7. Bremner’s final three came with 2:38 left and tied the game at 70.
An inside basket by Northwestern’s Demetrice Jacobs gave the Demons a 73-71 lead but Miles made a driving layup on the right side with 53 seconds left, then made 4 of 4 at the line to finish with 16 points. UCA junior center Anthony Borden blocked Demons' shots and grabbed the rebound on consecutive possessions for the Bears.
“Once we hit some of those threes, and Miles was driving and scoring with a couple of dunks, you could see our guy’s confidence growing,’ said Williamson. “You could see that we really thought we had a chance to win. It was a good thing to be a part of.’
The Demons made 24 trips to the free-throw line in the first half and scored 14 of their 44 points there. Junior guard Shamir Davis shot more free throws than the entire UCA team in the first half, going 11 for 14 for a team-high 15 points. The Bears were called for nine fouls in the first eight minutes, while Northwestern had just one.
The Bears managed to close a 13-point deficit midway through the first half to just 32-28 on a three-pointer by senior guard Mark Rutledge and a layup by redshirt freshman Oliver Wells with 4:05 remaining. But the Demons finished the half on a 12-2 run to take a 44-30 lead to the locker room.
Bremner, who entered the game with just 3 three-pointers on the season and a 2.1-point scoring average, finished with a team-high 17 points. Crawford added 13 points and Rutledge scored 10 as the Bears outscored the Demons 47-28 in the second half. Northwestern was paced by Davis with 23 points, 12 of those from the free-throw line. Louis Ellis added 12 and Mosley had 10 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocked shots.
The Bears, who surpassed their win total from last season, return home for two games next week, hosting Nicholls State on Wednesday and Lamar on Saturday.
