THIBODAUX, La. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will try to make it a clean sweep over the Nicholls State Colonels when they meet at 6:30 Wednesday at Stopher Gymnasium.

The Bears (7-18, 2-11) played one of their best games of the season in a 99-76 victory over the Colonels (8-17, 4-8) back on Jan. 18 at the Farris Center. But they have struggled since then, losing nine consecutive games, including a Sears BracketBuster game at Louisiana Tech last Saturday.

UCA will be shorthanded against Nicholls, missing four players, including starting guard Robert Crawford. Sophomore Ryan Williams, senior Dewan Clayborn and Crawford did not make the trip for disciplinary reasons, while junior Terry Tidwell is still out with an ankle injury. Redshirt freshman point guard Oliver Wells is expected to return from a concussion that caused him to miss the past two games.

In the first meeting with the Colonels, the Bears shot 52.6 percent overall and made 10 of 21 (47.6) percent from three-point range. Crawford was 4 of 6 from beyond the arc and tied sophomore LaQuentin Miles for team scoring honors with 19 points. Jarvis Garner added 15 points and Jordan Harks scored 11 for the Bears, who had five players in double figures for the only time this season.

Nicholls has gone 4-4 since that loss and currently holds the eighth and final spot in the Southland Conference postseason tournament. UCA, Southeastern Louisiana, Texas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi have four games to overtake the Colonels and reach the tournaement. UCA faces three of those four teams in the final two weeks of the season.

UCA’s Miles is fourth in the league in scoring at 15.6 points per game and is coming off an 18-point effort at Louisiana Tech. Freshman Trevon Lewis leads Nicholls at 13.2 points per game, but missed the first game with UCA. He is also sixth in the SLC in field-goal percentage (50.4), while Miles is eighth (49.8).