NEW ORLEANS, La. _ It has been 47 games since the University of Central Arkansas Bears have won two consecutive basketball games. They have a chance to do that Monday night when they take on the New Orleans Privateers at 7 p.m. at Lakefront Arena.

    UCA (3-13, 2-4) beat the Nicholls Colonels 94-83 on Saturday afternoon in Thibodaux. They continue the road trip Monday against the Privateers with a chance to win two in a row for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

    UCA beat Sam Houston State 80-71 on Feb. 27, 2014 at the Farris Center, then followed that up with a 76-69 win over Lamar on March 1, 2014, also at home. That was the last time the Bears won twice in a row.

    The Bears now sit in eighth place in the Southland Conference standings while the Privateers (5-12, 1-5) are tied for 11th. New Orleans has lost five consecutive games since a victory at Lamar on Jan. 4. UCA also beat Lamar for one of its two SLC victories, downing the Cardinals 93-76 on Jan. 9 in Conway.

    The Privateers, coached by Mark Slessinger, are led by junior Christavious Gill, who averages 13.4 points per game. Erik Thomas is their top rebounder, ranking second in the league at 7.2 per game. 

    Sophomore guard Jordan Howard leads the Bears, averaging 17.8 points per game to rank third in the SLC. Junior Derreck Brooks is coming off a career-high 29 points in the win over Nicholls where he made 11 of 16 from the field and 5 of 7 from three-point range. Sophomore Mathieu Kamba also had a career high 21 points as UCA had four players in double digures and outscored the Colonels 52-36 in the second half.

    New Orleans leads the overall series with the Bears but UCA won the most recent meeting 70-67 last February in Conway. Howard scored a game-high 20 points and center Jake Zuilhof had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in that game. The Bears held the Privateers to 36 percent shooting, just 1 of 7 from three-point range.

    UCA is on the road again next Tuesday at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La.
    
    Catch the Bears and Privateers on The Bear 91.3 with Justin Acri and at ucasports.com/TuneIn.