TEMPE, Ariz. _  The Arizona State Sun Devils tied their season high with 18 three-pointers and downed the cold-shooting University of Central Arkansas Bears 98-62 in their final non-conference tuneup on Thursday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

    The Sun Devils (7-6) shot more three-pointers (45) than two-pointers (22) and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc. UCA was just 3 of 24 from three-point range for a season-low 12.5 percent. The Bears shot just 38.6 percent overall and made only five free throws to ASU's 16.

    "In order to keep the defense going you have to score some points,' said UCA head coach Russ Pennell. "I thought we had some great looks but the ball just wouldn't go in the basket. And that puts pressure on our defense. We're not quite where we need to be yet defensively. 

    "I thought the first 10 minutes the defense was really good. And we can point to that as a positive in this game. We just have to get better at that end of the floor.'

    After starting the game 1 of 6 from three-point range, the Sun Devils ended up nailing 12 three-pointers in the first half to grab a 51-28 halftime lead. UCA was just 1 of 13 from beyond the arc and shot just 35.1 percent overall. UCA had tied the game at 10-10 on a Mathieu Kamba basket but the Sun Devils hit four consecutive threes to quickly make it 22-12. Three more three-pointers later and the Bears were behind 33-20. 

    Senior guard Jeff Lowery kept the Bears somewhat within striking distance, scoring 10 first-half points on 5-of-7 shooting. Kamba had 7 points and 8 rebounds at the break as the Bears outrebounded the Sun Devils 27-18 in the opening 20 minutes. ASU had three players with at least 12 points, led by Tra Holder's 17. Holder, Torian Graham and Shannon Evans combined to make 11 of 21 three-pointers before halftime.

    UCA junior guard Jordan Howard, the Bears' leading scorer who was playing in his home area for the first time, struggled offensively, going 5 of 19 overall and 3 of 14 from three-point range. He was coming off a game where he hit eight threes and scored a season-high 34 points against Morehead State on Monday.

    "That's always the risk you run when you come home,' said Pennell, who was also coaching against a team for which he served as an assistant coach. "You just never know how a kid will respond. They want to play well and they maybe put a little too much pressure on themselves. I thought Jordan had some really good looks that just didn't go in. Then he kind of started hunting and pressing and that leads to a poor percentage. That is too bad, but it is a lesson learned. Hopefully he will learn from it and bounce back.'

     Bright spots in UCA's ninth consecutive loss were Lowery, a senior from nearby Desert Vista High School, and Kamba, a junior guard/forward from Calgary, Alberta. Lowery finished with a team- and season-high 15 points, hitting 7 of 10 from the field, and added four assists and two steals. Kamba had his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds, which tied his career high.

    "We feel like Jeff is one of the better athletes on the floor regardless of who we are playing,' said Pennell. "When he is in attack mode like he was, he is hard to stop. He is kind of like a running back going downhill. He is hard to get in front of. I loved his energy today.

    "And then Kamba was just a beast on the glass. He has that capability and he plays so much bigger than his 6-5 frame. I thought he was outstanding also. Those two guys had really good ball games. Along with Ethan Lee. I thought Ethan played really well off the bench and we are going to need him. He's got some good experience and we need him to step forward a little more. 

    "There were some positives in an otherwise kind of gray afternoon.'

    ASU, which got only 13 points from its bench, had four starters in double figures, led by Graham with 26 points. Obinna Oleka had 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Evans added 23 points and Holder 22. Evans finished with seven three-pointers and Graham had six.

    The Bears (1-12) have a nine-day holiday break before opening Southland Conference play at home against preseason league favorite Sam Houston State on Dec. 31 at the Farris Center.