CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears overcame all but two points of a 22-point second-half deficit but came up short at the end in a season-ending 85-77 loss to the McNeese State Cowboys on Senior Day Saturday at the Farris Center.

    The Bears (7-21, 6-12) trailed 62-40 at the 14:32 mark of the second half but fought their way back to find themselves down by just two points at 70-68 after senior Justin Foreman's three-pointer with 3:45 to play. But the Cowboys (9-19, 7-11), still playing for a berth in the Southland Conference Tournament, made just enough free throws down the stretch to hold off the Bears and even the season series.

    "When you have to come from behind that far,' said UCA head coach Russ Pennell, "you really need more time than we had. That was one of my big concerns. I felt like we'd make a run. I wasn't sure we'd get that close. But when you're down 20-some with 10 minutes to go, that's a lot of points to make up.'

    UCA's 28-8 scoring run included baskets by five different players, including seven points from junior guard Jeff Lowery and a pair of three-pointers each from Foreman and Jordan Howard. In the final three minutes, the Bears were forced to foul and McNeese State made 12 of 14 from the free-throw line to seal it.

    "I wish we hadn't fouled on that one possession,' Pennell said. "We were trying to D up and we reached in. That kind of broke our momentum. Once they got it back to four (points), I think they took a big breath and felt like they kind of had the game back in control.'

    Foreman, a transfer from Grand Canyon University, closed out his one-year UCA career with a team-high 22-point effort, hitting 4 of 5 from three-point range. Graduate center Jake Zuilhof, a two-year starter after transferring from GCU with his undergraduate degree, finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds, hitting 6 of 8 from the free-throw line in his final game.

    Howard, just a sophomore, set the UCA single-season three-point record with his 94th and 95th threes of the season. He broke the record held by Rodney Dean since 1998-99. He finished with 17 points and 3 assists, while junior Derreck Brooks had 11 points and 7 rebounds.

    "I was really happy for Justin and Jake,' said Pennell. "I thought especially early in the game, they got us off to a good start. They came out and gave us all they had. I'm really proud of what those guys have done here at UCA, and grateful for them coming here.'

    James Harvey led the Cowboys with 31 points, hitting 5 of 9 from three-point range and 10 of 12 from the foul line. McNeese State made 9 of 20 (45 percent) from three-point range and shot 57.1 percent from the field overall, including 60.7 percent in the opening half.

    The Bears, in their second season under Pennell after a wholesale program change, won five more games this season than last year, including six in conference play.

    "I think the biggest thing is, we learned how to compete this year,' said Pennell. "We didn't always play perfect, and we still had some games we got beat pretty good. But I thought, for the most part, we knew what it was going to take and we went out and I thought we executed most of the time.

    "And certainly, losing these last four or five at the end of the season, has probably left a little more bitter taste than it should. But I think maybe that fuels us into next year. And I just told the guys that are coming back, they have to take the disappointment that they feel now, and it's got to go to the weight room and to the workouts this summer. 

    "Because the only way you ever get to where you want to go in athletics in general is you just have to have a work ethic that is so persistent that you feel like you've given yourself a chance because you're out-working your opponent. Hopefully we have learned what it's going to take.'