CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will close out their home season Saturday and salute two seniors on Senior Day when they host Stephen F. Austin at 6:30 p.m. at the Farris Center.

    The Bears, still trying to secure a berth in the Southland Conference Tournament, will recognize senior guards Derreck Brooks and Jeff Lowery in the final home game of their careers.

    Brooks, last year's SLC Newcomer of the Year, is UCA's second-leading scorer at 14.0 points per game, and is also the team leader in rebounding at 7.1 rebounds per game. Lowery is one of the top sixth men in the SLC and is averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 assists per game.
    
    Brooks, a transfer from Phoenix College, has season highs of 29 points (vs. Nicholls) and 14 rebounds (vs. Sam Houston State), which are both his career highs, and has four double-doubles this season and six for his career.

    Lowery, a transfer from Grand Canyon, has season highs of 15 points (vs. Arizona State), six rebounds (vs. Western Michigan) and eight assists (vs. Little Rock). His career highs are 17 points and nine assists, both against New Orleans last season.      

    The Bears, who have lost three straight games on the road, sit at 7-9 in conference play with two games remaining. The top eight teams reach the SLC Tournament, set for March 7-12 in Katy, Texas. UCA finishes the regular season next Saturday at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La.

    The Bears gave the second-place Lumberjacks (15-12, 10-5) all they wanted in the first meeting in Nacogdoches, Texas back in January. SFA held on for a 78-76 victory as UCA missed a potential game-tying three-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining. UCA junior guard Jordan Howard led the Bears with 25 points, hitting 6 of 8 from three-point range. Junior forward Mathieu Kamba added 16 points and 7 rebounds for the Bears, while freshman Darraja Parnell chipped in 13 points off the bench. 

    UCA shot 55.8 percent from the field and 58.8 percent (10 of 17) from beyond the arc in that game. The Lumberjacks, who got 19 points and 12 rebounds from TJ Holyfield and 18 points from Isaiah Traylor, dominated the rebounding stats, outrebounding the Bears 43-23. They held a 23-2 advantage in offensive rebounds and outscored UCA 22-0 in second-chance points.

    Brooks and Lowery will be honored Saturday prior to tipoff of the ESPN3 clash. Tipoff is set for 6:32, following the matchup between the Sugar Bears and Ladyjacks at 4 p.m.