KATY, Texas _ The eighth-seeded University of Central Arkansas Bears ended their 2016-17 season on Wednesday night, but not without a fight.

    The Bears cut a 14-point halftime deficit down to just two points four times down the stretch before falling 77-69 to No. 5 Sam Houston State in the first round of the 2017 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at the Merrell Center.

    UCA (8-24) outplayed SHSU in the second half, outscoring them 34-28 and holding the Bearkats to just 24.1 percent shooting from the field, including 1 of 10 from three-point range.

    The downfall for the Bears was the first half, where the Bearkats, who entered as the worst three-point shooting team in the SLC at 31.7 percent, made 8 of 24 from beyond the arc (57.1 percent) and led by as much as 19 points before settling for the 14-point halftime margin.

    "I was proud of our team,' said UCA head coach Russ Pennell, "especially the second half. I think the first half we didn't have much energy on the defensive end. Sam Houston did about what they wanted to do.

    "Really at halftime the biggest adjustment was made by this gentleman down on the end (Derreck Brooks). He told our guys we had to start talking more. And I thought the second half our awareness was better, we were communicating better and our effort was better.'

    UCA opened the second half with a renewed emphasis on defense and it paid off quickly. The Bears outscored the Bearkats 16-7 in the first nine minutes and were within five points at 56-51 with 11:16 to play. A big part of the comeback was junior Mathieu Kamba, who scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half. 

    A three-pointer from sophomore Thatch Unruh at the 7:00 mark made it a two-point game at 60-58. Another jumper from Unruh and consecutive baskets by Kamba, including a length-of-the-court drive for a layup, kept UCA within two until there were just three minutes remaining.

    "I think we just went back to our first two years at Central Arkansas,' said Kamba, "how hard we had to fight to turn the program around. This was like our one moment and we had nothing to lose. Basketball is supposed to be fun so that's what we were doing, just having fun.'

    From there, SHSU guard John Dewey III made consecutive driving layups and a pair of free throws to push the Bearkats' lead back to eight at 73-65 with just 38 seconds left. Kamba made UCA's final four field goals but the Bears could not get the key stops they needed on the defensive end.

    "It was unfortunate because I think we got it to two (points) four different times and we had a couple of bad turnovers, and I think one time we shot the ball and it went about halfway down and it came out. You know, when you get down that far, your margin for error is very thin. You just simply can't afford to make too many mistakes.

    "But I was proud of our effort. I'm proud of the fact we got here. We earned our way here. These guys didn't back into anything, they earned it. And what I hope is that becomes the staple at Central Arkansas going forward.'



    Kamba finished 7 of 12 from the field, 1 of 1 from three-point range and 6 of 10 at the free-throw line for his 21 points. He added 8 points and 2 assists. Howard was 10 of 11 from the free-throw line and scored 18 points, but failed to make a three-pointer, breaking a 71-game streak with at least one three-pointer. Senior Derreck Brooks, playing his final game, ended with his seventh career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

    "From where we came from starting three years ago, and the first two years we weren't even eligible to be here,' said Pennell. "So I'm very happy, where we started from to where we're at now. I really am. I'm excited about the future. I'm happy where we're heading. I think our record is not indicative of the growth of the team. 

    "And hopefully we now know what it's going to take to get here.'

    The Bears, who set a school record for single-season three-pointers with 230, only made 3 of 12 on Wednesday. UCA won the rebound battle 43-42, including 13 offensive rebounds. The Bears, who won the regular-season-meeting with the Bearkats 67-65 at the Farris Center in Conway
 outscored the Bearkats 32-18 on points in the paint. 

    SHSU (20-12) will face No. 4 seed Houston Baptist in the quarterfinals on Thursday.