CONWAY, Ark. _ Despite another record-setting performance from senior guard Jordan Howard, the University of Central Arkansas Bears suffered their second loss of the week, falling 87-83 to first-place Nicholls State on Saturday afternoon at the Farris Center.

Howard, who is the UCA scoring and three-point career leader, made 19 of 19 at the foul line to set yet another school mark. There have been 51 UCA players _ including Howard 15 previous times _ shoot a perfect 100 percent at the free-throw line in a game but no Bear had ever made more than 13 of 13. Howard finished with 37 points, his seventh game of 30-plus points this season, and added 5 rebounds and 2 assists while playing the entire 40 minutes. 

Senior Mathieu Kamba was the only other UCA player in double figures with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. As a team, the Bears went 28 of 37 (75.7 percent) from the free-throw line but were just 5 of 21 from three-point range, their second straight game to struggle from the perimeter. UCA (13-13, 7-7) was 5 of 28 in a loss to McNeese State on Wedneseday night, also on its home floor.

Still, the Bears found themselves with an 81-80 lead after a Howard jumper with just 1:48 remaining. But the Colonels (18-9, 12-2) got a layup and a pair of free throws by Roddy Peters and forced UCA into three missed shots and a turnover over a span of 35 seconds. Peters, the second-leading scorer in the SLC behind Howard, added a dunk and a free throw in the final 18 seconds to finish with 30 points. He was also 14 of 16 at the free-throw line as the teams combined to shoot 68 free throws. 

Jahvaughn Powell made 5 of 10 three-pointers and chipped in 19 points for the Colonels, while Tevon Saddler added 14 and Lafayette Rutledge 11 (3 of 4 from beyond the arc). The Colonels got 44 points from their bench, with both Peters and Rutledge not in the starting lineup. Nicholls won its fifth consecutive game and its 10th in the past 11 games. 

UCA freshman point guard DeAndre Jones finished with 7 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the Bears, who are fighting for a SLC Tournament berth with four regular-season games remaining. UCA entered the game in a tie for seventh place, with the top eight teams making the tournament field. 

The Bears travel to Nacogdoches, Texas, on Wednesday night to face the third-place Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, a team UCA beat 100-92 on Jan. 24 at the Farris Center. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.