CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will be battling for position in the Southland Conference standings for the second straight game Wednesday night when they host the New Orleans Privateers at the Farris Center.

The Bears (9-10) and Privateers (9-8) are both 4-2 in league play and tied for third place. The winner in the 7 p.m. contest will inch closer to the top spot while the loser will fall to at least fourth place. UCA and Nicholls both entered last Saturday's game with 3-2 records, with UCA winning 74-68 to move up a spot.

"What is unique, we played Nicholls the other night and we were tied with Nicholls,' said UCA head coach Russ Pennell. "So we won the game and put them one game behind us. Well guess what, we're tied with New Orleans. If we beat them and put them a game behind us, we could go to Abilene, and if they were to lose, be tied with them.

"So it's almost like everyone we're playing, we get a chance to not only win the game, but to put them a rung down the ladder behind us. So I think we're learning to handle that. It's a little bit different for us. But I like that. I want to be the team that, eventually, they say that's the standard.' 

The Bears bring a three-game winning streak into the matchup and are enjoying their best SLC start since joining the conference in 2006-07. The Privateers lost their last game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (76-61) on Saturday but had won four straight prior to that, including two in a row in overtime against Houston Baptist and at Lamar. The Privateers' other loss was at Abilene Christian, UCA's opponent on Saturday in Abilene.

The Bears have a tough three-game stretch before returning home for three consecutive games, beginning on Feb. 2. UCA hosts third-place UNO, travels to No. 2 ACU (16-3, 5-1) and finishes up at preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin next Wednesday in Nacogdoches, Texas. 

  UCA's latest victory over the Nicholls Colonels was on Saturday at home. Sophomore center Hayden Koval led the Bears with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocked shots as UCA held Nicholls to 37.1-percent shooting overall, despite hitting 15 three-pointers.

The Bears won last year's meeting with the Privateers 81-57 in New Orleans. Seniors Jordan Howard and Mathieu Kamba combined for 47 points (15 of 16 at the free-throw line) and UCA held UNO to 34.4-percent shooting on its home floor. Koval had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 5 blocks in that game while current senior Thatch Unruh scored 12 points. UNO's current leading scorer Ezekial Charles was held to 8 points and 2 rebounds a year ago.

Charles leads the Privateers in scoring (12.2) and rebounding (5.6) and is shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range. Sophomore guard DeAndre Jones tops the Bears in scoring (12.4), assists (4.9, No. 1 in the SLC), three-point shooting (43.2 percent) and free-throw shooting (81.7 percent). Koval's six blocks against Nicholls gives him 137 for his career, just 11 behind UCA's career leader Durrell Nevels (2006-08).

The Privateers lead the overall series with the Bears 5-3 but UCA is 2-2 in games played at the Farris Center.