CONWAY, Ark.._ The University of Central Arkansas Bears waited a little too late to mount their comeback Wednesday night in a 78-69 loss to the Sam Houston State Bearkats in Southland Conference action at the Farris Center.

The Bears (6-10, 1-2) trailed by 20 points with 5:01 left in the game before cutting their deficit to just five points at 74-69 behind the perimeter heroics of senior guard Thatch Unruh. The Bears made 7 of 15 from three-point range in the second half _ after a dismal 1 for 11 performance in the opening 20 minutes _ with Unruh going 5 of 8 from the arc. Unruh finished with 27 points, one short of his career high, and was 6 of 9 from three-point range on the night.

"He's been spending a lot of time in the gym,' said UCA head coach Russ Pennell. "And we challenged him, that he needed to be a guy that we could really count on from the outside. And he's always been a good shooter. I think he sometimes struggles with just a tad bit of confidence. But he's been putting in the time that I think is important to shooters and it paid off tonight. And we need him to continue to do that as we move forward.'

The Bears outscored the Bearkats 19-4 to get back in the game before SHSU connected on four straight free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal it.

The Bears fell behind 11-4 in the opening four minutes of the game and trailed by 15 points (38-23) at halftime. UCA shot 24 percent overall (6 of 25) and 9.1 percent from three-point range, while turning the ball over 13 times. UCA finished with 19 turnovers, their fourth consecutive game with at least 17 turnovers.

"You can't just give the ball back to people,' said Pennell. "And I know we're not intentionally doing that. I don't think they're out there trying to mess that up. But what I don't think we're grasping yet is the fine lines of how you win. You just simply don't beat yourself with mistakes that you can control. If they make a great play and steal the ball from you or just block a shot because they're athletic, those things you really can't do anything about. 

"But boy, when you're making mistakes simply because you're not thinking or whatever else to get the ball in the right spot, that's frustrating. And it frustrating to them, too.'

UCA shot 36.4 percent for the game, tying its season low with 20 made field goals. The Bears did win the rebound battle 41-32, including 13 on the offensive end. Sophomore center Hayden Koval and freshman guard Khaleem Bennett had a team-high eight rebounds each

"I thought early on we got some good shots and they just weren't going in. I thought there was a little impatience,' said Pennell. "One or two passes and we took whatever was easy. Sam Houston is a good defensive team so I credit them for a lot of that. I just didn't feel like we showed any resistance as far as, OK they are pressuring out on us so let's move the ball to the other side of the floor, let's play through the middle.

"He (Koval) has to become a more focal point of this team to set everyone else up. Or else we're just a perimeter team that I think is kind of an average shooting team. That's not really our forte. So we've got to get better at that, and we've been working at it. I hope he'll figure out that I believe in him, and if I don't say anything to you, I probably don't believe in you too much.'

The Bearkats (7-8, 2-0) had six players in double figures, four starters and two off the bench, led by Zach Nutall with 18 points.  

The Bears host the Lamar Cardinals at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Cardinals (8-8, 1-2) lost to New Orleans 78-71 on Wednesday night in Beaumont, Texas.