CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears scored 62 points in the second half to run away from the University of the Ozarks Eagles on Wednesday night at the Farris Center, winning 96-63 in their second and final exhibition game.

UCA shot 63.6 percent from the field in the second half and held Ozarks to 20.6 percent in the final 20 minutes. The game was tied at 34-34 at halftime after Ozarks' Bryson Johnson nailed a three-quarters court shot at the buzzer.

The Bears, who won their second straight exhibition game, had four players in double figures, led by junior center Hayden Koval with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Junior transfer Rylan Bergersen added 17 points, while freshman guard Collin Cooper scored 14, hitting 3 of 4 from three-point range, and sophomore Eddy Kayouloud added 12 points.

"We definitely started slow,' said UCA head coach Russ Pennell, "and I think it had more to do with our immaturity than anything. I thought we came out a little casual. Offensively, we weren't cutting hard, and defensively we were kind of back on our heels. And I think the best thing that happened was their kid hit the three-quarter court shot. 

"I think it got our guys' attention. In the second half, our veterans came out, Hayden and DJ (DeAndre Jones) and Rylan, and set the tone in the second half. I was pleased. When you hold someone to 26-percent shooting, that's pretty good. We still have some things to work on, but that's why you play exhibition games.'

UCA connected on 12 of 31 from three-point range (38.7 percent) on the night and held Ozarks to just 6 of 30 (20 percent). The Bears scored 38 points in the paint and got 36 points from its bench.

"I thought our young guys played well. Collin Cooper was outstanding,' said Pennell of the Fayetteville High School freshman. "We loved what we saw in him when we recruited him. No stage is too big for him. He believes he belongs and I think our fans saw tonight that he can really shoot the basketball.'

The NCAA Division II Eagles got 14 points each from Johnson and Zach Bobo and made 25 of 31 (80.6 percent) from the free-throw line. UCA played 13 different players, with all but one finding the scoring column.

"They were quick and we had some tough matchups (early),' Pennell said of the small but scrappy Eagles. "When your 6-foot-7 forward is guarding a 5-10 guard, that's tough. But it should be tough for them at the other end and we didn't take advantage of it in the first half. They spread us out and I thought they ran their stuff really well. 

"But it's like I tell out guys, everyone on their team thinks they ought to be on our team. And you need to understand when we're playing teams like that, like Hendrix next week, they're going to be really good and they're going to come in here and they're going to expect to win and they're going to play hard. This is a big game for them. And I think sometimes we have a really short memory. We're going to play Duke and that's going to be a really big game that we get up for. And people do that to you also.

"What I want for us to do is to get a litte more even-keeled, where no moment is too big and no moment is too low for us to play good, solid basketball.'

The next chance is Tuesday when the Bears officially  open the regular season in Waco, Texas, against the Baylor Bears. UCA then returns home to host cross-town foe Hendrix College on Thursday night.