CONWAY, ARK. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears dominated the second half Wednesday night and broke a frustrating three-game losing streak with a convincing 88-68 win over the Southeastern Louisiana Lions at the Farris Center.

UCA (6-15, 5-5) outscored SLU (6-15, 3-7) by 18 points in the second half to win going away after losing three games by a combined eight points _ one in overtime _ over the past two weeks. The Bears got 20 points from junior guard Rylan Bergersen and a solid 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench from junior Jared Chatham.

UCA center Hayden Koval, a 7-foot junior, was a force inside against the smaller Lions, finishing with 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, along with two blocked shots. 

The Bears shot 54.8 percent from the field in the second half and broke away from a 40-38 halftime lead. UCA made 3 of 6 from three-point range in the second half and also went 11 of 13 at the free-throw line. For the game, the Bears were 25 of 29 (86.2 percent) at the foul line. 

"Southeastern certainly came in fired up and hoping to get a pretty good road win here,' said UCA interim head coach Anthony Boone. "And this time of year, we told our guys at halftime, everyone is feeling a little tired, a little sluggish. And we just have to fight through that. We challenged the guys to do that and we came out in the second half and the guys certainly picked up the effort, particularly on the defensive end. 

"We forced a lot of turnovers and we finished plays around the basket a lot better in the second half.'

The Bears shot just 38 percent from the field in the first half, going just 4 of 15 from three-point range, but made up the the difference with a 14-of-16 performance at the line to overcome a nine-point deficit midway through the half. The Lions tied the game at 42-42 early in the second half but UCA responded with a 12-5 run and never trailed again. Koval was a big key with 12 points and 9 rebounds in the final 20 minutes. Chatham had eight points and four rebounds in the second half, including a pair of dunks.

"Jared Chatham came in the game _ and he's been struggling lately _ but was a really big lift and I think was a huge part of us being able to pull away in the second half,' said Boone. "And Hayden, to hit that three-pointer was huge for his confidence. I was so happy for him. I told him earlier today, just relax a little bit more. Hopefully that will help him shooting the ball.'

Sophomore Eddy Kayouloud was back in the starting lineup for the first time in a month and put up six points, eight rebounds and two assists. For the second consecutive game, UCA dominated the boards, outrebounding SLU 48-31, picking up eight offensive rebounds in the decisive second half. The Bears have now outrebounded their last two opponents by a combined 92-61 count.

  "The first half we were up just a little bit on them (in rebounds) and we really challenged the guys to crash the offensive glass in the second half,' said Boone. "And we ended up getting eight offensive rebounds in the second half. And that's becoming more and more of our identity. That's not been characteristic of us in years past, but these guys are really embracing that, playing a more physical brand of basketball and assaulting the glass.'

The Bears, who improved to 5-2 at home in SLC play, now must take it on the road for three consecutive games, beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday in Natchitoches, La., against Northwestern State. The Demons beat New Orleans 82-74 on Wednesday night to remain tied with the Bears at 5-5 in conference play.