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HAMMOND, La. _ After four consecutive games against the upper division of the Southland Conference, the University of Central Arkansas Bears will now face a team sitting in exactly the same spot as they are in the league standings.

UCA takes on Southeastern Louisiana at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the University Center in Hammond, La. The Bears and Lions are in a three-way tie for seventh place in the SLC with 2-4 records after three weeks of action. UCA opened the league slate with two consecutive victories over McNeese State and New Orleans but have now dropped four straight games to the top four teams in the standings.

The overall records are almost identical as well as UCA stands 3-11 and SLU is 4-11. The Lions lost their first three SLC games but have gone 2-2 over the past two weeks, with wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at home and McNeese on the road. SLU lost 73-68 to Northwestern State _ the third team in the three-way tie _ on Saturday in Hammond.

UCA is coming off a 93-58 loss at Abilene Christian, the preseason No. 2 pick in the conference poll. UCA shot just 38.9 percent overall and had 25 turnovers in the loss. ACU shot 53.1 percent and connected 12 times from three-point range. The Wildcats (4-1 in SLC) outscored the Bears 44-24 in the paint and got 48 points from its bench.

UCA senior guard Rylan Bergersen, the Bears' leading scorer, got in early foul trouble and played a season-low 26 minutes. The Bears did get sophomore guard Collin Cooper back from injury and he played 26 minutes in his first action since Feb.22, 2020. Cooper, who had off-season ankle surgery, led the Bears with 12 points, one of only two UCA players (Khaleem Bennett with 11 points) in double figures.

The Bears and Lions split their two meetings last season. UCA won big, 88-68, in the first matchup in Conway, with four players in double figures, led by Bergersen with 20 points. UCA dominated the second half, outscoring SLU 48-30 and hitting 54.8 percent from the field and going 11 of 13 at the free-throw line after halftime. SLU took the rematch, jumping out to a 35-21 lead at the half and then holding on for a 69-65 victory at the University Center. UCA was just 2 of 17 (11.8 percent) from three-point range.

Bergersen ranks fourth in the SLC in scoring at 17.1 points per game, despite a season-low eight-point outing against ACU. Bergersen has scored in double figures in every games this season and the final five games of the 2019-20 sesaon.  For the Lions, who will be playing their third consecutive home game, senior guaurd Keon Clergeot averages 15.4 points per game and has connected 20 times from three-point range. 

The Lions are ranked 11th in scoring in the SLC, 13th in field goal percentage and 12th in three-point percentage. UCA is eighth in scoring, eighth in field goal percentage and fifth in three-point percentage. The Bears lead the league at the free-throw line (74.9 percent) and in rebounding 38.1 per game.

The game will be carried live on The Bear 91.3 with Steve Owens and on ESPN+.