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    CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will be at home at the Farris Center for just the second time this season when they host the New Orleans Privateers at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

    And while they're there, they will get another home game at 4 p.m. Saturday against Sam Houston State as part of a Southland Conference doubleheader with the Sugar Bears.

    UCA (2-7, 1-0) is coming off a road victory over the McNeese Cowboys last Saturday afternoon in Lake Charles, La. UCA rallied from an early 9-0 deficit to beat McNeese 81-67 and open Southland Conference play at 1-0 for the second straight season.

    "It was great to be able to get a road win. It was good for the guys' confidence, knowing that we could do it,' said UCA head coach Anthony Boone. "And starting on the road, it's really good to get one like that, especially early.'

    Boone said nothing will change in playing at home instead of on the road.

    "We take the same approach at home or on the road,' he said. "but of course we've only had one home game this year so we definitely don't have a different approach. It's just that we have an opportunity to possibly get another conference win, so we're going to put everything we can into this game.'

    The Bears played six consecutive road games to start the season before hosting and beating Champion Christian 92-28 on Dec. 19.

    "It's been all right. We've stayed pretty positive and the guys have stayed pretty positive,' Boone said. "We've pointed out things we need to work on, we've pointed out the things that we've done well. And the guys have handled it very well.'

    Next on the agenda is to try to win at home, which coaches like to say is paramount in conference play. The Bears were 8-4 at home last season, including a 7-3 mark in SLC play.

    "They are important, but every game is important. That's the idea in sports, and certainly in basketball, you need to win your games at home,' said Boone. "The road teams are at a little bit of a disadvantage, having to travel and sleeping in different places than they are accustomed to. And right now, with the guys not having any classes, we really need to focus on winning our home games.'

    The first opportunity comes against the Privateers (1-8, 0-1), who have also been road warriors so far this season. UNO is 0-6 in road or neutral games with only one home contest, a 66-63 loss to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns on Dec. 2.

    "They are very tough,' said Boone. "They always play physical, they always do well on the glass. It will be a tough match. We'll have to be strong, we'll have to play tough, we'll have to be ball strong and not let them knock us around and take the ball from us. And we'll have to try to get the game going up and down (the court), get a better pace in the game, to give ourselves a better chance to score so we don't have to face their halfcourt defense as much.'

    The Bears used a tough defense of its own to come back in Saturday's win over McNeese, holding the Cowboys to 32 percent shooting for the game and winning the rebound battle 45-31, including 12 offensive rebounds. Senior guard Rylan Bergersen led four Bears in double figure with 18 points, while senior point guard DeAndre Jones had 14 points and 19 rebounds and topped the 1,000-point scoring mark for his career. Jones, UCA's career leader, is now just 11 assists from hitting the 500 mark.

    "I liked their poise,' Boone said. "We didn't start off great. Not that we were bad starting off, but they made a couple of baskets and we missed some open looks. But the guys didn't panic. They continued to do what we do, and over the course of the game, that won out.  The guys handled it well.

    "I really like how unselfish these guys are, and how much they really focus on playing good defense and trying to control the glass. It's been a big focus for them and I think that's showing.'

    UCA and UNO split the two meetings last season, with the home team winning each time. The Privateers won 86-78 in New Orleans in January and the Bears returned the favor 73-68 on Feb. 12 in Conway. In the latter game, UCA overcame an eight-point halftime deficit by outscoring UNO 42-39 in the second half while shooting 56 percent from the field and holding UNO to just 37 percent.