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NEW ORLEANS, La. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will face one familiar opponent and two new ones this week when they play three games in three days in the New Orleans Classic.
UCA will face the host UNO Privateers at 1 p.m. Wednesday at UNO's Lakefront Arena. The Bears and Privateers are former Southland Conference foes and will be meeting for the 14th time, but first as a non-conference matchup. The teams split two SLC meetings last spring, UCA's last season in the SLC.
The Bears (1-3) won the first meeting last year in Conway 83-79, while the Privateers (1-3) took the rematch 88-63 in New Orleans. UNO holds a slight 7-6 edge in the series, which dates back to 2014 when the Privateers joined the SLC.
UCA is coming off its first win of the season, a big 70-67 triumph over Oral Roberts on Saturday in its home opener on the new Scottie Pippen Court at the Farris Center. UCA held last year's NCAA scoring champion Max Abmas to just eight points and got a 19-point, 16-rebound double-double from junior transfer
Darious Hall to earn the victory.
Freshman guard
Camren Hunter added 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Bears, while sophomore guard
Collin Cooper scored 13, hitting 3 of 8 from three-point range.Â
ORU was coming off an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance last spring.
The Privateers have a win over Spring Hill and losses to Ole Miss, Rice and Northwestern. UNO is averaging 71.3 points per game, led by graduate guard Derek St. Hilaire who averages 21.5 points per game and has made 10 three-pointers. St. Hilaire is a transfer from Jacksonville State.
UCA will follow up Wednesday's game with Virginia Military Institute at 3 p.m. Thursday and Presbyterian College at 3 p.m. Friday to close out the round-robin tournament.
The Bears will then play three consecutive in-state games, at Arkansas on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at Arkansas State on Saturday, Dec. 4 and at home against Little Rock on Tuesday, Dec. 14.Â