NEW ORLEANS, La. _ Cold shooting was too much for the University of Central Arkansas Bears to overcome on Thursday in a 73-67 loss to the VMI Keydets on Day 2 of the UNO Classic at Lakefront Arena.

UCA (1-5) made just 6 of 30 (20 percent) from three-point range and 9 of 14 (64.3 percent) from the free-throw line. The Bears also played the majority of the game without starting forward Darious Hall, who was limited to just six minutes due to back spasms. Freshman guard Camren Hunter took up much of the slack by himself, scoring a career-high 19 points while recording 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals with no turnovers in 31 minutes of action.

"Cam played a great game, he really did,' said UCA head coach Anthony Boone. "I hate to see that we couldn't pull it off because we did have a number of guys who played really well. But the effort was great. And I think we played for a longer time, a better brand of basketball, than we have in any game, even the game we won. And that was encouraging.'

The Bears fell behind early by as much as 16 points at the 6:30 mark of the first half but used as 15-2 run to close the half that got them within 35-32 at the break, despite shooting just 37 percent from the field and going 3 of 16 from three-point range.

"It took us awhile to figure out how we were playing them defensively,' said Boone. "We got lost on a couple of assignments and they got some easy looks early. But about 8-9-10 minutes into the game we figured it out and played great defense from there on out. And the difference was the start where a couple of people got loose and got some wide-open looks.'

The Bears got down by as much as 11 points midway through the second half but fought back to make it a two-possession game in the final minute.

"A couple of shots early,' said Boone, "a couple of missed rebounds late where they got offensive rebounds and hit a couple of threes, and then just some of the finishes around the basket that we didn't finish... that was the difference in the game.And it was still a close game. 

"Our guys fought, and I'm thankful for that, grateful that they were still fighting. There have been other games we've played this year where we got in that situation and everything just snowballed. Yesterday was the same way. But today it didn't. They stuck with it and fought to the end.'

UCA had two other players in double figures, with sophomore guard Collin Cooper scoring 13, with a pair of three-pointers and 4 assists, and graduate forward Jared Chatham getting 10 points and 8 rebounds and going 5 of 7 from the field. UCA finished with a season-low six turnovers after averaging nearly 20 per game on the season. None of the five starters turned the ball over against the Keydets.

VMI (3-3) got 22 points  from Kamdyn Curfman and made 11 three-pointers. The Keydets entered the game as one of the most prolific perimeter shooting teams in the country. Curfmann went 6 of 12 from beyond the arc but VMI had three other starters who combined to go 7 of 29. 

UCA will face Presbyterian in the final game of the UNO Classic at 3 p.m. Friday. The Blue Hose (4-2) beat host New Orleans 68-66 in a nail-biter on Thursday.