RICHMOND, Ky. – A back-and-forth affair to start its first ASUN game, Central Arkansas paired big defensive stops down the stretch with white hot free-throw shooting to capture a win in the first conference game of the season. The 79-72 finish was not without drama, as the teams battled back and forth before the momentum ultimately fell the Bears' way at the end.
 
Darious Hall notched his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with a team-best 21 points and 16 rebounds, tying a career-high on the glass. Collin Cooper added a career-high 18 points on just seven shots, matching a season-best with four triples and connecting on all six of his free-throws.
 
The Bears led for the bulk of the opening minutes, jumping out to a quick 8-4 lead by the first media timeout, forcing a pair of early turnovers from the Colonels, turning the second into a massive alley-oop from Ibbe Klintman to Jared Chatham. The lead would grow to seven, but never quite get to double-figures, before Eastern Kentucky started to whittle the lead down.
 
EKU finally broke through and took the lead midway through the first half on a three-pointer, grabbing a 17-15 lead with 9:07 left in the half. The Bears never let go, though, keeping it within a couple of possessions. Down one with just over three minutes left in the first, the Bears closed on an 11-2 run to take an eight-point lead into the break.
 
Defensively, Central Arkansas would hold the Colonels to 20 percent from beyond the three-point arc in the first half, as the host-team shot just 4-of-20 in the first half. The Bears also capitalized in the paint, outscoring Eastern Kentucky 20-12 inside.
 
Collin Cooper and Chatham led the way for the Bears at the break, both reaching double-figures in the first 20 minutes. Cooper connected on all three of his three-point attempts, adding a pair of free throws to his name, while Chatham hit six field goals to break the 10-point mark.
 
The Colonels quickly erased the half-time lead, starting the second half on a 10-2 run to tie the game just three minutes into the half. By the midway point of the second, Eastern Kentucky had built a seven-point lead, capped by a three-pointer from EKU's Russhard Cruikshank with 12:16. Despite the fight from Central Arkansas, the Colonels stymied each and every push from the Bears, keeping them at arm's length.  
 
Undeterred, the Bears fought on, punching back and closing the gap over the next couple of minutes. Buckets from four Bears closed the gap in a flurry, turning a 57-62 deficit into a 65-62 lead, punctuated by a Camren Hunter jumper in the paint with 5:46 left in the second half. The lead would hover from one to five points, but markedly stayed in favor of Central Arkansas. Eastern Kentucky fought til the end, but the Bears connected on four-straight free-throws, plus a lay-up from Hall, to ice the game and claim the first win of the ASUN era for Central Arkansas.
 
The Bears return home with elevated spirits, hosting Lipscomb on Saturday for their first home game of ASUN play. Tip-off against the Bisons is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. at the Farris Center.