DUBLIN, Ireland - Overseas for the next two games, the Central Arkansas men's basketball team takes the court as part of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge. The Bears will face Niagara on Friday at 10 a.m. CT before playing Rider on Saturday at 5 a.m. CT.
The Bears (2-1) have won back-to-back outings, most recently defeating Little Rock in the Governor's I-40 Showdown. The win was punctuated by big nights from
Eddy Kayouloud (26 points on 11-of-17 shooting) and
Collin Cooper (22 points, career-high six three-pointers). Also playing a big role in the victory was Camren Hunter, who had a double-double, scoring 13 points and adding a career-best 11 assists.
Central Arkansas has taken both games this season by double-digits while eclipsing 80 points in both as well. Using the fast break effectively, the Bears run one of the faster paces in the ASUN, ranking in the top-30 in the country in pace.
Friday's opponent, Niagara, faces the Bears with an 0-2 record, having dropped games against Maryland and Bucknell. Losing both by double-digits, the Purple Eagles have surrendered big second halves, getting outscored by 29 points in two games.
Niagara is led by junior guard Braxton Bayless, scoring a team-high 10.5 points per game. He also leads the Purple Eagles with seven assists and is second on the team with 10 rebounds and a pair of steals.
On Saturday, Central Arkansas will play its second game of the Challenge, taking on 1-1 Rider. Last time out, the Broncs defeated The College of New Jersey, taking an 87-50 final for their first win of the season. Allowing just six players from TCNJ to score, the Broncs paired stout defense that forced 17 turnovers with a highly efficient offense that scored 87 points on 50.7 percent shooting while committing just four turnovers.
Rider has been crazy efficient from beyond the arc this season, hitting 48 percent of its threes through two games. In fact, all three players that have hit multiple three-pointers for the Broncs are shooting over 50 percent from three, led by leading scorer Dwight Murray Jr, who has knocked down five of his seven three-pointers for a blistering 71.4 percent. Murray is averaging 17.5 points per game through two contests.
Friday's game is set for 10 a.m. CT, while Saturday's is an even earlier 5 a.m. CT. Due to technical difficulties across the pond, both games have been moved to ESPN+. Stream links and links to live stats are available on the men's basketball schedule page.
