DUBLIN, Ireland – Game one of the ASUN/MAAC Challenge didn't go the Bears' way Friday morning, as the Central Arkansas men's basketball team dropped a 73-64 final score to Niagara Friday morning. Falling behind early, the Bears fought to the final buzzer, nearly overcoming a sluggish first half, but coming up just short.
Camren Hunter led the way in the scoring column, putting up a season-high 23 points. He was joined in double-figures by
Eddy Kayouloud and
Collin Cooper, who each scored 14 in the loss.
Hunter tallied the first score of the game, dropping a pull-up jumper on the first possession of the game. Central Arkansas (2-2) would keep the lead for about three minutes before the Purple Eagles claimed it on a jumper in the paint that made the score 6-5 in favor of Niagara with just over three minutes gone by.
Central Arkansas would then suffer a scoring drought, scoring only five points in the next seven minutes and change. Despite the offensive struggles, the Bears held firm on the defensive side of the ball, never letting the lead get out of control or digging too deep a hole to potentially climb out of. The Bears also stayed in the game by hustling for offensive rebounds and 50/50 balls, pulling in 12 offensive boards and forcing six turnovers by the Purple Eagles.
Kayouloud and Hunter were key offensive pieces in the first half, combining for 23 points and six rebounds through the first 20 minutes of play, with Kayouloud scoring 14. At the midway point, the Bears trailed by seven, heading to the locker room down 26-33.
Just as in the first half, Central Arkansas scored the first bucket of the period, as
Masai Olowokere pulled down a defensive rebound and sprinted the floor, pulling up for a midrange shot that found the bottom of the net. But two-straight baskets by Niagara put a stop to any momentum the Bears might have started finding in the beginning of the second.
As the second half continued, it seemed as though every time the Bears would make a run, Niagara would have an answer. A momentum-shifting play for Central Arkansas would be countered by the same from the Purple Eagles. The tide seemed to be shifting as the Bears cut the lead to four on a Cooper transition three-pointer with just over six minutes left to play, but again, back-to-back scores from Niagara put a stop to the push. Central Arkansas would cut the lead to four later in the half but couldn't get over the hump.
Facing a quick turnaround, the Bears have no choice but to learn from this one and move on, playing again tomorrow morning. Battling Rider in its final game of the ASUN/MAAC Challenge, Central Arkansas takes to the court at 5 a.m. CT.
