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CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears will make a return trip to the state of Oklahoma on Saturday to take on the Oklahoma Sooners at 2 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center.

UCA's last game was at Oral Roberts in Tulsa a week ago, followed by a break for final exams.

The Bears are 5-5 overall with three non-conference games remaining before the start of ASUN Conference play on Dec. 31 at Kennesaw (Ga.) State. 

UCA and Oklahoma will be meeting for the third time, with the Sooners holding a 2-0 advantage in the series. The Bears played it close the first time the teams met in 2010, dropping a 76-73 decision. The Bears' fourth-quarter rally that tied the game with 2:40 remaining fell short as the Sooners made enough free throws to pull out the win.

UCA, which shot 61 percent in the first half and 54.2 percent for the game, had four players in double figures, led by Imad Qahwash with 15 points. 

The next meeting was all Oklahoma as the Sooners, led by All-American Buddy Hield, cruised to a 111-68 win on Dec. 3, 2015. OU made 13 three-pointers (11 of 13 in the second half) and got 24 points from Jordan Woodard and 19 from Hield. Jordan Howard topped the Bears with 16 points and Derreck Brooks added 13. 

The Sooners are 7-3 this season, 4-1 at home, with wins over Seton Hall, Nebraska and Ole Miss, and losses to Villanova, Arkansas and Sam Houston.

Grant Sherfield, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, leads OU in scoring at 17.7 points per game and is shooting 55 percent from three-point range. As a team, the Sooners shoot 50.2 percent overall and 39 percent from beyond the arc. The OU roster features five seniors, including 6-10 center Tanner Groves (10.6 points/6.6 rebounds).

The Bears ran into a hot-shooting ORU team last Saturday in a 11-78 loss at the Mabee Center. The Golden Eagles shot 59.4 percent overall and made 16 of 26 (61.5 percent) from three-point range. UCA made 11 threes but shot just 38.5 percent overall.

Eddy Kayouloud, UCA's lone senior, led the Bears with 20 points, followed by sophomore Camren Hunter with 19. Redshirt freshman V.J. Reeves came off the bench for a career-high 12 points. Hunter, from Bryant, Ark., was named the ASUN Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 19.5 points,  

On the season, Hunter leads the Bears in scoring (16.8) and assists (4.0). Kayouloud and junior Masai Olowokere are tied for the team lead in rebounding at 6.2 per game. Junior Collin Cooper has a team-high 26 three-pointers.

The game came be heard live on KUCA 91.3, 92.7 Jack FM and on ESPN+.