LIVE AUDIO
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

CONWAY, Ark. _ The short-handed University of Central Arkansas Bears will try again for their first ASUN Conference win on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Austin Peay Governors.

UCA and APSU will play for the first time at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Winfield Dunn Center. The Bears are expected to be without three injured players for the second consecutive game, and will definitely be without their head coach Anthony Boone. He underwent successful heart surgery on Thursday and will be away from the team indefinitely.

Assistant coach Brock Widders, who has been with the program since 2017-18, will continue to serve as acting head coach. Widders was in charge on Thursday night when the Bears stormed back from a 23-point deficit in the opening minute of the second half and ended up losing 77-75 to Eastern Kentucky at the Farris Center.

Besides Boone, UCA is also missing starting guard Collin Cooper _ the Bears third-leading scorer _ along with part-time starter Elias Cato and true freshman guard Johannes Kirsipuu.

The Bears have dropped their first three ASUN games, two at home at the Farris Center. UCA now embarks on stretch of three consecutive games on the road, beginning Saturday in Clarksville, Tenn. The Bears then face Queens next Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. and Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., on Saturday.

UCA got 25 points from sophomore guard Camren Hunter, including 14 in the second half when the Bears shot 56.7 percent from the field on Thursday. UCA finished 10 of 25 from three-point range, with redshirt freshman V.J. Reeves knocking down 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.

The Governors (7-9, 1-2) eeked out a 61-59 win over Florida Gulf Coast at home on Thursday to break a four-game losing streak. APSU's conference losses were at Queens (81-77) and at North Florida (90-85 in overtime). UCA also has an overtime conference loss to Florida Gulf Coast last week. One of the losses in the four-game streak was at Top 10 Tennessee.

The Governors have four players who average double figures in scoring, led by Elijah Hutchins-Everett at 13.4 points per game, and Sean Durugordon at 13.3. APSU had made 118 three-pointers this season (97 for opponents) and shoots 34.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The game will be carried live on The Bear 91.3, 92.7 Jack FM and ESPN+.