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CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Arkansas Central Arkansas Bears get a much-needed break from their Power 4 gauntlet, and also a rare home game, when they host The Citadel at 6 p.m. Monday at the Farris Center.

The Bears (2-8) have been on the road since Nov. 24 when they beat UNC Asheville 92-83 in double overtime on Scottie Pippen Court. Since then, they have played four away from home, including Power 4 teams Georgia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Arkansas from the Southeastern Conference.

The Bears and Bulldogs will meet Monday as part of the Atlantic Sun/Southern Conference Challenge, pitting teams from the two leagues in non-conference games before their respective conference seasons begins. The Bulldogs, under seventh-year head coach and alumnus Ed Conroy, were picked ninth out of 10 teams in the SoCon preseason poll.

The Citadel is 5-4 on the season, with three consecutive victories over Erskine, Stetson (ASUN) and North Greenville, and later wins over St. Andrews and Toccoa Falls. The Bulldogs are coming off an 86-58 loss to Campbell on Thursday at home. In fact, The Citadel has played just one game away from McAlister Field House in Charleston, S.C., a season-opening loss at Boston College. 

The Bears and Bulldogs played once before, in 2008 at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico. UCA won 58-53 in their tournament opener of the Cancun Challenge. Guard Marcus Pillow was 3 of 3 from three-point range and led the Bears with 13 points, one of four UCA players in double figures. UCA held The Citadel to just 28.8 percent shooting.

UCA has played three consecutive in-state teams in Little Rock, UAPB and Arkansas, the latter at North Little Rock's Simmons Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Razorbacks improved to 9-2 with an 82-57 victory over the Bears, who shot just 33.3 percent from the field and were out-rebounded 36-22 by John Calipari's talented squad.

The Bears have also faced two other Power 4 programs in BYU and Utah, with a fifth one, a date at Oklahoma (SEC), coming up on Sunday afternoon in Norman, Okla.

After the Oklahoma game, UCA will have a seven-day holiday break before hosting Southwestern Christian at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29. ASUN Conference play begins on Jan. 2 when the Bears host Eastern Kentucky.