CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears ran into a buzzsaw Thursday night as the hot-shooting Florida Gulf Coast Eagles shot down the Bears 82-59 in Atlantic Sun Conference action at the Farris Center.

The Eagles (10-13) shot a blistering 57.1 percent from the field in the first half, including eight three-pointers. They ran out to a 20-2 lead after seven minutes and never looked back in evening their conference mark at 4-4. UCA, coming off a big home victory over Kennesaw State last Saturday, was ice cold from the start, shooting just 33.3 percent in the opening half and going 3 of 15 from beyond the arc. 

"It was just a rough start," said UCA head coach Anthony Boone. "It was kind of a weird first half. A lot of things we worked on this week we just did not do. We just seemed out of character, out of sorts, the first 15, 18 minutes of the first half. I don't know, it was like we were in an episode of the Twilight Zone.

"But it's basketball and the name of the game is still putting the ball in the hole, and we did not do that very well. And Florida Gulf Coast is a very, very good team, despite what their overall record might be. They are extremely talented, and they did have a very impressive win just before conference play started over Florida Atlantic. So they are very capable of winning any game they play."

The Eagles did not left up much in the second half, shooting 48.1 percent overall and making six more three-pointers, giving them a season-high 14 of 34 (41.2 percent). UCA finished 6 of 26 from the three-point line (23.1 percent), with sophomore Carl Daughtery, Jr. making 3 of 6 for a team-high 14 points off the bench. Freshman Javion Guy-King added 11 points, also off the bench, while junior Elias Cato scored 10.

The Bears (8-16, 4-4) actually won the second half 34-33, but the 24-point halftime margin was way too much to overcome.

"Eventually we turned up our intensity, but it was just too little, too late," said Boone. "They had built up enough of a lead that they could withstand whatever kind of run we were able to make at that point. But it was good to see our guys at least do that."

The Bears continue their three-game homestand on Saturday when they host the Stetson Hatters at 3:30, following the women's game. UCA is in a five-way tie for fourth place in the ASUN standings with a 4-4 record, with Stetson one game ahead at 5-3.