Bears
Austin Peay wins with hot shooting while Bears go stone cold
Bears can’t hit shots after being on recent hot streak, fall to Governors at home Thursday night, blowing good defensive effort.
CONWAY, Ark. — Austin Peay hit 24-of-28 at the free-throw line Thursday night and used that sharp shooting to down Central Arkansas, 77-67, in ASUN Conference action at the Farris Center.
The Governors (14-13, 7-5) entered the game shooting just 65 percent for the season, then connected on a remarkable 18-of-19 in the second half, including 10 of 10 over the final 2:30. The Bears couldn’t keep Austin Peay from missing anything at the free-throw line.
It didn’t help UCA went stone cold from the field, finishing with an uncharacteristic 11-of-20 (55 percent) after averaging 74.2 percent in its first 27 games. The Bears did out-rebound the Governors, 45-37, including 16 offensive rebounds, but APSU had 24 points off UCA’s 14 turnovers while UCA managed only two points off seven APSU miscues.
Javion Guy-King (Amity Lemmer / UCA Sports)
“It was another great defensive effort by our guys,” said UCA coach Anthony Boone. “The last four or five games we’ve been playing a lot better defense to give ourselves a chance in every game. And it’s not the results we wanted, but we’ve had a chances in every game.
“And this game was just like that. To hold them to 36 percent from the field is good. But that’s a huge difference there (in points off turnovers). It means they were very efficient after we turned it over. And that was a big difference in the game. We gave them seven extra possessions and that was a big deal. That and our free throws.”
The Bears grabbed a 35-33 halftime lead after sophomore guard Johannes Kirsipuu made a four-point play with 1.4 seconds remaining. That was despite APSU hitting seven three-pointers before the break. The Governors ended up making 11 of 25 (44 percent) from beyond the arc for the game, led by Ja’Monta Black’s 5-of-10 performance.
“We just did not shoot our free throws very well, and hopefully it’s a one-off for this game,” said Boone. “We’re typically one of the better teams in the league shooting free throws. And that was the big difference in the game.”
The Governors, who won their fourth consecutive game, outscored the Bears 44-32 in the second half, with 18 of those coming at the foul line. UCA finished 4 of 18 from three-point range (22.2 percent), with four different players making one three.
Junior Elias Cato led the Bears with 20 points and 9 rebounds, while a pair of freshmen, Tucker Anderson and Javion Guy-King added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Guy-King and Kirsipuu both played down the stretch with four personal fouls as UCA was called for 24. The Bears outscored the Governors 38-20 in points in the paint.
UCA (9-19, 5-7) continues its homestand at 3:30 Saturday, hosting the Lipscomb Bisons.
