Basketball
Bears cruise past Ospreys 98-69 in ASUN home win
Central Arkansas overwhelms North Florida behind balanced scoring, sharp three-point shooting and steady ball movement at Farris Center.
CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas didn’t wait around to see if North Florida had plans of turning Saturday into a game.
The Bears turned the Farris Center into a shooting gallery and rolled past the Ospreys 98-69, using depth, ball movement and a steady diet of three-pointers to put the outcome on ice long before anyone started eyeing the exit signs.
UCA finished with six players scoring in double figures and showed little interest in slowing down once the lead ballooned.
From the opening minutes, the Bears played with the kind of pace that suggests they’d already decided how the afternoon was going to end.
Senior Camren Hunter set the tone early, attacking the basket after a turnover and later drilling a three that nudged UCA ahead for good.
Hunter didn’t stop there.
He poured in 26 points, matching his season high, and looked comfortable doing just about everything the Bears needed — scoring in transition, knocking down perimeter shots and keeping the offense humming.
The Bears shot their way into control by spreading the floor and sharing the ball.
They finished with 14 three-pointers and 25 assists, numbers that usually point to one thing — a defense that spent most of the afternoon chasing shadows.
North Florida tried to respond with spurts of offense, but every small run met a familiar answer.
Another Bear jumper. Getting another clean look from the perimeter. Another trip down the floor that ended with the net snapping.
By the time halftime arrived, the scoreboard told a blunt story.
UCA led 50-23, and the second half looked more like a formality than a comeback waiting to happen.
UCA Bears forward Cole McCormick during game against the North Florida Ospreys at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark. | UCA Sports photo
Balanced offense sets early tone
The Bears didn’t rely on one hot hand to build that lead.
Instead, they leaned into depth and patience, moving the ball until the right shot appeared.
Freshman Luke Moore helped control the interior, grabbing a career-best eight rebounds and giving the Bears second chances that kept North Florida from catching its breath.
UCA also controlled the glass early, finishing the first half with 26 rebounds and limiting the Ospreys’ opportunities to get out in transition.
That balance showed up all over the stat sheet.
Cole McCormick opened the second half with a layup, Hunter followed with another score inside, and the Bears quickly reminded North Florida that the break hadn’t changed much.
Hunter later converted a three-point play, pushing the lead even further and quieting any remaining questions about momentum.
Tyler Lee added a career-best 11 points and joined a rotation that never seemed to lose rhythm, no matter who stepped on the floor.
North Florida managed moments of resistance, including a three from Kent Jackson, but the Bears’ response was consistent.
They kept shooting. They kept passing. They kept scoring.
And they never let the game drift into anything resembling suspense.
UCA Bears forward Ty Robinson during game against the North Florida Ospreys at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark. | UCA Sports photo
Bears stay sharp after halftime
UCA didn’t ease off once the margin grew.
The Bears continued to find open shooters and attack gaps in the defense, showing the same discipline in the second half that built the early cushion.
Every possession looked intentional. Every shot seemed to come within the flow of the offense.
That approach paid off again and again as UCA maintained control and steadily widened the gap.
North Florida couldn’t string together enough stops to flip the script, and the Bears made sure there was no opening for one.
By the final minutes, the focus had shifted from whether UCA would win to how efficiently it would close.
The Bears did just that, sealing a wire-to-wire ASUN victory that reinforced their identity as a team that spreads the scoring load and punishes defensive lapses.
The final buzzer confirmed what had been clear for a while.
This one belonged to the Bears.
Road trip awaits UCA
UCA won’t have much time to admire the stat line.
The Bears head back on the road Thursday for an ASUN matchup at West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga., looking to carry the same balance and pace away from home.
If the shooting travels and the ball keeps moving, UCA may not need to change much at all.
Saturday was simple.
Make shots. Share the ball. Control the game.
The Bears did all three.
