Bears blasted by Utah as growing up process continues for Shulman

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Central Arkansas ran into a red-hot Utah Utes squad on Thursday night and fell 98-63 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Utah (2-0) nailed 10 three-pointers in the first half, and followed that up with nine more in the second half, shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc for the game. The Big 12 Utes had just set their school record with 19 threes in Monday’s win over Alcorn State and tied it Thursday, attempting a whopping 50 three-pointers.

The Bears (0-2) were ice cold from the opening tip, making just 7 of 31 from the field in the first half. UCA got better in the final 20 minutes, scoring 45 points and shooting a respectable 34.8 percent and hitting eight three-pointers. The Bears finished with 11 threes for the game, making more threes than they did two-point shots.

“This whole trip, and what we have to until Jan. 2, is we have to get these guys growing up,” said UCA coach John Shulman referencing the start of ASUN Conference play. “I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for us. We’ve got to get better, and we will get better. Putting them in this scenario, with their (Utah’s) length and their size, that is phenomenal for them.

“This is the best league in the country. What an unbelievable experience for a team. That doesn’t mean I like it. But that’s why people think we’re insane to do what we do. And we are insane. We’re in Utah, it’s like midnight and we just got pounded. And what are we going to do? We’re going to watch film and we’re going to get better.”

The Bears’ two game road trip to Utah consisted of games against a pair of Power 4 teams in BYU and Utah, two of five Power 4 teams on this year’s schedule.

Freshman guard Layne Taylor led the Bears with 15 points, including three three-pointers, while sophomore guard Brayden Fagbemi added 13 points, 11 of those in the first half, and a team-high four assists.

Utah’s Gabe Madsen had a game-high 25 points, hitting six threes, to top the 1,000-point mark for his career. The Utes won the 1,900th game in program history to improve to 2-0 on the season. Utah won the rebound battle 51-35.

“Hey, they made some shots and made some plays, and we didn’t,” said Shulman. “We had four freshmen and a sophomore on the court at the same time. That’s not intelligent in this day and age. But I’m not letting our players use that as an crutch and as an excuse. It is what it is.

“Because once you do that, then you give them a reason to fail. It’s OK to fail, it’s OK to get beat. No it’s not. So we have to completely change culture little by little, and I think we are doing that.”

UCA plays its home opener next Wednesday night against Randall University at 6:30 p.m at the Farris Center.