Bears
Bears close out close win over Austin Peay at Farris Center
Taylor scores 14 as UCA overcomes Governors at end for much-needed win, continuing improvement in ASUN play
CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas answered nearly every run by the Austin Peay Governors on Thursday night, but their last one resulted in a 73-71 win for the visitors in ASUN action at the Farris Center.
UCA (5-15, 1-6) trailed 41-34 at halftime, despite a huge rebounding advantage, but then opened the second half with a 13-2 run to grab a 47-43 lead in the first five minutes of the second half. UCA pushed that margin to 63-53 after a Brayden Fagbemi three-pointer and a basket by Layne Taylor.
At one point the Bears had outscored the Governors 27-10 in the second half.
But the Governors (8-12, 3-4) came back with a 14-0 scoring burst to take the lead for good on a three-pointer from Tate McCubbin with 4:35 remaining. UCA would get back to within 69-68 with a three-pointer from Elias Cato and a driving layup by Cole McCormick with 1:05 to play.
The hectic final minute saw an APSU miss that was rebounded by McCormick, followed by a missed shot by the Bears and a foul. APSU made three free throws in the final 5.4 seconds to seal the win.
“There’s a four or five-minute stretch in the game where we just lose it,” said UCA coach John Shulman. “We broke at the end of the first half and we talked about it at the half, do we have enough oomph (to come back). And we came out and played with great toughness in the second half. We were up, what 10 with 9:00 to play? And they made some shots and we made some goofy plays, and that was the game.
“But we were still in a position to win the game with 15 seconds to go. But we haven’t done it.”
Taylor, a freshman from Farmington, led the Bears with 14 points and a pair of three-pointers, despite aggravating a shoulder injury midway through the second half. Fagbemi, a sophomore point guard, had one of UCA’s two double-doubles with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists.
Sophomore Michael Evbagharu had the other double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. UCA dominated the rebound battle in the first half by a 24-14 margin, with Evbagharu pulling down seven. They finished with a 39-34 advantage on the boards.
Both teams connected nine times from three-point range, with the Bears making six in the second half. Fagbemi was 3 of 5 from the arc for the game, including one at the final buzzer.
“Not a lot to say in that locker room right now, to be honest,” said Shulman. “We’re just not good enough. Our effort is good. We’re out three players and we’re battling our guts out. But we came here to change the program, and right now we’re failing and not getting it done. So, disappointed.
“We have to figure out a way to get some wins, and right now we’re not.”
Sai Witt, a 6-foot-8, 270-pound graduate center, led the Governors with 17 points and 9 rebounds, while guard Anton Brookshire hit four threes and added 15 points.
UCA continues its homestand at 1 p.m. Saturday, hosting league-leader Lipscomb, which lost to North Alabama on Thursday night.
Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.
