The UCA men’s basketball team handily defeated the Randall University Saints 108-49 in its home opener on Scottie Pippen Court on Nov. 13. 

UCA got off to a commanding lead early in the game, nailing 56 points in the first half and conceding only 22 points to the Saints. 

“It was good to play our first [home] game,” UCA head coach John Shulman said. “I was nervous. It was our first one here in the Farris Center. We got off to a good start, and we defended for the most part.”

The Bears (1-2) attempted 54 three-point shots, breaking the school record for three-point attempts. The previous record of 35 three-point attempts was set in 2017 against UCLA. Of those 54 attempts, 16 were successful, and eight different players successfully made at least one three-point shot.  

“We shot a few more threes than I thought we would shoot,” Shulman said. “I don’t mind shooting 54; I mind missing all those ones we didn’t make.”

“But that’s how we recruit,” Shulman said. “We recruit offensively and coach defense, so we can shoot [54]. I think it’s an exciting way to play.”

“Layne [Taylor] said on our way up [to the interview] ‘I had a lot of fun; it was fun,’” Shulman said. “And if the kids are having fun, that’s a good thing. I did think we played really, really hard, and I thought we played really hard for 40 minutes.”

The Bears continued to extend their lead in the second half, scoring 52 points to Randall’s 27 points, raising the score to 108-49. 

UCA out-rebounded Randall (0-1) 58-34, with 19 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points, holding the Saints to zero second-chance points. The Bears scored 22 points off turnovers, while the Saints were held to six. 

The Bears had four players score more than ten points, led by senior guard Elias Cato and freshman guard Layne Taylor with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Cato had eight rebounds and three assists. Freshman guard Cole McCormick scored 16 points, and redshirt freshman guard Ben Fox scored  a career-high 14 points. 

Sophomore guard Brayden Fagbemi led the team in rebounds and assists, with 11 rebounds and seven assists. 

“We had 1,500 people here and that’s pretty neat for our first game, especially against a lesser opponent that’s not necessarily D-I,” freshman guard Layne Taylor said. “And shooting a lot of threes. It’s a lot of fun, moving the ball – shoot it, play fast, run up and down. And we played together, stayed together and played hard. That’s the recipe for a lot of fun.”

“I liked our effort,” Shulman said. “We out-rebounded them by 24 and we had 19 offensive boards. We had 23 assists and we had only five turnovers.”

“Tomorrow morning at eight o’clock we’re watching [the] film; we’re practicing at 8:30,” Shulman said. “We just have to keep on getting better. It’s part of the process, it’s the grind of college basketball.”