Senior forward Eddy Kayouloud continues to play basketball at a remarkably high level for the UCA men’s basketball team, achieving a second consecutive double-double in a 76-69 win over Austin Peay.
UCA (9-18, 4-10 ASUN) emerged victorious against the Governors (8-19, 2-12 ASUN) Saturday, Feb. 11, avenging a loss from their conference rival earlier this season.
Kayouloud’s 24 points and 10 rebounds played a significant role in defeating Austin Peay, but Coach Brock Widders was especially proud of the way his squad performed on the defensive side of the game.
“Our offense has been there for several games now, we keep scoring in the 80s and high 70s. But we haven’t defended well enough to win games, and tonight we did that. I thought we really had our mind and heart on defending and rebounding,” Widders said.
The Bears shot 47.5 percent from the field, along with scoring 40 points in the paint, compared with the Governors’ 38.3 percent field goal shooting.
Kayouloud wasn’t the only one getting buckets for the Bears, UCA had some backcourt play, with three separate guards having double-digit scoring nights.
Sophomore guard Camren Hunter had 13 points, sinking three free throws in the final 40 seconds of the contest to secure the win.
Redshirt freshman guard V.J. Reeves came off the bench and scored 11, sinking two three-point shots for the Bears.
Sophomore guard/forward Elias Cato returned to the starting lineup for the game, scoring 12 for the Bears, including a highflying tomahawk dunk early in the first half that electrified the crowd.
“Elias is a guy who has only been around the 18 to 20-minute mark and I think his value is higher than that. The only answer was to start him. He’s a natural on the offensive end, it comes pretty easy to him,” Widders said.
The first half ended with Cato splashing a short jumper in the paint, making the score 38-30 going into halftime, the Bears holding onto an eight-point lead.
“We went into the locker room and addressed what worked for us offensively, what worked for us defensively, then we wrote on the board 0-0, and that was the score going into the second half,” Widders said.
The zero-to-zero mentality resonated with the Bears, as they started the second half hot, scoring six points before the Governors finally halted the run.
UCA’s lead got as large as 15 points in the second half, but Austin Peay managed to claw their way back to a mere six-point deficit with just 1:51 left to play.
However, some late-game clutch buckets from Kayouloud, Reeves and Hunter sealed the victory and sent the Governors home packing.
The victory is somewhat bittersweet for UCA fans, as it marks the final time Eddy Kayouloud plays in the Farris Center on a Saturday.
Kayouloud made the most of his final Saturday home game, as he produced a stat line with video game-like numbers; 24 points, 10 rebounds, two blocked shots, one assist, shot perfect from beyond the three-point arc and shot 10 for 12 from the field resulting in an absurdly high 83 percent.
The Bears’ next game will be against Eastern Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 16 in Richmond, Kentucky.