UCA won its final home game of the season with a 76-69 victory over the Lamar Cardinals on Saturday in the Farris Center.
The Bears now have a two-game winning streak after winning at home against Sam Houston State on Thursday. The win moved UCA to 5-11 in the Southland Conference and 8-19 overall, while Lamar is now 2-14 in conference play and 3-25 overall.
Senior guard LaQuentin Miles made the most of his last game in the Farris Center, scoring a career-high 30 points and adding 14 rebounds. The Jacksonville native made 10-14 shots from the field and hit 9-18 free throws.
“It’s a blessing,” Miles said. “I just want to thank the coaching staff and teammates for making all of this possible,” he said.
Senior guard DeShone McClure added 11 points and four rebounds in his last home game, and freshman forward Jalen Jackson scored 12.
“It’s a great feeling to win it at home, big time win and we needed it” McClure said. “I can say my last game at the Farris Center I went out with a big time win.”
The Cardinals had three players score in double-digits, including junior guard Nimrod Hilliard with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Senior forward Amos Wilson had 16 while junior forward Donovan Ross scored 11.
UCA trailed 61-60 with four minutes left in the game, but went on a 10-3 run to take a six point lead with just over a minute left. They then made several free throws down the stretch and held on for the win.
The Bears shot 49 percent from the field while the Cardinals shot 47 percent. UCA went 6-15 from three point range while Lamar shot just 1-10. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Bears 37-35, but UCA blocked seven shots to Lamar’s zero and committed fewer turnovers, losing the ball 13 times to Lamar’s 19.
The Bears have just two games left in the season, starting with the Northwestern State University Demons at 7 p.m. on March 6 in Natchitoches, LA. The Demons are coming off of an 84-71 win over the University of New Orleans and are 10-6 in the SLC with a 14-13 mark overall.
The final game of the season is at 6 p.m. on March 8 in Nacogdoches, TX against the Stephen F. Austin University Lumberjacks. SFA is undefeated in the Southland at 16-0 and boasts a 27-2 overall record. The Lumberjacks defeated Southeastern Louisiana 75-62 on Saturday in Hammond, LA.