Marcus Johnson Jr. insists he hadn't grown frustrated with his failing three-point shot, which was his most effective weapon a year ago when he was UALR's second-leading scorer.
The Trojans' senior guard set a program record by making 46.6 percent of his three-pointers last year, but entering Saturday's game against Central Arkansas he was shooting just 29.2 percent through nine games this season.
"I stayed true to the process," he said. "My teammates believe in me and my coaches believe in me, and I'm going to keep shooting."
His determination paid off Saturday afternoon in a 70-59 victory over Central Arkansas when Johnson set a Jack Stephens Center record by making nine three-pointers on his way to 29 points in front of an announced crowd of 3,044.
Johnson, who twice made seven threes in a game last season, got going early, making 3 three-pointers in the first four minutes to help the Trojans (8-2) take a 14-7 lead.
He also provided a boost to UALR's final push. When UCA had gotten to within 50-47, he hit threes on consecutive possessions to make it 56-47 with 10:05 left, and the Trojans led by seven or more the rest of the game while winning their fifth in a row.
It was the type of performance UALR Coach Wes Flanigan had grown accustomed to last season while serving as associate head coach to Chris Beard.
"I've been a little p****d at him, to be honest with you," Flanigan said. "He shot [46] percent for Chris Beard last year, and he hadn't been shooting at that clip for me. And so we've been arguing back and forth a little bit about that.
"But tonight, he had one of those nights, man."
It ended up being the bulk of UALR's offense as UCA was content to clog the area near the basket with its zone defense.
The Trojans made 15 of 27 three-pointers, both season highs, but still shot only 39.3 percent. They were 9 of 34 on two-pointers, and they didn't attempt a free throw until five minutes into the second half.
Although UCA stayed in the game, Johnson's shooting ensured it wasn't as tight as last month's 89-87 UALR victory in overtime against the Bears.
Kemy Osse made 3 of 9 threes on his way to 12 points and Andre Jones hit two threes while finishing with 6 points for the Trojans.
"Obviously, we don't want to come out here every night and hoist up 27 three-pointers," Flanigan said. "But tonight that's what it took to win, and we were able to do it."
UCA Coach Russ Pennell credited Johnson's shooting, but he doesn't think it was the deciding factor in his team's fifth loss in a row.
Pennell blamed his team's offensive showing. Jordan Howard made 4 of 7 three-pointers on his way to 21 points, but the Bears shot 31.5 percent from the floor. Pennell was most disappointed by the number of misses around the rim. One particular instance came early in the second half, when guard Thatch Unruh had an open look at a layup but the ball rolled off the rim.
UALR's Lis Shoshi, who had 10 points and 14 rebounds, answered by scoring on a putback to stretch his team's lead to 39-32.
"Inept offense," said Pennell, while defending his team's zone defense that had held teams to 35.9 percent on three-point shooting before Saturday. "[Johnson] was an exception tonight. Why didn't they beat us by 30 hitting that many threes? Because that shot is overrated.
"It's a good shot. It's a weapon. Yes, it affected the outcome, but it was not the deciding factor in that game. It was our ineptness to score."
UCA still made a run in the second half. After a Maurius Hill basket inside for UALR, Unruh hit a three, Mathieu Kamba scored on a breakaway and Derreck Brooks made a three to get UCA within 44-43. Later, Brooks drove for a basket to cap a 12-2 run and give UCA a 47-46 lead.
But the Bears were held scoreless on their next six possessions as the Trojans took control and closed out their 10th victory in a row in the series.
It also was their fifth victory this season in which they trailed in the second half.
"We've been through this for a while now," Shoshi said. "Last year, we won 30 games and like 20 of them we were down 10-plus. We're just used to it. We don't panic."
Sports on 12/11/2016