CONWAY -- UALR isn't playing defense to Coach Wes Flanigan's satisfaction, and he says the Trojans' lack of depth makes the offense inconsistent, too.
But they still have five seniors, and that was enough to outlast Central Arkansas in a back-and-forth 89-87 victory in overtime Tuesday night at the Farris Center.
The Trojans made six of their first eight shots to jump to a 13-1 lead, only to see it disappear and become a 25-25 tie later in the half. Then, UALR sprinted to a 60-50 lead early in the second half before the Bears took a lead with 14 consecutive points. UCA also erased a six-point deficit in the final 1:01 to force overtime on Derreck Brooks' driving layup with 0.4 seconds left.
But Marcus Johnson Jr., one of five senior starters, scored six of his team-high 18 points in overtime, including a driving layup that gave the Trojans a lead with 15.7 seconds..
It was UALR's third victory in its past four games, all of which were two-point games in the final three minutes.
"We've got a veteran group that has been in that situation so many times, and they just kind of stay with the process," Flanigan said. "We were able to get some stops when we needed them, got some baskets."
The stops came few and far between Tuesday against UCA (1-5), which shot 50 percent (33 of 66) from the floor. The Bears took a 86-82 lead with 3:30 left in overtime on a Jordan Howard jumper, but they missed their final five shots.
UCA Coach Russ Pennell was pleased with how his team responded throughout Tuesday's game, but the defensive lapses at the start of each half disappointed him.
"The good teams don't beat themselves," he said. "I thought tonight we got closer than we have been, but we were just a little bit short."
Four of UALR's five senior starters contributed to its quick start. Lis Shoshi, who had 13 points before fouling out; Johnson; Kemy Osse, who had 15; and Jalen Jackson, who had 15, each scored in an early spurt that gave the Trojans (5-2) a 13-1 lead.
UALR led 19-8 before UCA rallied, going on a 17-6 run that tied it at 25-25 on Darraja Parnell's three-point play with 9:24 left. Freshman Andre Jones, who had 10 points, scored the final six points of the first half to give UALR a 50-44 lead.
Shoshi, Jackson and Osse helped push the Trojans' lead to 58-46 to start the second half. It was 60-50 before UALR went almost four minutes without scoring. At one point, UCA forced three consecutive turnovers and turned each miscue into points, taking a 62-60 lead on Tanner Schmit's jumper with 12:01 left.
"It's just stagnant at times," Johnson said of UALR's offense. "We get fatigued and we start being stagnant, standing around and not cutting."
UCA capped the 14-0 run on a Howard runout to go up 64-60.
The Trojans looked to be pulling away when an Osse basket put them up 81-75, but Howard hit a three-pointer, Schmit scored inside, and Brooks drove the right side of the baseline for his game-tying layup.
"We just had to clear our mind and don't even worry about that and just finish the game," Jackson said.
They were able to thanks in large part to Johnson, whose three-pointer from the top of the key made it 86-85 with 2:15 left. After his driving layup gave UALR an 88-87 lead, he rebounded Howard's miss with three seconds left.
"He makes big plays," Jackson said of UALR's leading scorer.
Schmit scored 22 points, Howard had 19 and Brooks had 17 while sparking plenty of UCA rallies.
"I was proud of the way we fought back," Pennell said. "That's part of what makes it tougher in that locker room because we haven't had tons of success and now, all of a sudden, you get that close against a quality team and you come up a little bit short."
SOUTHLAND WOMEN
UCA 59, ALCORN STATE 45
CONWAY — Central Arkansas beat Alcorn State in the first meeting earlier this month, but the second meeting was in doubt halfway through the third quarter.
Alcorn State cut a 34-27 halftime deficit to 41-39 with 4:16 left in the third. That’s when UCA Coach Sandra Rushing called a timeout and her team responded. The Sugar Bears scored on their next four possessions to regain control and then cruised to their third consecutive victory.
Taylor Baudoin led UCA (4-1) with 16 points, while Raquel Logan had 13 point sand 13 rebounds. UCA shot 45.6 percent for the game, but committed 17 turnovers.
Alcorn State (0-6) turned those turnovers in 14 points, while trying to stay close. Henrietta Wells had 16 points, while Tia Sanders had 13 points.
UCA led 48-39 entering the fourth quarter and held Alcorn State to 3-of-17 shooting to close it out.
SWAC WOMEN
CINCINNATI 72, UAPB 42
Niya Head scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebound, but the Cincinnati Bearcats routed UAPB. Faith Ohanta made a three-pointer to tie the game at 3-3 for UAPB, but Cincinnati scored the last 19 points of the first quarter to take a 22-3 lead. UAPB (0-5) would pull within 37-20 on Destiny Brewton’s free throws with 6:01 left in the third quarter, but Cincinnati’s 19-7 run to end the quarter put the game away. UAPB made 17 of 52 shots for 32.7 percent, but Cincinnati (5-1) outscored it by 15 points from the free-throw line and 21 points from three-point range.
— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sports on 11/30/2016