CONWAY -- It had been exactly two weeks since the University of Central Arkansas men's basketball team was on the winning side of things.
Last Saturday at North Alabama, UCA took its third consecutive loss with leading scorer Camren Hunter back in Conway sick.
He admittedly wasn't 100% healthy Thursday night at the Farris Center, but that didn't stop Hunter from pushing the Bears to a 88-85 overtime victory over North Florida.
"Watching the North Alabama game, sick in bed, it hurt," Hunter said. "I know [my team] needed me. When they need somebody to rely on, that's when I turn it on.
"I'm not a quitter. I'm not a loser. I'm a competitor and a winner. I've been winning my whole career and I refuse to keep losing."
Hunter led UCA with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 7 offensive rebounds and 4 assists.
"[Hunter] laid it on the line, and he does every time," acting head coach Brock Widders said. "He's gonna lay it on the line every day in practice. He's gonna lay it on the line in the middle of June. That's who he is, so I expect that out of him at this point."
UCA (7-15, 2-7 ASUN) started off strong with its healthiest roster in weeks, jumping out to an 18-12 lead eight minutes in.
UCA scored 12 total points over the final 12 minutes as North Florida (8-13, 3-6) outscored it 26-12 to take a 38-30 lead into halftime.
Widders said the Bears had game-planned for the Ospreys to come out switching everything on defense. But when they opted to mostly go under screens, the Bears were left reeling until halftime.
North Florida held a lead for 30 minutes, 45 seconds Thursday, including over 17 minutes of the second half. UCA tied the score for the first time in the second half with 3:30 remaining on a free throw from Hunter.
Alongside Hunter was the deepest bench Widders has had available since taking over as acting coach for Anthony Boone, who is recovering from heart surgery.
Eddy Kayouloud scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, VJ Reeves totaled 15 points and 9 rebounds in his return from illness and Collin Cooper scored 13 points.
Kayouloud and Reeves were instrumental in UCA's 58-32 advantage in points in the paint and 25-16 advantage in second-chance points. They combined for seven of UCA's 11 points in overtime.
North Florida relied on senior forward Carter Hendricksen to lead its offense. He delivered, finishing with a game-high 32 points to go with 11 rebounds. He went 5-of-9 from behind the three-point arc.
UCA entered Thursday 1-7 in conference play with three of those losses coming by five points or less. The Bears were determined to buck that trend and win one of the close ones against the Ospreys.
"They keep fighting, they keep fighting, they keep fighting, but tonight, them getting that [win], I know they believe now," Widders said. "They're gonna keep showing up and giving that effort."
"I feel like that was a step in the right direction," Hunter said. "A lot of teams thought we'd just lie down because we were 1-7, but that's not the case. ... We had to grow. We had to take those growing pains, that's part of it."