The University of Central Arkansas Bears men’s basketball team is preparing for two upcoming ASUN Conference games on the road. The Bears, currently holding a 9-10 overall record and 4-2 in conference play, will face the West Georgia Wolves (9-9, 3-3) on Thursday, January 22 at 6 p.m. CT in Carrollton, Georgia. They will then travel to Florence, Alabama to play the North Alabama Lions (6-11, 1-5) on Saturday, January 24 at 6 p.m. CT.
Last season, Central Arkansas played both teams twice—winning both games against West Georgia but losing both matchups with North Alabama.
The Bears recently secured two ASUN victories at home in the Farris Center, improving their conference record to 4-2. This marks their best start since joining the ASUN Conference in the 2021-2022 season. In their first game last week against Jacksonville, they overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to win 62-60. Luke Moore scored a career-high 19 points and made all three of his three-point attempts. In their next game against UNF, Camren Hunter matched his season high with 26 points as Central Arkansas won decisively by a score of 98-69—their largest margin of victory in a conference game since 2016.
Central Arkansas has performed strongly at home this season with a record of nine wins and one loss and an average margin of victory of nearly 27 points per home win. However, they have yet to secure a road win this year; both of their conference losses occurred away from home and were decided in overtime.
In ASUN play so far this season, the Bears are averaging just under 82 points per game while shooting about 45 percent from the field, nearly 35 percent from beyond the arc, and converting free throws at a rate of approximately 77 percent.
West Georgia enters Thursday’s contest on a three-game losing streak—all losses coming on the road by an average margin of twenty points—but remains undefeated (2-0) at home in conference play. Three Wolves players are averaging double figures during ASUN competition: Shelton Williams-Dryden leads with almost twenty-six points per game; Josh Smith averages over seventeen; Malcolm Noel contributes more than ten per contest. As a team during league games they are scoring close to seventy-seven points per outing while shooting forty-four percent from the floor.
North Alabama is also experiencing difficulties with two consecutive losses at home last week and only one conference win so far this season. In six league games they have lost by an average margin of nine points per contest. Canin Jefferson is leading UNA scorers with sixteen-and-a-half points per game while Corneilous Williams adds just over fifteen each night.
Both upcoming games will be broadcast live on ESPN+, The Bear 91.3 FM and Jack 92.7 FM radio stations; live statistics will also be available online.
