Box Score

CONWAY, Ark. – Eastern Kentucky shot 62 percent in the first half and held off a second half rally for a 77-75 victory at Central Arkansas on Thursday.
 
Devontae Blanton finished with a 22 points and eight rebounds.  Leland Walker had 14 points and five boards.  John Ukomadu and Michael Moreno contributed 12 points each.  Isaiah Cozart had a game-best 11 rebounds with eight points and two blocked shots.
 
Trailing 9-8 early in the game, the Colonels (9-7, 2-1 ASUN) rolled off 11 unanswered to take control.  Walker scored on back-to-back jumpers.  Ukomadu finished it off with a dunk to put the visitors up 19-9.  EKU pushed its lead to 13, 33-20, on a 3-pointer from Moreno that bounced in.
 
The Bears closed within eight, 38-30, on a lay-up from Eddy Kayouloud with 5:25 left in the first half, but UCA scored only two more points the rest of the period.
 
Eastern Kentucky closed out the first on an 11-2 run.  Walker hit a transition 3-pointer to put the lead back to 13, 43-30.  Ukomadu scored the final four points, including an alley-oop dunk from Tayshawn Comer.  Ukomadu's lay-up sent the Colonels to the locker room on top by 17, 49-32.
 
EKU made 21-of-34 (62 percent) from the field in the first half, including 5-of-9 (56 percent) from deep.  The Colonels forced 11 turnovers in the first stanza.
 
Moreno hit two early 3-pointers to start the second half to give Eastern Kentucky its largest lead of the game at 23 points, 55-32.  The Bears didn't fold though.  Central Arkansas used a 20-4 run to get back in the game.  A 3-pointer from VJ Reeves with 13:24 on the clock capped the run and made it a 7-point game, 59-52.
 
Central Arkansas continued to hit 3-pointers.  Two more keyed a quick 10-2 run that got the Bears within one.  Churchill Bounds and Carl Daughtery Jr. both hit triples.  Ibbe Klintman's lay-up with 10:17 remaining made it a 65-64 game.
 
Kayouloud's lay-up with 4:33 to go got the Bears within one again, 73-72.  Cozart had a putback and Blanton knocked in a jumper to push the lead to five, 77-72, with 3:36 to play.  The Colonels didn't score again.  After Camren Hunter's lay-up and free throw got UCA within two, 77-75, with 1:51 on the clock, Eastern Kentucky held the home team scoreless the rest of the way.
 
Kayouloud missed two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining that would have tied the game.
 
Hunter led all players with 25 points for Central Arkansas (5-11, 0-3 ASUN).
 
After going 4-12 from long range in the first half, the Bears made 6-of-13 in the second and shot 57 percent from the field.
 
Eastern Kentucky returns to Richmond to host Liberty on Sunday at 1 p.m.