Box Score (pdf)

RICHMOND, Ky. – Three-pointers from Austin Ball and Turner Buttry turned a 4-point overtime deficit into a 2-point lead as Eastern Kentucky University beat Central Arkansas, 79-75, on Saturday at Baptist Health Arena.
 
Camren Hunter's turnaround jumper with 3:08 left in overtime put the Bears in front by four, 75-71.  After the two teams took turns missing 3-point attempts, Ball knocked in one from the right wing with 1:59 remaining to cut the deficit to one.
 
UCA turned the ball over on a shot clock violation on its next possession.  Buttry missed on a 3-pointer at the other end, but a tie-up on the rebound kept the Colonels in possession of the ball.  Buttry connected on his second chance, deep behind the line just to the right of the top of the key, putting EKU in front 77-75 with 52 seconds to play in the extra period.
 
Three offensive rebounds gave the Bears (7-10, 2-2 ASUN) four attempts on their end of the court.  The first three shots were 3-point attempts for the lead.  The final miss deflected out of bounds off a Central Arkansas player in the battle for the rebound with eight seconds to play.
 
Juan Cranford Jr. went to the free throw line with 6.4 seconds on the clock and secured the victory with two makes.
 
Cranford finished with a team-best and a season-high 20 points.  He also had four rebounds and three assists.  Buttry had nine points, four rebounds and four assists.  Ball contributed 18 points, hitting 5-of-10 from behind the arc.
 
Hunter led all players with 25 points, making 10-of-19 attempts from the field.
 
The Colonels (6-11, 2-2 ASUN) broke a 53-53 second half tie with a 9-0 run.  Asa White's free throw with 11:06 left in regulation put EKU ahead 62-53.  However, the home team scored just seven points the rest of the second half as Central Arkansas closed out the first 40 minutes with a 16-7 run. 
 
A block by Ball on a fast break layup attempt, and a layup on the other end from Montavious Myrick seemed to put EKU in position for the win, stretching the margin to four, 69-65, with 28 seconds left in regulation.  Hunter's two free throws cut it in half with 13.6 seconds left.  After a missed free throw on the front end of a 1-and-1, the Bears got the ball back with a chance to tie or win.  Hunter put in a turnaround jumper with 3.8 on the clock to knot the score at 69-69.
 
The game began with a run by each team.  Central Arkansas opened play by scoring the first 12 points.  Hunter's 3-pointer finished the fast start for the Bears.
 
EKU's first point didn't come until Ball hit a free throw at the 15:31 mark.  MJ Williams knocked down a 3-pointer 16 seconds later for the first field goal by the Colonels.  Those two baskets started a 23-7 run for the home team.
 
Ball, Jayden Harris and Cranford hit 3-pointers to close the gap to four, 17-13.  A 3-pointer from the right corner by Jackson Holt tied the game for the first time, 18-18.  Almost a minute later, Cranford hit another long one, from the top of the key, to give EKU its first lead, 21-18.  Jalen Cooper's dunk capped the Colonel run and gave his squad its largest first half lead, 23-19, with 7:21 to go before intermission. 
 
The two teams exchanged the lead six times in the final 6:30 of the opening period.  Cranford's 3-pointer and a dunk by Yvens Paul gave EKU a 40-37 lead at the break.
 
EKU moved ahead by four early in the second half before UCA scored six straight to go in front by two.  Luke Moore's layup for the visitors, with 13:37 to go in the second half, tied the score at 53-53.
 
The Colonels shot 44% from the field for the game and 42% from behind the arc (19-for-45).  Central Arkansas made 43% of its shots, but went 10-for-33 (30%) from 3-point range.  The Bears had a 38-35 rebounding edge.
 
EKU will take to the road to face Austin Peay on Thursday before hosting Bellarmine at Baptist Health Arena on Saturday.