Central Arkansas Bears vs UCLA Bruins Match Player Stats On Nov 15, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 16, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- A Wednesday that began with negative headlines for No. 23 UCLA nearly ended with another, but the Bruins rallied in overtime to beat upset-minded Central Arkansas 106-101 at Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA (2-0) preceded its 2017-18 home opener as the focus of national attention, with freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill issuing a public apology for their arrest last week in China on shoplifting.

Coach Steve Alford announced the indefinite suspension of the trio. A depleted UCLA roster battled wire-to-wire with Central Arkansas (1-2), which rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit on excellent 3-point shooting.

Bears guard Jordan Howard sank his fifth shot from behind the arc with 3.7 seconds remaining in regulation, giving Central Arkansas an 86-85 lead. Howard finished with 35 points and paced an 18-of-35 shooting effort from deep for the Bears.

UCLA freshman Jaylen Hands, fouled on a drive into the lane, made 1 of 2 free throws on the Bruins' final possession, forcing overtime.

Freshman Kris Wilkes recorded his first career double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Center Thomas Welsh also provided a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while guard Aaron Holiday scored a team-high 24 points.

UCLA threatened to blow the game open early, taking a 34-17 lead amid a four-minute scoring drought for Central Arkansas midway through the first half. A combination of poor foul shooting and sloppy ball control -- the Bruins committed nine turnovers before halftime -- allowed the Bears to battle back.

Four from Central Arkansas scored in double-figures. Guard Thatch Unruh notched 20 points with four made 3-pointers. Guard Mathieu Kamba and 7-foot freshman Hayden Koval both added 15 points.

NOTES: UCLA F Thomas Welsh's double-double vs. Central Arkansas was the 20th of his career. ... UCLA shot 62.5 percent from the free throw line, but were a much worse 2 of 10 until the final two minutes of regulation. ... Central Arkansas G Jordan Howard fell two points shy of career high. He scored 37 points against Northwestern State in February 2016. ... Central Arkansas G Mathieu Kamba surpassed the 1,000-point mark with 15 points Wednesday and has 1,004.