Feb. 4, 2009

Box Score

CONWAY, AR – Senior Kenny Dawkins’ 20-foot jumper with 1.7 seconds remaining was the game-winning as Lamar University held off a late Central Arkansas rally for a 59-57 win Wednesday night in Southland Conference action at the Farris Center.

Lamar, who snapped a two-game losing streak, improved to 12-9 overall and 3-5 in SLC play. UCA lost its third straight game and dropped to 9-12 overall and 2-6 in SLC play. The Cardinals continue their three-game road trip with a 6 p.m. game Saturday at Stephen F. Austin.

After trailing the entire game, UCA’s Mitch Rueter tied the game with a 35-foot three-pointer from beyond the top of the key with seven seconds remaining to tie the game at 57-57. The Cardinals quickly inbounded the ball to Dawkins who raced up the right sideline, pulled up on the three-point line and drilled the jumper for the game winner.

“After the week we had last week (losing in double overtime and on a tip-in at the buzzer), our guys showed what they are made of,” said Lamar coach Steve Roccaforte. “When they (UCA) came back to tie the game, we could have folded in the tent. I take my hat off to the players. They are very resilient and have a lot of fight left in them.”

Leading 27-24 at halftime, the Cardinals scored the first seven points of the second half to extend their lead to 10 on Ashton Hall’s three-pointer at 17:41. Jay Brown hit three straight baskets and Anthony Miles tipped in his own miss to give Lamar a 13-point lead, 42-29, with 14:13 remaining in the game. That also ended the Cardinals’ 15-5 run to open the second half.

The Bears started to chip away at the lead with a 9-0 run of their own capped by a Brooks Taylor jumper at 11:50 that cut Lamar’s lead to 42-38. A Tristan Worrell jumper at 6:11 pushed the lead back to seven, 50-43.

UCA kept scratching back and pulled to within two, 53-51, on a Brian Marks put-back with 2:43 left. After a pair of Charlie Harper free throws, Mitch Rueter nailed a 3-pointer at 2:08 to pull the Bears within one, 55-54. Dawkins made a pair of free throws with 29 seconds left to set up the late-game sequence by both teams.

Lamar scored the game’s first four points and never trailed in the contest. The Cardinals used a 10-run midway through the first half to take a 13-point lead, 22-9, on a Brown jumper with 8:58 remaining in the opening stanza. However, the Cardinals went scoreless over the final 4:39 of the half and let the Bears trim the lead to 27-24 at halftime.

Brown recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He also had five blocked shots and four steals. Brandon McThay added 14 points and Dawkins chipped in 12.

Taylor led UCA with a game-high 18 points and Rueter was the only other Bear in double-figures with 12. Marks pulled down 13 rebounds.