CONWAY, Ark. (Interstat) — The Central Arkansas Bears used a dominant second-half surge fueled by defensive pressure and transition offense to pull away from the North Alabama Lions for an 81-60 victory in an ASUN Conference men’s basketball game Wednesday night at the Farris Center.

A tightly contested first half gave way to a decisive 21-2 run by the Bears early in the second period, turning a one-point game into a blowout and snapping North Alabama’s two-game winning streak.

Central Arkansas improved to 13-10 overall, while North Alabama fell to 7-14.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring 10 lead changes. North Alabama, led by Donte Bacchus’s 14 first-half points, found success from beyond the arc, hitting six three-pointers. The Lions held a 39-38 lead after a Kevin de Kovachich three-pointer with just over three minutes remaining. However, Central Arkansas closed the half on a 7-0 spurt, capped by a Tyler Lee layup in the final seconds, to take a 40-39 lead into the break.

The game’s defining stretch began shortly after halftime. Leading 45-42, Central Arkansas unleashed its game-changing run. The Bears’ defense, which finished with 10 steals, forced a flurry of North Alabama turnovers and converted them into easy baskets. Luke Moore, who orchestrated the offense with seven assists, hit a three-pointer and a layup during the sequence, while Camren Hunter and Javion Guy-King also contributed fastbreak scores.

The Lions went scoreless for over five minutes and committed five turnovers during the pivotal stretch, watching a 42-45 deficit balloon to 44-66 with 12:21 to play. North Alabama never recovered, shooting just 28.6% from the field in the second half and scoring only 21 points.

Central Arkansas excelled in key statistical areas that underscored their transition game. The Bears outscored North Alabama 21-7 on fastbreak points and turned 13 Lions turnovers into 15 points. Their ball movement was also superior, tallying 10 assists to North Alabama’s six.

Bacchus, a 6-foot-7 forward from Homewood, Alabama, led all scorers with 21 points for North Alabama. De Kovachich, from Montreal, added 15 points. Corneilous Williams contributed nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Central Arkansas showcased a balanced offensive attack. Moore, a 6-foot-2 guard, filled the stat sheet with 15 points, seven assists and a block. Guy-King, a local product from Little Rock, scored 12 points. Cole McCormick came off the bench to provide a significant spark with 14 points, all in the second half, while Harrison Beauchamp of Victoria, Australia, added eight points, three assists and two blocks. Ty Robinson also chipped in 12 points.

The Bears shot 48.4% from the field for the game and connected on 14 of 33 three-point attempts. North Alabama finished at 40.7% shooting and was hampered by an 8-for-16 performance at the free-throw line.

An announced crowd of 984 at the Farris Center saw Central Arkansas win its third straight conference game and maintain momentum heading into a Saturday road contest at Lipscomb. North Alabama will look to regroup on the road Saturday at Austin Peay.

The game’s most important sequence was Central Arkansas’s 21-2 run to start the second half. It transformed a narrow, competitive contest into a lopsided affair by capitalizing on North Alabama’s offensive stagnation and defensive lapses. The Bears’ ability to force turnovers and immediately convert them into points at the other end broke the game open and established an insurmountable lead.