Chris Beard had seen enough.
UALR had gone 1 of 7 from the floor at the outset of the second half and allowed Louisiana-Lafayette to hit 5 of 6, and the Trojans' 12-point lead was gone. The score was tied at 38-38.
Beard took a timeout at Lakefront Arena and told his players not to worry about the final 12 minutes. Instead, he insisted they win the next three minutes, and they did.
The Trojans outscored the Ragin Cajuns 10-5, and led by their defense, went on to win 72-65 and advance to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game today for the first time since 2011.