CONWAY — A solid defensive effort, timely rebounding and steady ball control more than made up for a big offensive drought for Central Arkansas on Saturday as the Sugar Bears defeated Eastern Kentucky 61-52 in the Farris Center for their third consecutive win and fourth in their last five games.
"This was a big, big win for us for a lot of different reasons," UCA head coach Matt Daniel said. "Our problems aren't solved by any means, but we're getting a little bit better every day. We had stops when we needed them, rebounded when we needed to, and we're making the extra pass and getting open looks. Slowly but surely we're getting there. We're not there yet, but we're working on it."
After jumping out to a 14-point lead in the first half, UCA (5-4) closed the period without a field goal in the final 4:49 and surrendered a 22-8 run to the Lady Colonels (4-5) over a 12:26 span that extended midway through the second half. But after falling behind for the first time in the game with 12:23 left, the Sugar Bears clamped down and outscored EKU 15-6 over the game's final six minutes to move to 4-1 at home this season.
The Sugar Bears held the Lady Colonels to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half, including 2-for-11 (18.2 percent) from 3-point range, as EKU finished just 36.7 percent from the field. It was the third straight game UCA has held an opponent under 40 percent shooting, limiting their last three to 33.1 percent after the first six averaged 46.1.
"We played a lot better defensively as a team," Daniel said. "That showed in their shooting percentage. We're not where we want to be, but we've definitely made some strides defensively since the start of the season and hopefully will continue to do so. To get to where we want to be, we've got to continue to play better defensively, and today I thought was a good all-around team effort."
UCA committed only 11 turnovers – nearly four under its season average – and had just three in the second half. On the other end of the floor the Sugar Bears kept the Lady Colonels off the free throw line, limiting EKU to only two attempts – both misses. UCA was 8-of-15 in the half and finished 12-for-19 from the line for the game, holding a nine-point edge over EKU which was just 3-of-7 (42.9 percent).
"We were able to take better care of the basketball in the second half," Daniel said. "We had some struggles offensively at the end of the first half and then in the second half, but we stayed resilient and handled the ball and stayed after it. We pounded the ball in, tried to get it out and get good shots. They didn't all go in, but they'll start to fall. And we didn't shoot free throws great, but we got there enough to make a difference in the game and played smart enough to keep them off the line, which certainly played a factor in the win."
With the game tied at 46, Destinee Rogers hit a 3-pointer and Megan Herbert followed with a free throw on the next possession to put the Sugar Bears ahead four. EKU answered with a pair of baskets around one from UCA's Westin Taylor. Another free throw from Herbert had the UCA lead at three with 2:26 to play.
The dagger came with just under two minutes to play as Rogers pulled up and drilled her second 3-pointer of the day to push the Sugar Bears ahead 56-50. The two teams traded missed shots until Nadia Mossong's layup cut the UCA lead to four with 57 seconds to play. That would prove to be the final points for the Lady Colonels, who went 0-for-4 the rest of the way and were forced to repeatedly send the Sugar Bears to the free throw line. UCA closed it out hitting five of its final six free throws in the last minute to put the game away.
Herbert led all players with 18 points and 15 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season and 33rd of her career. Herbert's 13 defensive rebounds was her highest total of the season and ties her career high, set twice last year.
EKU's Alex Jones, who came into the game averaging 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds, was held to eight and seven.
"She had 31 points and 11 rebounds the last time she stepped on the court," Daniel said. "She came in averaging a double-double and didn't get double figures in either category. That's not necessarily what they were expecting, and the exact opposite of what they were hoping for. I think that's indicative of our effort on the defensive end, particularly in the post. In all it was a good team effort."
The Sugar Bears got 12 points and a team-high five assists from junior guard Sidney Stewart, who hit three 3-pointers in the first half to help the Sugar Bears jump on top early. Destinee Rogers had eight, and both Desiree' Rogers and Courtney Duever added six. Taylor had five, Nakeia Guiden had four and Micah Rice two. Rice's lone basket was a critical one for the Sugar Bears, battling and weaving through three Lady Colonels for a layup after a steal by Guiden to cap a six-point spurt that put UCA back in control of the game after EKU had taken its lone lead.
The Lady Colonels were led by freshman guard Marie Carpenter's 14 points, with Mossong adding 12. Reese Bass, a transfer from the University of Michigan, led EKU with five assists but was limited to two points on 1-for-5 shooting and committed a team-high three turnovers.
The Sugar Bears lead the series against EKU 2-0, having defeated the Lady Colonels 52-47 in Richmond, Ky. last season. UCA moves to 6-7 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference opponents.
After breaking for final exams, the Sugar Bears will resume action next Saturday when they travel to Pine Bluff to renew their series with UAPB.
