Central Arkansas will shoot for its fourth consecutive victory Saturday when the Sugar Bears make the short road trip to Pine Bluff to take on the UAPB Lady Lions at 5:30 p.m. in the H.O. Clemmons Arena.
While UCA (5-4) will be looking for its fifth win in six games, UAPB will be looking for its first of the season as the Lady Lions – who are off to an 0-6 start – will be making their home debut and playing in Pine Bluff for the only time during their 11-game non-conference slate.
The Lady Lions last played on Dec. 4, a 90-56 loss at Alabama. Prior to that, UAPB ran a rough gauntlet with trips to SMU, Mississippi State, Arizona, Arkansas State and Marquette. Games with Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Syracuse still remain for the Lady Lions before beginning Southwestern Athletic Conference play.
With five losses by more than 30 points – with a 12-point loss to Arkansas State the lone exception – the Lady Lions come into the game with a scoring margin of -33.7, last in the nation. UAPB is allowing 80.7 points per game while scoring 47.0, and is surrendering a 47.8 field goal percentage while shooting just 29.1 percent.
The Sugar Bears, fresh off final exams, come into the game having defeated Eastern Kentucky 61-52 last weekend after polishing off Central Baptist and Lipscomb in the two games prior. But UCA has yet to win on an opposing team's home court, having lost by 11 at Alabama and 21 at Morehead State.
With a turnover margin of 6.89, the Sugar Bears sit 15th in the nation and are also 20th in fewest turnovers committed at 14.7 per game. Led by Sidney Stewart's 2.3 per game, the Sugar Bears are the nation's 12th most prolific 3-point shooting team with an average of 8.2 made per game.
Sophomore forward Megan Herbert is averaging 17.2 points and 11.7 rebounds – good for sixth in the nation – and has six double-doubles which ranks fourth. During the EKU game, in which she tied a career high with 13 defensive rebounds en route to a total of 15, Herbert became the 19th Sugar Bear to surpass the 500-rebound mark for her career.
Junior point guard Destinee Rogers also ranks seventh in the country with an assist/turnover ratio of 3.11.
This will be the 33rd meeting between the teams, with UCA holding a 20-12 advantage in the series. Of late, it has been a tightly contested series as the Sugar Bears and Lady Lions split in 2007 and '08.
In the 2008 meeting in Conway, UCA escaped with a 71-70 victory after trailing by as many as 10 in the first half. Rogers had 19 points to lead the way for the Sugar Bears in that one, hitting 5-of-10 from the field including a pair of 3-pointers and going 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
LaQuisha Slaton, UAPB's leading scorer this season at 13.5 points per game, had 14 in that meeting.
The Sugar Bears last traveled to Pine Bluff in '07 and suffered a 75-67 defeat. UCA has not won at Pine Bluff since 1989, getting a 77-72 overtime victory on Nov. 21. The two teams played each year from 1976-91, but the series was discontinued and not renewed until the '07-'08 season.
Following the game with UAPB, the Sugar Bears will break for the holiday and return to play on Dec. 28 at home against Chicago State – one of three teams to defeat UCA in non-conference games last season.
