BEAUMONT, Texas — Last season Central Arkansas put together the greatest single-season turnaround in Southland Conference history and, with an 11-5 finish and narrowly missing the East Division title, stated its case as one of the league's top teams. But, being in their final year of the Division I reclassification process, the Sugar Bears were not eligible for postseason play and were denied the opportunity to earn a conference tournament championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. With the Division I reclassification behind them, the Sugar Bears now have a chance to do just that. To do so they'll have to dethrone defending champion Lamar, which finished last season with a 26-8 record that included the Southland regular season and tournament titles and a trip to the NCAAs. It also included a 92-77 loss to the Sugar Bears in Conway in their lone meeting. The Sugar Bears will see right away where they stand this season as they begin their first quest for the Southland tournament with the Lady Cardinals in the 2011 Southland opener Saturday at 2 p.m. in Beaumont. Lamar comes into the meeting with an 11-3 record, riding a six-game winning streak that saw them defeat Houston 69-60 in their last game. The Sugar Bears are 8-5 and have won six of their last seven. The game will pit the league's top two scoring offenses against one another, with the Lady Cardinals scoring a league-best 75.3 points per game and the Sugar Bears at 73.8. It will also feature some of the league's top individual players, setting up a showdown between LU senior guard Jenna Plumley – last year's Southland Player of the Year – against UCA sophomore forward Megan Herbert, who was the league's Freshman of the Year last season after leading the league in scoring and rebounding. Lamar also features 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Kalis Loyd, a second-team preseason All-Southland selection. In last year's meeting Loyd had 22 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and two assists while Plumley added 21 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals. Herbert led five Sugar Bears who scored in double figures with 20 points and added 13 rebounds. The Lady Cardinals have been bolstered by the addition of Monique Whittaker, a transfer from Nebraska who sat out last season. The 5-11 junior forward leads the Lady Cardinals in scoring at 14.2 points per game, just ahead of Loyd at 14.1. Plumley is averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.4 steals. The Sugar Bears will welcome junior guard Nakeia Guiden back to the lineup after a one-game absence due to injury. Guiden was an All-SLC Honorable Mention pick last season after averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals in league play. Sophomore Britney Gowans will make her third consecutive start after averaging 12.5 points, 4 steals and 2 assists in UCA's last two games – her first two starts of the year. Gowans had 13 points off the bench in last year's win over Lamar. Lamar owns a 4-2 lead in the series and has won all three meetings in Beaumont. The last game in the Montagne Center was a 79-61 Lamar victory in February of 2009. In that game, Destinee Rogers – then a freshman – scored a career-high 28 points and hit seven 3-pointers. UCA will be looking for its first win in a Southland Conference opener, having lost the previous four by an average of 19 points with three losses of at least 21 points in addition to one two-point loss. Last season the Sugar Bears lost 86-65 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and started 0-2 before winning 10 of their next 11.