LAKE CHARLES, La. — With only six games remaining in the regular season, Central Arkansas finds itself third in the standings in the Southland Conference East Division.
On Saturday, the Sugar Bears will have a chance to shake things up and gain invaluable ground when they take on conference leader McNeese State at 1 p.m. at Burton Coliseum. The game will be the first half of a doubleheader, with the men's game to follow.
The Sugar Bears – who are 15-8 overall – come into Saturday's meeting with a 7-3 mark in league play, sitting just behind Lamar at 7-2 and the Cowgirls at a league-best 8-1. That lone loss came at the hands of the Sugar Bears in a 74-73 overtime thriller in Conway on Jan. 29. Another win over the Cowgirls for the Sugar Bears would tighten up the East Division race, while a loss would severely cripple their hopes for an overall or division crown.
In addition to the Cowgirls (who play their next five and six of their final seven at home), the Sugar Bears must also still face the top two teams from the Southland's West Division in addition to road trips to Nicholls and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. UCA's only two remaining home games are against 6-3 UTSA – a team the Sugar Bears have never beaten – and Southeastern Louisiana, who the Sugar Bears edged by four in the final minute in their first meeting of the season.
The Cowgirls, looking to create some distance from the pack, have bounced back with consecutive wins since their loss to the Sugar Bears – getting a 71-66 victory at West Division leader Sam Houston State and scoring a 68-66 overtime win over Stephen F. Austin in their last game. Their last four games have been decided by a total of just nine points.
The Cowgirls will enter Saturday's game well rested, having had their off date this Wednesday. Conversely, the Sugar Bears have played twice since the Cowgirls' last game – playing at Texas State on Wednesday after playing Sunday against UT Arlington in a game moved back due to winter weather conditions.
The Sugar Bears will be hoping Saturday's game goes as well as the last two, having won by a combined 40 points. UCA is now second behind McNeese in scoring margin in Southland play, at +9.2 compared to the Cowgirls' +10.6.
At 71.4 points, the Sugar Bears are just ahead of the Cowgirls (71.2) as the league's highest-scoring team. The teams are also 1-2 in field goal percentage with McNeese leading at 43.4 percent and the Sugar Bears second at 43.1.
The game will feature the league's two highest scorers in UCA sophomore forward Megan Herbert, who is averaging 17.5 points for the season and 20.3 in league play, and McNeese sophomore guard Ashlyn Baggett – averaging 16.0 for the year and 19.8 in Southland games.
Herbert, who 8th in the nation at 11.3 rebounds per game, is one of only six players in the country to average at least 17 points and 11 rebounds. Her scoring average is 49th and at 57.2 percent has the 11th best field goal percentage in the nation. After putting up a season-high 28 points to go with 14 rebounds in Wednesday's win at Texas State, Herbert is now 4th in the country with 15 double-doubles for the year.
Baggett, who is coming off consecutive 20-point games, leads the Southland in that category with 11 (Herbert is second with eight). In the first meeting with the Sugar Bears she was limited to 11 on 5-of-16 shooting. Twin sister Caitlyn led the Cowgirls in that game with 19 points, and forward Kiara Johnson had 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Herbert had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Sugar Bears, who also got a double-double out of freshman Courtney Duever with 20 points and 12 boards.
Duever, who followed with another double-double by getting 10 points and 11 rebounds two games later against UT Arlington, has now reached double figures in scoring in six of UCA's last seven games. She leads all Southland freshmen in blocks (16), is third in both steals (39) and rebounds (4.7 per game), fourth in scoring (7.8 per game) and sixth in assists (20).
The Sugar Bears will be shooting for their 8th win in the series against the Cowgirls, which UCA currently leads 7-2. UCA will also be looking for its fourth conference road win of the season, sitting 3-1 after winning their last three at Texas State, Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State. Last year the Sugar Bears were 4-4 on the road in Southland play, their best season to date.
With a league record of 7-3, UCA is currently tied for third overall with West Division leader Sam Houston State. The Sugar Bears, who are off Wednesday, will travel to Huntsville, Texas to take on the Bearkats next Saturday in another game that could have major seeding implications for the conference tournament.
