CONWAY — Central Arkansas may not have saved its absolute best for last, but it was pretty close.
In their final home game of the season, the Sugar Bears shot nearly 60 percent and outscored UTSA 53-28 in the second half as they pulled away for an 81-59 win over the Southland Conference West Division-leading Roadrunners on Senior Night in the Farris Center.
"That's a great win," said UCA head coach Matt Daniel. "I don't know what's going to happen the rest of the season, but that's a great win right there and a great way to close out the regular season at home and send our seniors off in good fashion. It appears we're starting to play better, and if we are we're doing it at the right time."
In picking up their third straight win and first ever over the Roadrunners, the Sugar Bears (19-10, 10-5 Southland) got 28 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore forward Megan Herbert – including 21 second-half points. During one span of 4:02 late in the half, Herbert scored 13 straight points for the Sugar Bears as they extended their lead to 21 with under five minutes remaining to put the Roadrunners (14-14, 10-5) away.
"Our kids focused on the gameplan," Daniel said. "We wanted to get the ball inside and they had some foul trouble. We went to our horse and the thoroughbred got it done."
The Sugar Bears also got a huge lift from junior guard Nakeia Guiden, who poured in a career-high 23 points and hit a season-best three 3-pointers. Guiden's previous career high of 22 points came against UTSA in 2009.
"She's playing fearless and backing up and shooting the ball when she's supposed to to keep them honest," Daniel said. "That's not what she does for a living – she takes that ball and attacks. But she did both well tonight and she's also taking care of the basketball. When she takes care of the ball we're a better basketball club."
Guiden committed just one turnover as the Sugar Bears combined to commit just a season-low six.
The Roadrunners led most of the way in the first half and took a 31-28 lead into the locker room. The Sugar Bears came out with an 11-2 spurt early in the half to go up five, and extended the lead to eight on a Destinee Rogers 3-pointer with 12:06 to go.
Ashley Gardner, a North Little Rock native who led UTSA with 15 points, hit two free throws to cut it to six. That would be the last time the Roadrunners were in the game.
Britney Gowans came off the bench and knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to push the Sugar Bear lead to 14, 56-42, with 9:39 to go. Herbert then went on her 13-point tear and the Sugar Bears led 69-49 with 4:22 left. The lead swelled to as many as 24 with 1:30 to go when freshman center Courtney Duever, who finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks, drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key just before the shot clock sounded to make it 77-53 UCA.
Guiden sank two free throws with 18 seconds left to reach her career high and put the lead back at 24, but Ashleigh Franklin, who had 14 points for UTSA, scored inside with 10 seconds left for the game's last points.
The win marked the first ever for the Sugar Bears against UTSA, having gone winless in the previous four meetings since UCA joined the Southland Conference.
The Sugar Bears will play their final regular season game on the road Saturday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and then head to Katy, Texas for their first Southland Conference tournament.
"We're getting that thing where it needs to go right now," Daniel said. "We're kind of on an upswing, but we're set up for a trap deal on Saturday. Then we head to the conference tournament – and I hope it's the longest road trip I've ever been on in my life."
