CONWAY — The coaching staff may have changed since last season, but the result was the same on Friday as Central Arkansas opened the Sandra Rushing era with an easy 83-46 win over Oklahoma Wesleyan in the Farris Center to extend the Sugar Bears' regular-season home winning streak to 20 games.
"I'm very proud of our effort," said Rushing, coaching her first game at Central Arkansas following 10 years in Cleveland, Miss. at UCA's former Gulf South Conference rival Delta State. "There were several moments of having a great defensive team on the floor. We relaxed a little bit later on, and we've got a long way to go, but I'm extremely proud of the kids tonight. They played extremely hard, and everybody got the opportunity to play. I want to thank the crowd, it was an exciting atmosphere and we really appreciate it. I'm glad to be on this side of the Farris Center court now."
Junior center Courtney Duever poured in a career-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting in just 19 minutes to lead all scorers, while senior forward Megan Herbert added 16 points and 11 rebounds to record her 67th career double-double, moving her into a tie for 11th most ever by a Division I player. Senior center Chantel Moss also hit double digits for the Sugar Bears, putting in 10 points to give that trio a 47-46 edge in scoring over the Lady Eagles.
The Sugar Bears limited OWU to just 28.6 percent shooting in the first half and 32.8 percent for the game. UCA forced 23 OWU turnovers, getting 15 steals along the way led by Micah Rice's four. Britney Gowans finished with nine points, hitting three 3-pointers to lead the Sugar Bears' perimeter scoring. UCA had 21 assists on 30 made baskets, led by three apiece from Duever and senior Tracey Parsons, a transfer from UA-Fort Smith playing her first game in a UCA uniform. Parsons also added two points, two rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes.
Twelve different Sugar Bears scored, 11 registered assists and eight recorded steals as all 13 UCA players in uniform saw at least seven minutes of action. True freshman Kelsey Smith had two points, two assists, a block and a rebound in 10 minutes in her debut, while classmate Jameka Watkins had two points, two assists and a steal in nine minutes. Redshirt freshman Julia Mason had two points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist in her first game action as a Sugar Bear. Sophomore guard Kelcia Bufkin, a transfer from East Central Community College, had five points and added a rebound, assist and steal in 13 minutes in her first game at UCA.
The Sugar Bears will take to the road for their next four games, beginning with a trip to Southern Illinois on Tuesday. They will look to extend their home winning streak on Dec. 4 against crosstown foe Central Baptist College.
