THIBODAUX, La. — After outscoring Nicholls 41-26 in the first half, Central Arkansas went cold in the second and the Colonels took advantage, coming back for a 69-60 win to bring an end to the Sugar Bears' winning streak at five games.
After shooting 56.7 percent in the first half, the Sugar Bears (13-7, 7-2 Southland) went just 6 for 20 (30 percent) in the second period as the Colonels (11-9, 6-3) came out firing – outscoring UCA 29-8 in the first 13:30 to build a 55-49 lead that the Sugar Bears would not overcome as the Colonels improved to 8-1 at home this season. Despite the loss, the Sugar Bears remain atop the Southland standings, a game ahead of the Colonels and Lamar.
In outscoring the Sugar Bears 43-19 in the second period, the Colonels shot 50 percent (13 of 26) from the field and made 14 of 16 at the free throw line while UCA was limited to 6 of 9.
The Sugar Bears trailed just 61-57 and had a chance to cut into the Colonels lead with 1:27 to go, but a costly turnover returned possession to Nicholls, which pushed its lead back to six on a layup by Jenny Nash with 1:00 to play. Nash then blocked a Kelsey McClure layup attempt on the other end, and the Colonels' Emani White sank a pair of free throws to push the lead to eight with 45 seconds to go, effectively ending the Sugar Bears' hopes of a comeback.
Micah Rice had 11 points for the Sugar Bears, with 10 coming in the first half as she became the 24th Sugar Bear and fifth in the school's Division I era to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. She hit a pair of 3-pointers to move her career total to 159, passing Stephanie McNespey for third in program history.
Five Sugar Bears scored in double figures, with Courtney Duever leading the way with 13 and Kelsey McClure, Brianna Mullins and Terai Sadler joining Rice with 11. The 11 tied a season high for McClure. Duever also led the team with eight rebounds, and Rice had four assists to pace the Sugar Bears.
Emani White, the Southland's leading scorer at 18.5 points per game, had a game-high 23 including 21 in the second half. KK Babin had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Colonels.
The Sugar Bears return home next week to host Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday and New Orleans on Saturday.
