CONWAY — Before their tough test on Sunday, Central Arkansas had an easy go of it in the season opener as the Sugar Bears defeated crosstown foe Hendrix 72-43 less than 48 hours before tipping off in Knoxville against the 4th-ranked Lady Vols.
The Sugar Bears went on a 13-0 run in the first quarter, extending that into a 35-18 halftime lead, and eventually pulled ahead by as many as 30 in the 2nd half as they cruised to their fourth straight victory over the Warriors, holding them to the fewest points in the series since a 20-11 win in 1926.
Junior guard
Maggie Proffitt led all players with 20 points, the seventh time of her career to hit the 20-point mark. Junior guard
Brianna Mullins added 10 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals, while sophomore transfer forward
Taylor Baudoin added 10 points and 6 rebounds in her Sugar Bear debut. Junior center
Raquel Logan had 6 points, 3 blocks, 2 steals and tied a career high with 9 rebounds, while senior guard
Jameka Watkins added a career-best 6 steals along with 5 assists and 3 points in the win.
In her return to action after tearing an ACL in the second game of last season,
Olivia McWilliams added 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist in 17 points.
The Sugar Bears forced the Warriors into 25 turnovers, getting 18 steals in all on the night – the highest total since getting 21 against Philander Smith in December of 2012.
Hendrix was led by Estrella Flores' 11 points and 6 rebounds, with Caitlin Krisel-Bigler adding 10 points. For the game, the Warriors were limited to 29.2 percent shooting. Hendrix got 11 of its 25 second-half points from the free throw line, getting 18 attempts in the half after just one in the first. The teams shot a combined 41 free throws and were whistled for a total of 45 fouls in the game.
The Sugar Bears now turn their attention to Tennessee, the highest-ranked opponent a Sugar Bear team has faced in 10 seasons in Division I. The previous high was 5th-ranked Oklahoma in 2007. The Sugar Bears are 2-2 against SEC competition, having gone 1-1 against both Alabama and Ole Miss – winning the last two with victories over the Rebels in 2013 and the Crimson Tide in 2011.
