KATY, Texas — For the fourth consecutive season, Central Arkansas saw its season come to a close in its opening game of the Southland Conference Tournament as defending tournament champion Northwestern State pulled away late from the Sugar Bears for a 63-49 win at the Merrell Center on Thursday.

After falling behind by 10 early in the first half, the Sugar Bears (17-14) fought back and took a one-point halftime lead and led by as many as five in the second half, but the Lady Demons (16-14) outscored UCA 26-9 over the last 8:13 to advance and send the Sugar Bears to their fifth straight Southland tournament loss.

"Hats off to Northwestern State – I thought they played with a lot of heart and a lot of passion," said Sugar Bear head coach Sandra Rushing. "We didn't play our best basketball and we looked confused at times. I'm not sure if it's nerves or what, but I'm disappointed in the loss. I'm proud of what this team accomplished this year and we've come a long way with a young team. Northwestern did a tremendous job. Coach [Stoehr] had them well prepared. I felt like we were well prepared, but evidently we didn't execute the game plan."

The Sugar Bears struggled offensively from the outset, shooting just 28.3 percent (17 of 60) for the game, including just 25 percent (8 of 32) in the second half. The Lady Demons stifled UCA leading scorer Maggie Proffitt – who had 28 in the Sugar Bears' win over NSU earlier in the season before being held to 4 in the loss in Natchitoches – limiting the all-conference guard to just 4 points on 1 of 12 shooting. Just as they did in the meeting at Northwestern State, the Lady Demons focused heavily on Proffitt on Thursday.

"We were prepared for the box-and-1 on Maggie," Rushing said. "We were prepared for the triangle-and-2. That's what they've played us and we worked on it and we never could get her open and I don't think we did a very good job with that. I promise we were prepared and worked on it all week, but we really looked confused in what we were trying to do."

The Lady Demons had their own offensive struggles in the first half as they posted just 23 points on 9 of 26 shooting (34.6 percent), but rebounded with 40 in the second half as they shot 52.2 percent (12 of 23) including one stretch where they hit 7 of 10 as they turned a three-point deficit into a 12-point lead late in the 2nd half.

"They run their offense extremely well – and quick" Rushing said. "I use them as an example for our team, how they sprint to spots offensively. They get into their offense quick, we take about 10 to 12 seconds before we decide what we want to do. They're going to make you play defense until they get the shot they want. We took the shots they wanted us to take, instead of us taking the shots we wanted to."

Senior forward Terai Sadler had 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in her final game as a Sugar Bear, adding 4 rebounds, 2 steals, a block and an assist in 31 minutes. All-conference guard Brianna Mullins also had 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting, adding 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 39 minutes. Junior guard Jameka Watkins had 8 points – including going 6-of-6 at the free throw line – and team highs with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in 32 minutes before fouling out – just the second time this season a Sugar Bear has fouled out of a game. Freshman Angel Williams added 7 points on 3-for-6 shooting.

Keisha Lee had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Lady Demons, while Janelle Perez added 16 and Presley Owens 10.

With the loss, the Sugar Bears – who finished .500 or better for the 7th time in their 9 Division I seasons and are one of just four teams to qualify for the eight-team Southland tournament in each of the last five years – head into the offseason with the sting of a one-and-done showing in the tournament for the fourth straight season overall and in each of Rushing's three seasons at UCA. 

"We've got to work on their toughness, their mental toughness," she said. "We've got to work on their strength, getting them stronger to where they're able to start and finish games. Players and teams are developed in the offseason and in the summer. We've got to get to work. I don't like this feeling. This is the third year in a row, and I do not like this feeling."