CONWAY — Central Arkansas saw its winning streak come to an end at nine games on Saturday as the Sugar Bears fell 61-49 to Abilene Christian in the Farris Center in the 2016 Southland Conference opener for both teams.
The Sugar Bears (10-2, 0-1 Southland) had one of their worst offensive outings of the season, shooting just 34.4 percent – including 10 of 41 in the 1st half – and were 0-for-12 from 3-point range as they failed to break the 50-point mark for just the second time this season, the first since scoring 47 in a loss at No. 4 Tennessee on Nov. 15.
"We did not have focus and after Christmas we came back out of shape," said Central Arkansas head coach Sandra Rushing. "Sometimes people need a gut check. I'm disappointed we didn't do anything in the gameplan. I can promise you this – there'll be some changes in the starting lineup, and they'll learn."
The Wildcats (10-2, 1-0) led by as many as seven in the first half, but the Sugar Bears cut the deficit to one at the half. In the second half, however, ACU was able to withstand any Sugar Bear surge by shooting 46.7 percent from the field including going 5-for-10 from 3-point range in the half. The Sugar Bears were 0-for-12 from long range on the day, the first time this season they've been held without a 3-point field goal.
"I saw our starters quit tonight," Rushing said. "That's the only thing I can say. Some of our people that were in there quit. And if they want to use fatigue … they went home for six days over Christmas, and some admitted they did nothing. When you admit that to the head coach, it's my responsibility to get it right."
UCA out rebounded ACU 41-32 for the game and 31-14 in the first half, and had 20 offensive rebounds – but converted that into just 12 second-chance points. The Sugar Bears' advantage there was offset by ACU going 11 of 18 at the free throw line while the Sugar Bears were 5 of 7.
The Sugar Bears committed 20 turnovers, their second-highest total of the season, which led to 20 Wildcat points.
"It's not about the loss," Rushing said. "We're going to drop a few more if we play like that. It's about them listening. We've got a lot of work to do. We're 0-1 in conference, and it might've been the best thing that could have happened to us because I can guarantee you one thing, we're going to break this down. By no means am I down on this team, I'm just disappointed and frustrated. You can't lose at home."
Brianna Mullins was the lone Sugar Bear to reach double figures, finishing with 12 points and team highs with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Taylor Baudoin had 7 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench, and
Olivia McWilliams added 7 points and 2 assists in 16 minutes.
"Olivia was an x-factor for us," Rushing said. "It was fun to watch her play. She's competitive, and she's going to have a great career here."
ACU got all 61 of its points from its starting five, led by 19 from Sydney Shelstead, who also added a game-high 9 rebounds. Whitney West Swinford added 15 points, Alexis Mason 12 and Lizzy Dimba 10. Suzzy Dimba had four blocks for the Wildcats, who had nine in all.
The Sugar Bears hit the road for two games next week, traveling to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday and Stephen F. Austin on Thursday.
