CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Though Texas A&M-Corpus Christi made a 4th-quarter run, it was too little, too late as Central Arkansas went on the road and picked up a 66-55 win at the American Bank Center on Tuesday.
The Sugar Bears (11-2, 1-1 Southland) never trailed in the game, scoring 37 first-half points en route to a 16-point half lead before going up by as many as 21 late in the third quarter.
Trailing 52-31, the Islanders (3-9, 0-1) went on a 22-6 run to cut their deficit to as little as five with under two minutes to play, but the Sugar Bears made six consecutive free throws and got a late layup from
Kendara Watts to hold off the Islanders.
"I'm happy with the win, proud of the team – they showed a lot of heart," said Central Arkansas head coach Sandra Rushing. "I'm really proud of this team coming back after the other night. We made our mistakes, but a win is a win on the road and we'll take it. I thought the bench was into it and we had more leadership and more talking out on the floor. I'm really proud of the energy we had."
For the game, the Sugar Bears outscored the Islanders 18-6 at the free throw line, with
Brianna Mullins getting 8 of her season-high 17 points at the line, going 8-for-9, including three 3-point plays.
The Sugar Bears went 18 of 23 at the line (76.5 percent) for the game, including 13 of 17 in the 2nd half, while the Islanders were 0 for 2 in the half. That difference made up for Islanders' improved second-half shooting from the field, having made just seven field goals in the first half before going 16 of 32 in the second half.
"We had a chance to extend the lead, but we let them back in," Rushing said. "Fatigue hit us in the fourth quarter, and we played a period of not reversing the ball. When we aren't reversing the basketball, we're not as good offensively. You want the defense to move side to side, and we started taking quick shots I didn't want us to take."
In the first half, the Sugar Bears were buoyed by turning 11 Islander turnovers into 20 points and knocking down 4-of-7 from 3-point range after having gone 0-for-12 in Saturday's conference-opening loss to Abilene Christian.
In addition to her season-high 17 points, Mullins tied for the team lead with 6 rebounds and led the Sugar Bears with 4 assists.
Maggie Proffitt added 15 points and 3 rebounds, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. Watts added a season-high 14 points,
Sandy Jackson led UCA with 4 steals, and
Sandy Jackson added 4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and had 2 blocks – coming on consecutive shots in the last minute to help keep the Islanders at bay.
"Early on I thought the offense was pretty good," Rushing said. "I think
Olivia McWilliams starting helped us, she calmed us down. Raquel Logan did a great job for us. But we're still leaving a lot of points underneath. We've got to finish around the basket."
The Sugar Bears held Brittany Mbamalu – the Islanders' leading scorer on the season at 11.9 points per game – scoreless, with Kassie Jones and Shay Weaver each scoring 17 to lead the way for A&M-Corpus Christi.
With the win, the Sugar Bears even the all-time series with the Islanders at 6-6 and have won four of the last six meetings.
The Sugar Bears get little time to enjoy the win, as they turn around and face defending league champion Stephen F. Austin on Thursday in Nacogdoches, where the Sugar Bears have yet to win since joining the league.
"The Sugar Bears have never won there, and we'd like to go do that," Rushing said. "We've got to get some rest and scout them. I thought Coach (Greg) Long did a great job with this scout. SFA is very well coached, very athletic, and they are used to winning. This is what it's all about in conference play. No time to enjoy this one."
