CONWAY — Though the two Conway schools are separated by only a few miles, on Friday night Central Arkansas and Hendrix were worlds apart as the Sugar Bears rolled to a blowout victory over the Warriors, winning 79-22 in the 2017-18 season opener in the Farris Center.

In winning opener against the Division III crosstown foe for the third straight season, the Sugar Bears (1-0) put together one of the program's most dominant opening performances, with the 57-point margin trailing only a 61-point win in 1993 as the most lopsided opener in school history.

The 22 points allowed is the second fewest the Sugar Bears have given up in 155 games in their 6th season under head coach Sandra Rushing, and is the 25th time during her tenure they have allowed fewer than 40.

After building a 23-4 lead after the first quarter, the Sugar Bears held the Warriors without a field goal in the second quarter as Hendrix went 0-for-12 and scored only a single point as Central Arkansas ran out to a 45-5 halftime lead before cruising to a 34-17 advantage after the break.

Hendrix was limited to just 2-for-21 shooting in the first half and finished the game 8 of 41 (19.5 percent), while the Sugar Bears were 29 of 53 (54.7 percent). Hendrix struggled from the free throw line, going just 4 of 13 (30.8 percent), while the Sugar Bears converted 72.7 percent of their chances (16 of 22).

The Sugar Bears forced the Warriors into 32 turnovers, converting those into 37 points. Leading that charge was junior guard Kamry Orr, making the most of her Sugar Bear debut – recording 7 steals and equaling sophomore guard Taylor Sells with a game-high 14 points. Sells was also one of three Sugar Bears – along with senior forward Taylor Baudoin  and freshman forward Mekaylan Hicks – to pull down a game-high 6 rebounds.

In addition to the 6 rebounds, Baudoin finished with 9 points and led Central Arkansas with 5 assists. Hicks, one of five players making their Sugar Bear debut on Friday, added 7 points to her 6 rebounds – one of seven Sugar Bears to score seven or more in the win.

Senior forward Kierra Jordan had 9 points and 3 blocks; freshman guard Savannah Lowe added 8 points in 10 minutes; and sophomore guard Maddie Goodner had 7 points and 3 steals in 19.

The competition now swings to the other end of the spectrum for the Sugar Bears, as they go from Division III to No. 3 with a trip to 3rd-ranked Baylor coming on Tuesday. The Sugar Bears will then play four of their next five in the Farris Center, with the lone road game during that span coming in the form of a trip to No. 14 Tennessee.