THIBODAUX, La. — Three times last season the Sugar Bears put together nine-game winning streaks en route to a program record 28 wins. As they enter Saturday's game at Nicholls, they once again find themselves winners of nine straight.
They hope the fourth time is the charm, as they look to make it 10 in a row for the first time under coach Sandra Rushing and the program's longest streak since reeling off 11 straight in 2012 en route to a Southland Conference championship.
A win on Saturday would not only keep the streak alive and the Sugar Bears in prime position for another league title, but it would also be the 500th in the 28-year career of Rushing, who comes in with a 499-304 record spanning tenures at UTEP, Delta State, Henderson State and Millsaps before coming to Central Arkansas five years ago.
Between her 10 seasons at Division II powerhouse Delta State and her five seasons to date at Central Arkansas, Rushing has compiled a 350-107 record – winning 76.6 percent of her games over that 15-season span.
To make it 351, the Sugar Bears will have to dispose of a Colonels team that has won three conference games in Stopher Gym this season by an average of 17.3 points per game – including an 11-point victory over a 10-2 Lamar team that defeated the Sugar Bears 70-56 on Dec. 31 in the Farris Center in the Southland opener.
In their most recent home game, the Colonels fell 82-77 to Stephen F. Austin, which sits half a game back of the Sugar Bears and Lamar at 9-2 in the league standings. Nicholls stormed back from a 17-point deficit with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, going on a 15-2 run over a span of 2:03 and eventually having a shot to tie with four seconds left but coming up empty. In that game, the Colonels knocked down 12 3-pointers. They lead the Southland with 9.2 3-pointers made per game in league play.
Cassidy Barrios leads five Colonels averaging double figures in scoring at 15.1 points per game, including 104 points at the free throw line. That is more than Maggie Proffitt and Kierra Jordan combined, the Sugar Bears' leaders with a total of 97 between them. Barrios also averaged 7.2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Colonels. Hope Pawlowski averages 11.7 points, Tykeria Williams 11.6, Taylor Morrison 10.3 and Emani White 10.2.
Four of those Colonels rank among the top 9 in conference play in steals with Williams ranking 2nd, Pawlowski tied for 3rd, Barrios 8th and Morrison 9th as the Colonels rank 2nd in the league at 12.3 per game, trailing only Lamar's 14.2.
While Nicholls is second in turnover margin at +5 per game, they rank dead last in the league in field goal percentage defense and 3-point defense with opponents shooting 47.1 and 39.3 percent, respectively. The Colonels are also the league's worst rebounding team, getting just 28.1 per game in league play with a margin of -9.8. Nicholls does not have a player listed taller than 5'11 who has played this season.
The Sugar Bears are getting 14.7 points per game in conference play from Proffitt, with Kierra Jordan adding 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds. Brianna Mullins has put up 10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4 assists per game in league play, including 14.2, 6.3 and 4.0 over the last six games. Raquel Logan, averaging 1.8 blocks per game during the conference season – comes in needing two to break Courtney Duever's program Division-I era career record of 96.
Pregame begins on 91.3 FM The Bear at 12:40pm. The Sugar Bears are back at home for two next week, hosting Sam Houston State at 7pm Wednesday and Houston Baptist at 2pm on Saturday before finishing the regular season with two of three on the road at Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State, with the home finale coming Feb. 25 against Stephen F. Austin.
