KATY, Texas — The only thing better than winning … is winning again.
Central Arkansas held Stephen F. Austin to a Southland Tournament championship record-low point total as the Sugar Bears dominated the Ladyjacks for a 60-35 win at the Merrell Center on Sunday, winning the league tournament and punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
"They've worked hard all year and never lost sight of the goal," said Central Arkansas head coach Sandra Rushing, the 2017 Southland Conference Coach of the Year. "To do it back-to-back says a lot about this group of young ladies. We beat a very good basketball team in SFA, and I have a lot of respect for the job that they do there. The second one was harder. A lot harder. You win the first one, and people are hungry. You wonder if your players are still going to have that hunger in their gut – and they did."
The 35 points beats the old record low of 44 that the 'Jacks had scored against Northwestern State in 2014, and the 25-point margin of victory is the largest in the tourney finals since 2010.
The Sugar Bears (26-4) held the Ladyjacks (25-7) to 40 points below their Southland-leading scoring average, limiting SFA to just 27.3 percent shooting (12 of 44) and 15.4 percent (2 of 13) from 3-point range in winning their 17th consecutive game and 4th straight at the Southland tournament. The win moves the Sugar Bears to 21-1 in road and neutral games against Southland teams over the past two seasons.
After SFA got out to an early five-point lead, the Sugar Bears went on a 9-2 to take an 11-9 lead midway through the first quarter on a 3-pointer from tournament MVP
Maggie Proffitt, and from that point it was all Sugar Bears.
Leading 18-12 after the first quarter, the Sugar Bears held SFA to just 23 points over the next three quarters, including just four in the third. Leading 27-20 at the half, the Sugar Bears limited the Ladyjacks to 2-for-12 shooting (16.7 percent) in the third quarter, outscoring SFA 15-4 to lead 42-24 going into the final period.
The Sugar Bears poured on 18 more points in the fourth, completing a second half in which they shot 58.3 percent compared to just 20.8 for SFA. The Sugar Bears out rebounded the Jacks 39-26, and scored 17 points off 13 SFA turnovers while committing a season-low six, with just three in each half.
Proffitt was named Southland Tournament MVP – the first Sugar Bear to do so – after scoring a game-high 21 points for the second straight day. She outdueled Southland Player of the Year Taylor Ross, who scored just 8 points in 25 minutes before fouling out. It was Ross' lowest point total against a Southland team this season, the first time she'd been held to fewer than 14. In the Sugar Bears' three wins over SFA this season, Proffitt outscored Ross 64-48.
"I feel like our guards did a great job of shutting down theirs," said Proffitt, a first-team All-Southland selection for the second year in a row and runner-up in this year's player of the year voting. "I think we kind of frustrated them and we fed on that. I really give a lot of credit to Bri, Angel and Sells. I think they frustrated Ross. She's a great player, but I feel like we did a great job."
Taylor Baudoin was also named to the All-Tournament team for the Sugar Bears after averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds in the two games, including a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double in Saturday's semifinal.
Kierra Jordan had 13 points and 9 rebounds in Sunday's win, finishing the tournament averaging 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds.
It was the widest margin of loss for SFA of the season, the next closest being a 15-point loss at Texas A&M on Nov. 20, and SFA's lowest point total of the season. It was the Sugar Bears' largest-ever win at the Southland tournament and largest margin of victory ever over SFA.
With the victory, the Sugar Bears return to the NCAA tournament, where last season as a 14 seed they faced 3rd-seeded Louisville, leading 25-22 after the first quarter before eventually falling 87-60.
The Sugar Bears will learn their destination for this year's tournament on Monday, when the field is announced with a selection special on ESPN at 6:00pm Central on ESPN. A watch party will be held in the Farris Center for the show.
