CONWAY — Central Arkansas erupted for 61 first-half points, then put the clamps on in the second half – holding Hendrix to 10 points on three field goals and three free throws over the final 20 minutes – as the Sugar Bears routed the Warriors 104-28 in the Farris Center on Tuesday.
The Sugar Bears (1-1) got out to a 17-0 lead in the first four minutes and never looked back, shooting 68.4 percent in the first half – including a 16-of-20 (80 percent) second quarter in which they outscored the Warriors 34-12.
After taking a 61-18 lead into the break, the Sugar Bears then scored the first 14 points of the second half as part of a 25-0 run to extend the lead to 57 before going up by 70 midway through the fourth quarter.
The offensive catalyst for Central Arkansas was freshman forward
Terri Crawford, who had all of her game-high 24 points in the first half – going 10-for-11 from the field and 4-of-4 at the free throw line in 16 minutes of action.
She led five Sugar Bears in double figures, with
Hannah Langhi and
Shay Johnson each adding 17 – both on 7-of-10 shooting – and
Taylor Sells pitching in with 15 and
Ayanna Trigg 13. Langhi narrowly missed a double-double, pulling down a game-high 9 rebounds.
The Sugar Bears had 13 steals and forced 31 Hendrix turnovers, amassing a 45-7 advantage in points off turnovers. The Sugar Bears outscored the Warriors 54-4 in the paint, and had 22 second-chance points on 16 offensive rebounds while keeping Hendrix to none on just four offensive rebounds. In all, the Sugar Bears dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 44-15.
The 104 points was the third time the Sugar Bears have hit the 100-point mark in their eight seasons under head coach
Sandra Rushing, having previously logged 106 and 102 against Crowley's Ridge College in 2016 and 2017. The 76-point margin of victory is the second-highest of the program's Division I era behind only the 106-23 win over CRC in 2017.
Up next for the Sugar Bears is an in-state battle with Little Rock on Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center in the first meeting between the programs since 1987. It will be the first time the two teams will meet as part of the Governor's I-40 Showdown, in which defending champion Central Arkansas holds an 11.5-6.5 lead over the Trojans in the 2nd year of the year-long competition between the schools.
