CONWAY — Central Arkansas extended its longest winning streak of the season on Wednesday, turning in its fourth straight dominant performance as the Sugar Bears routed McNeese 76-45 in the Farris Center.
The Sugar Bears (11-12, 6-7 Southland) won their fourth straight game by at least 19 points, with an average margin of victory of 31 points over the winning streak – including wins of 42, 31, 22 and 19 points.
After falling behind early, the Sugar Bears went on a 10-0 run late in the first quarter to take control of the game from the Cowgirls (6-18, 4-9) – leading 22-15 after the first quarter. A 17-9 second quarter gave the Sugar Bears a 39-24 halftime lead, and they continued to pour it on in the second half – holding the Cowgirls to 23.3 percent shooting (7-of-30), outscoring McNeese 37-21 over the final 20 minutes.
The Sugar Bears, who rank 23rd nationally in points per game allowed, kept the Cowgirls 19 points below their season average en route to their 7th straight victory in the series with McNeese.
The Sugar Bears shot 48 percent from the field for the game, and were 22 of 28 (78.6 percent) from the free throw line while McNeese was just 9 of 20 (45 percent) from the line. The Sugar Bears connected on 6 of 11 attempts from beyond the arc (54.5 percent), while the Cowgirls – who had made 46 more shots from long range this season than the Sugar Bears – were limited to just 2-for-12 (16.7 percent).
Kamry Orr led the Sugar Bears with 24 points – her 7th 20-point game in the last 10 – and added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 29 minutes. Maddie Goodner had a season-high 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, grabbing 4 rebounds with 2 steals and a block in 37 minutes. Freshman Alana Canady had 9 points and a season-high 9 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench. Shay Johnson led the Sugar Bears with 4 assists, also scoring 6 points in 23 minutes. Carley Hudspeth added 8 points in just 5 minutes.
The Sugar Bears hit the road for their next two, heading to Nicholls on Saturday and Stephen F. Austin next Wednesday, before returning to the Farris Center on March 2 against Abilene Christian.
