GAME INFORMATION
CENTRAL ARKANSAS (8-9, 4-4 Southland) vs Abilene Christian (14-2, 6-1)
Jan. 25, 2020 • 1:00pm • Farris Center • Conway, Ark.

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SERIES HISTORY
Sugar Bears lead 6-5
Abilene Christian won last 3 meetings
Series tied 2-2 in Conway

STATISTICAL LEADERS
Central Arkansas
Points Per Game: Taylor Sells (9.0)
Rebounds Per Game: Hannah Langhi (5.9)
Assists Per Game: Taylor Sells (2.4)
Blocks: Hannah Langhi (16)
Steals: Hannah Langhi (16)

Abilene Christian
Points Per Game: Breanna Wright (15.9)
Rebounds Per Game: Dominique Golightly (6.1)
Assists Per Game: Breanna Wright (4.8)
Blocks: Alyssa Adams (13)
Steals: Breanna Wright (36)


CONWAY — After breaking a three-game skid with a 53-46 win at Nicholls last Saturday, the Sugar Bears return to action in the Farris Center on Saturday as they host Abilene Christian at 1:00pm on Pink Out day presented by Conway Regional. 

The Sugar Bears (8-9, 4-4 Southland) will be looking to snap a two-game streak at home, having dropped their last two games in the Farris Center to New Orleans and Sam Houston State on Jan. 8 and 11. To do so, they will have to overcome an Abilene Christian team that is 14-2 overall and 6-1 in Southland games, their lone losses coming at Oklahoma (78-65) and at home to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (70-58). The Wildcats have won their last two and 10 of their last 11, defeating Southeastern Louisiana 61-53 last Saturday before hitting the road to defeat Sam Houston State 81-73 on Wednesday in Huntsville, dealing the Bearkats their first conference loss of the season – leaving three teams (ACU, SHSU, Stephen F. Austin) with one league loss.

The Wildcats enter Saturday's game with one of the nation's most prolific offenses, scoring 82.8 points per game – ranking 7th in the country. ACU does it efficiently, ranking 3rd nationally in both field goal percentage (49.2) and 3-point field goals per game (10.2). Leading the charge is senior guard Breanna Wright, who averages a team-best 15.9 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting, including 43.5 percent from 3-point range where she has knocked down 40 – the same total as the Sugar Bears' entire roster – and 4.8 assists. Behind Wright is Dominique Golightly, who averages 15.6 points and 6.1 rebounds while hitting 47.2 percent of her shots overall and 39.8 percent (35 of 88) from long range. Makayla Mabry has connected on 41.6 percent of her 3-point attempts (32 of 77) and Anna McLeod 35.1 percent of hers (26 of 74) as the Wildcats have knocked down 163 3-pointers for the season, hitting at a 37.9 percent clip as a team.

The Sugar Bears will be looking to exact some revenge on the Wildcats, the top selection in this year's Southland Conference preseason poll, having dropped all three matchups last season. After a hard-fought 77-70 setback in Abilene, the Sugar Bears nearly knocked off the Wildcats in Conway, but ACU escaped with a 67-65 win after a layup with 2.6 seconds left by Madi Morris. The Wildcats completed the trifecta with an 82-54 win in the second round of the Southland Conference tournament, hitting 16 3s in that game.

In last weekend's win at Nicholls, the Sugar Bears got a season-high 14 points from Briana Trigg; a season-high 13 rebounds from Ayanna Trigg; a career-high 5 assists from Carley Hudspeth; and a season-high 3 blocks from Hannah Langhi as the Sugar Bears held the Colonels to 46 points – the 7th time this season to keep the opposition to fewer than 50 points. Entering Saturday's game, the Sugar Bears have the nation's No. 27 scoring defense, allowing 56.4 points per game; and are 4th in 3-point defense with opponents shooting 27.5 percent from beyond the arc – keeping 7 teams to a single 3-point field goal or less so far this season. 

The Sugar Bears will have one more option at their disposal on Saturday, as walk-on guard Hannah Walker, a redshirt freshman from Lake Hamilton High School, will make her debut in uniform after serving as a team manager. Walker, who was a 6A All State Tournament selection at Lake Hamilton in 2017, was added to the roster earlier this week.

As part of Pink Out festivities, the Sugar Bears will be wearing their pink uniforms on Saturday. Fans will receive pink pom-poms upon arrival and are encouraged to wear pink attire to the game to help honor those battling cancer and remember those who succumbed to the disease. A silent auction will be held at the start of the game, with bidding closing at halftime of the men's game that will follow to cap the doubleheader. Items to bid on include warmup shirts, signed basketballs and specialty baskets. All funds raised will be placed in a Pink Out fund that will be donated at a later date to a community member battling cancer. 

Following Saturday's game, the Sugar Bears hit the road next week to face Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State before returning to the Farris Center on February 5 against Lamar.