CONWAY, Ark. — The Central Arkansas women's basketball team returned home for a Southland Conference matchup with Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday. Romola Dominguez led the Sugar Bears with a season-high 12 points, but UCA (2-9, 0-3 SLC) fell to SFA (11-2, 2-0 SLC), 85-44.
 
After SFA opened the game with a 3-pointer, Dominguez answered with a corner 3-pointer to tie the game at 3-3, with 7:54 left in the first quarter. The Ladyjacks went on a 12-2 run and extended their lead to 15-5, with 3:49 left in the period. Tori Lasker knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:31 left in the quarter. After SFA scored six unanswered points, Savanna Walker hit a running floater in the paint as the buzzer sounded. SFA held a 21-10 lead after one.
 
Ruth Balogun opened the scoring in the second with a layup. The Ladyjacks went on a 7-0 run and extended their lead with 6:48 left. Dominguez hit a jumper and closed the SFA lead to 28-14. At the 3:22 mark, Lasker stole the ball from SFA and sprinted down the court. Lasker found a cutting Charlay Conway for an easy fast-break layup and drew a foul. Conway went on to convert the 3-point play. Ayanna Trigg recorded UCA's final three points of the half, all on free throws. The Ladyjacks took a 41-20 lead into the half.
 
The SFA defense picked up in the third quarter and held UCA without a field goal until 5:17 left in the third when Lucy Ibeh made a layup. After she brought down a defensive rebound, Lauryn Mapusua went the length of the court and laid it in for two and made the score 54-26, in favor of SFA. The Ladyjacks finished the third on a 7-4 run and went to the fourth with a 61-30 lead.
 
Dominguez drained another 3-pointer early in the fourth. Lasker followed that up with a layup and made the score 64-36, with 8:07 left in regulation. Ibeh added a layup and extended UCA's run to 6-0. At the final media timeout, UCA trailed SFA 75-40. The Ladyjacks held UCA to one field goal in the final 4:17 of the game and went on to win, 85-44.
 
Dominguez led UCA with a season-high 12 points and tied for a team-high one block. Ibeh finished with seven points and tied for a team-high two steals and two assists. Lasker tied a team-high two steals and two assists, and chipped in with five points. Terri Crawford collected a team-high five rebounds.
 
Stephanie Visscher notched a game-high 18 points for SFA. Aiyana Johnson added 16 points and had a game-high nine rebounds. Zya Nugent chipped in with 13 points and a game-high four assists. Marissa Banfield closed out the double-digit scoring for the Ladyjacks with 10.
 
UCA returns to the friendly confines of the Farris Center on Saturday, for a matchup with Nicholls. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start time and will be the first game of a men's and women's doubleheader.
 
From the Coach – Head Coach Sandra Rushing
"They are the best team in the conference. They play hard. My issue tonight was not getting into our offense, that part is frustrating. This is embarrassing and I hate losing. We would have had to play a perfect game tonight to win. It's on me, we have to have it carry over from practice into the game. I love my players, but it's time to buckle down, play defense, listen, and learn the offense. We have to get tougher mentally and play a full 40 minutes of basketball. I will figure it out and we will get it straightened out."
 
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