CONWAY, Ark. – A nine-game home winning-streak was snapped on Saturday as the UCA women's basketball team fell to Northern Kentucky 63-59.
Hannah Langhi scored 15,
Lucy Ibeh added her third-straight double-double, and
Jayla Cody scored a season-best 12 points in the loss.
Despite building a double-digit lead in the third quarter, the Sugar Bears were unable to hold on in regulation before free throws in solidified the outcome. On a positive note, UCA saw the return of
Savanna Walker, seeing the court for the first time this season after recovering from injury. Walker added 10 points in her return, hitting all four of her free throws.
Though tightly contested, the first quarter leaned in favor of the home team, as the interior players of the Sugar Bears powered their way to baskets in the paint. Until Langhi's buzzer-beating three-pointer, every point scored in the first was either in the paint or at the free throw line, as Ibeh and Cody muscled their way to easy layups.
Langhi took control in the second quarter, scoring six of her team-leading 15 in the quarter. The senior has scored double-figure points in four of her five appearances.
Rita James picked up three of her game-high assists in the stanza, keeping the offense humming and on schedule as the Sugar Bears took a four-point lead into the half, 27-23.
UCA kept on the gas pedal in the third quarter, imposing its will and getting points in the paint. Central Arkansas notched a dozen inside, dishing seven assists on eight baskets in the quarter. The lead grew as many as 12 as the home team looked to put the game on ice.
All that would change in the fourth, however. The desperation of the Norse came out in a big way, whittling the lead down until they were able to tie the game with under a minute remaining in regulation. Unable to find a quality look at the end of the clock, the Sugar Bears prepared for their first taste of overtime this season.
Central Arkansas continued to struggle to create offense in overtime, being forced into shots with dwindling shot clocks. Once Northern Kentucky gained the lead, the home team traded buckets before being forced to foul, setting up the final score. Walker score four in the extra period to reach double-figures.
Looking ahead to the next game, the Sugar Bears look ahead to facing Little Rock on the road. Scheduled for 2 p.m. on Dec. 4, this game is part of the Governor's I-40 Showdown, UCA's rivalry series with Little Rock.
