TULSA, Okla. – The Central Arkansas women's basketball team suffered a 78-46 road loss at Tulsa on Sunday, unable to keep up with the high-powered Golden Hurricane offense. As has been the case with this young team, there are flashes of execution mixed in with some clear inexperience.
Scoring came at a premium for the Sugar Bears, but everyone had a hand in the cookie jar, as 10 of the 11 players that entered the game registered points on the afternoon.
Hannah Langhi led the way with 10 points on the day, while
Lashiyah Fowler added a season-best nine.
Central Arkansas got blitzed from the opening tip, falling down 12 before
Ruth Balogun got the Sugar Bears on the board. The team struggled to find open shots and knock them down, trailing by 19 after one.
The Sugar Bears were able to keep pace with the Golden Hurricane in the second, equaling the host school after refocusing on defense. UCA held Tulsa to just 12 points on 25 percent shooting in the quarter, taking a 38-19 score into the halftime break.
Leah Perry scored her first collegiate basket in the quarter, sinking a layup in the closing minute of the half.
After halftime, the home team came out firing on all cylinders again, stretching the lead between the teams.
Carley Hudspeth knocked down a three-pointer in the quarter, marking the fifth game of the season that she's connected on at least one triple.
Langhi and Fowler combined to score the first 13 points for Central Arkansas in the fourth, helping the Sugar Bears outscore the Golden Hurricane 18-17 in the fourth. The closing quarters of both halves were 30-29 in favor of Central Arkansas.
Central Arkansas returns home for the next one, facing in-town opponent Central Baptist College on Thursday, December 16.
