KATY, Texas. – The Central Arkansas women's basketball team returned to the Leonard E. Merrell Center for the third round of the Southland Conference Championships on Friday. The Sugar Bears defeated the Lamar Cardinals 69-55, as three players recorded double-digit points.
 
Briana Trigg got UCA on the board with the first points of the game on a layup. After two free throws by Lamar, Carley Hudspeth drained her first 3-pointer of the game. The Sugar Bears saw their lead get as big as four points on multiple occasions, but the Cardinals took a one-point lead with just over a minute left in the quarter. Savanna Walker knocked down a jumper in the paint to give UCA a 11-10 lead after one.
 
Lamar came out fast to start the second quarter and started on a 13-4 run. After a hard foul on Lucy Ibeh knocked her out of the game momentarily, Hannah Langhi came in to shoot the two free throws and made both of them. Langhi stayed in the game and provided a much-needed spark for the Sugar Bears. With the score 23-15 in favor of Lamar, Langhi scored eight of the team's next 10 points as UCA went on a 10-0 run and took a 25-23 lead. The Cardinals managed to tie the game right before.
 
The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle and was tied 31-31 with 6:57 left in the period. Hudspeth came up big for the Sugar Bears as she knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers and put UCA up by six. The Cardinals were able to tie the game at 43-43 with 1:00 left in the stanza. Ibeh converted on a free-throw attempt and gave the Sugar Bears a one-point lead headed into the fourth.
 
With UCA up by five, 52-47, Ayanna Trigg brought down a defensive rebound and went the length of the court for a fast-break layup to extend the UCA lead. After Lamar cut the lead to five, Walker was fouled as she made a layup and followed with the made free throw. The Cardinals managed to cut the lead to four, but the Sugar Bears scored the game's final 10 points to claim a 69-55 victory.
 
Hudspeth finished with a team-high 15 points, including going 3-for-4 from behind the arc. Ibeh posted 13 points along with two rebounds and an assist. Langhi recorded double-digit points with 12 and chipped in with one rebound. Jayla Cody produced a career-high eight rebounds to lead UCA, blocked a team-high three shots, and notched eight points. Ayanna Trigg was second on the team with seven rebounds and was second on the team with two assists. Walker went for a team-high three assists and collected nine points.
 
Lamar was led by Jadyn Pimentel with 15 points. Angel Hastings finished with 13 points. Micaela Wilson and Bebe Galloway tied for the game high with nine rebounds each.
 
 The Sugar Bears advance with the win and will play Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, March 13, at 1 p.m.
 
From the Coach – Head Coach Sandra Rushing
"What a tough game! Lamar is a well-coached team. They took us out of our game plan early. I don't think we played really well in the first half, but I thought our fourth quarter was really good. I'm proud of these players, they all fought and found a way to win. We've advanced, it's exciting and this is what you work for. These ladies have worked hard and are prepared."
 
From the Players – Junior, F Lucy Ibeh
"It was us just sticking to the game plan. We needed to slow the ball down because they have fast guards. We just listened to Coach and the team put everything together."
 
From the Players – Junior, G, Carley Hudspeth
"We did a great job of moving the ball in and out. Our posts did a great job and made the defense collapse. We want to play Sugar Bear defense and do whatever it takes to get the win."
 
Follow the Sugar Bears
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram